​Seminal contemporary jazz band mines a collection of vinyl classics for their first album in six years. “Vinyl Tap” drops October 11 with the first single, “Can’t Find My Way Home,” going for playlist adds September 23.
 
NEW YORK CITY (18 September 2019): Free of the tension of having to write great songs, the five members of Spyro Gyra were laughing and having fun in the recording studio. Creativity flowed as the venerable contemporary jazz band revisited the songs that inspired them from their youth when they were listening to music on vinyl. That artistic fount was spun into “Vinyl Tap,” Spyro Gyra’s first album in six years, which drops October 11 on the Amherst Records label.      
                                        
“It was tensionless as we ‘warped’ the tunes. We had a world of brilliant music to choose from and we didn’t have to worry about writing brilliant music. It was a really fun project to make,” said saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, who will lead Spyro Gyra on tour to support “Vinyl Tap” with a string of US concert dates beginning November 15 in Newark, NJ after a three-week international trek that begins at the Cancun Jazz Festival on October 23.
 
When Spyro Gyra manager Phil Brennan proposed the album’s concept a few years ago to bandleader Beckenstein for their 31st album, he knew that it might take some convincing, so he came prepared with an intriguing concept. Brennan suggested that the band use their arrangement talents to transform the originals into something brand new. The challenge appealed to Beckenstein, who soon overcame any misgivings.
 
“It’s cliché (to record covers) in saxophone-based contemporary jazz. We did not want to sound like a fantastic wedding band. I was really afraid that if we didn’t do our own thing, that our identity would be lost. It was imperative in the creative process – and everybody (in the band) knew this in a big way – that things had to be mixed up. Things had to be jolted out of the old way of approaching the songs. We really tried to come up with a new take on whatever (song) we were doing. We put solos into tunes that really are complete extensions that never had anything to do with the originals,” said Beckenstein.
 
What initially stands out on “Vinyl Tap,” which was produced by Spyro Gyra, are the wildly imaginative arrangements. Beckenstein said, “The arrangements were put together with everyone in my basement with all the equipment set up. We were all together in the pre-studio arrangement process. It was all done democratically. Spyro Gyra is a musician’s group collective. When you have five talented guys, you can do some cool arranging things.” 
 
Spyro Gyra are Beckenstein, Tom Schuman (keyboards), Julio Fernandez (guitars), Scott Ambush (bass) and Lionel Cordew (drums). The musicians have somewhat of a wide range of ages, which explains some of the diversity of the material recorded for “Vinyl Tap.” Beckenstein selected the album opener, “Secret Agent Mash,” a supercharged and ultrahip mashup of “Secret Agent Man” and “Alfie’s Theme.” “Sunshine Of Your Love” is virtually unrecognizable in its new form as a Latin big band number. The first cut going for playlist adds on September 23 is the plaintive “Can’t Find My Way Home,” which takes on a bit of a western feel and benefits from the soulful perspective of Beckenstein’s saxophone protagonist. “What A Fool Believes” is slowed to become a contemplative power ballad that breaks into a mid-song swing cadence.
 
“I spent a lot of time listening to radio – classic rock radio – looking for material that had fantastic melodies. If there was a beautiful, arching melody, like ‘What A Fool Believes,’ it would definitely translate to my saxophone ‘voice,’” said Beckenstein.         
 
Adding chromatic and bass harmonicas by Gary Schreiner, “The Cisco Kid” vacillates in time and tempo, letting the band members stretch out into improvisational banter. Exemplative of Spyro Gyra’s ethos, each band member shares the spotlight equitably, adding sweetness and redolent depth to “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.” “Tempted” always oozed soul, but the band’s reading is deliberate, adding romance and underscoring the sweeping chorus. “Stolen Moments” is another that essentially becomes an “original” composition in Spyro Gyra’s inventive hands after the piece was reconstructed using entirely new, deft and complex rhythms. The set closes with an exhilarating romp cascading through a groovy expanse on “Carry On.” 
 
“This is the first record we’ve done where we have allowed ourselves to do other people’s material full throttle,” said Beckenstein. “That is not to say in any way that we tried to copy what other people did, but it was really great to reach outside of our writing capabilities for inspiration for us to take off on. And that’s what this album is about.”
 
Pre-order sales for “Vinyl Tap” begin on iTunes and Amazon on September 23, the same day “Can’t Find My Way Home” becomes available.       
 
“Vinyl Tap” contains the following songs:
 
“Secret Agent Mash”
“Sunshine Of Your Love”
“Can’t Find My Way Home”
“What A Fool Believes”
“The Cisco Kid”
“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”
“Tempted”
“Stolen Moments”
“Carry On”
 
For more information, please visit https://spyrogyra.com. 

​“Morning Walk” went for playlist adds on Monday ahead of the October 4 album release.
 
CHICAGO (17 September 2019): Inspiration strikes artists even when on holiday break. As pianist Brian Culbertson strolled the frigid streets of Chicago last winter, he felt compelled to write music. Feeling the cold air, seeing his breath and hearing the crunch of snow under his feet spurred the creation of “Winter Stories,” a contemplative collection of melodic musical “stories” recorded in a jazz trio setting. The first “story” that will preface the BCM Entertainment release dropping October 4 is “Morning Walk,” which went for playlist adds on Monday.     
 
When Culbertson returned from that inspired walk, he started composing the first piece for the album that, over time, will become a four-album series: separate stories for each season. He wrote and demoed one song per day for ten consecutive days. After each day’s session, he’d head back into the cold, taking the demo out for a walk. Upon his return, he’d make adjustments to the composition until “it was just right.”
 
Best known for crafting a catalogue of R&B, jazz and funk hits, Culbertson felt that this pensive and introspective album would best be presented by a jazz trio. Knowing that drummer Khari Parker has a deft touch with brushes to craft the gentle rhythms, Culbertson had only one acoustic bassist in mind: Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group). They knew each other from the Chicago jingle scene at the beginning of Culbertson’s professional career and Rodby played on a track on the keyboardist’s second album, “Modern Life” (1995). 
 
“Understanding Steve’s jazz/pop sensibilities and knowing how musical and ‘in tune’ he plays upright bass, I knew that he was the only one who could play on this record,” said Culbertson.
 
Culbertson describes “Winter Stories” not as a Christmas album, but as a hybrid. “It is very melodic with a pop structure, but utilizing traditional straight-ahead jazz elements - acoustic piano, upright bass and drums with brushes – which give it a ‘holiday’ feel, but also something you can listen to any time since these are all new original songs. However, what was unusual is that the three of us didn’t record together. I produced the album using a layered approach, which also makes it more of a pop-styled record, replacing each demo track one at a time. I first recorded piano, then layered Wurlitzer, Rhodes and B3 organ parts sparsely to add depth here and there. After that was drums and then bass was last. A couple tracks also called for percussion, which was played by Lenny Castro.”
 
While writing his “Winter Stories” - the inspiration for all ten stories is shared in the accompanying liner notes, which is another first for Culbertson – he spotted a painting online that he felt perfectly encapsulated the album’s motif. So, he bought the painting and made it the album cover.
 
“It was exactly what was in my mind. I wanted it to be like an intriguing book cover, the kind that after you look at it, you get a sense of what the music is like and then compels you to want to listen,” said Culbertson, who curates, hosts and headlines his second annual Chicago Jazz Getaway running this Thursday through Sunday, a spinoff of his wildly popular Napa Valley Jazz Getaway.      
 
A second single from “Winter Stories” is planned for just prior to the holiday season. Going for adds on November 18, “City Sleigh Ride” is one of the album’s more up-tempo and fun adventures, and the only song with sleigh bells. “While most of the album is on the slower, more ruminative side of things, it was important for me to break up the feel a little bit with a couple tracks,” said Culbertson.
 
After a recent YouTube Premiere with fans, the video for the album opener, “Sitting By The Fire,” is now available for viewing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkuG5bxnQgc). “I’d say the best time to listen to this record is when it’s the coldest and bleakest outside,” said Culbertson. “These songs will warm you up and keep you cozy.”  
 
“Winter Stories” contains the following songs:
 
“Sitting By The Fire”
“Montana Skies”
“Morning Walk”
“Flurries”
“City Sleigh Ride”
“Waltz For M”
“Island Dream”
“Northern Lights”
“Frosted Window”
“Starry Night”
 
For more information, please visit http://www.brianculbertson.com. 

“Peace To The Planet” drops October 25 in partnership with The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network
 
SAN FRANCISCO (16 September 2019): Thirty years before the devastating Amazon rainforest fire and decades before the global climate crisis was one of the crucial issues facing the survival of life on earth, keyboardist Merl Saunders forecasted the future after witnessing the destruction occurring in the Amazon. Teaming with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, Saunders brought the need to preserve rainforests into pop consciousness by creating an album, “Blues From The Rainforest – A Musical Suite,” featuring Garcia that they described as “environmental earth music.” Merl’s son, bassist Tony Saunders, is continuing his late father’s mission with the October 25 release of “Peace To The Planet” by Rainforest Band, which drops on San Francisco Records with a portion of the proceeds going to The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network.   
 
“The rainforests around the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. This band has three strong souls as leaders and our mission is to bring awareness with our music to a cause that needs vigilant attention – long before the Amazon fires put the issue back in the news. To honor the history of the music Jerry and Merl made and to do something to help save the planet is why we made this album now,” said Tony Saunders, who is based in the Bay Area along with his Rainforest Band mates, guitarist Vernon “Ice” Black and keyboardist Sylvester Burks.
 
“Peace To  The Planet” was produced by Black and San Francisco Records chief Ron Umile with social activism at the fore. Umile said, “The band and I have been concerned about the rainforest, climate change and all the related issues. We are also concerned about senseless gun violence in America, the rise of bigotry in our country, the extinction of animals and plants, and the lack of acknowledgement and action from the present administration and general government to address these issues and seek real solutions. The music on ‘Peace To The Planet’ tries to instill calmness for a minute to allow reflection on how we can do our part to be part of the solution. If we can visualize a peaceful planet, we could possibly inspire our audience to take action to save the planet.”
 
While Garcia crossed genres to collaborate with Merl Saunders, who was an African American jazz musician, the twelve songs composed by Rainforest Band members for “Peace To The Planet” are rooted in improvisational contemporary jazz and soulful R&B. The disc features performances by Billboard chart-topping saxophonist Jeff Ryan, noted keyboardist Gail Jhonson, drummer Austin White and percussionist Maquinto Brasil. The first single garnering playlist adds is the funky “S.I.Z.” on which Ryan’s tenor sax wails up a thunderous storm. 
 
The continued relationships and support of both nonprofit partners – The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network – was natural. Tony Saunders toured for a year playing in the original Rainforest Band concerts thirty years ago with his father and Garcia, including gigs for Rainforest Action Network. Garcia’s wife and daughter, Manasha and Keelin Garcia, run The Jerry Garcia Foundation and have collaborated with Tony on multiple projects and music catalogue decisions over the years. The foundations are the beneficiaries of the album release concert planned for November 1 at the Terrapin Crossroads Grate Room in San Rafael. 
 
The Rainforest Band principals are seasoned professionals equipped with lengthy resumes built during accomplished music careers. As a guitarist, vocalist, producer, composer and music director, Black has amassed recording, touring and film credits that list Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Spice Girls. Tony Saunders has played or recorded with legends Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, David Crosby, Joe Sample, Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr. and Paul Brown. He has won two Emmy Awards for writing television scores and is an award-winning composer of jingles and motion picture scores. Burks’ work with ten Grammy winners includes Patti LaBelle and Lalah Hathaway along with gospel superstars Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Shirley Caesar, Bebe Winans and The Hawkins Family. For more information, please visit https://rainforestband.net.
        
“Peace To The Planet” contains the following songs:
 
“S.I.Z.”
“Consequences”
“Caribbean Sunset”
“My Mellow Ways”
“One More Time”
“Gumbo Groove”
“God’s Nature”
“Annisa”
“Just Before Sunrise”
“Reflections”
“Windows Of Time”
“Verano Dias”

“A gift to be savoured like a summer breeze, performed by an artist who knows her craft and isn’t afraid to reach for new timbres”
FOR FOLK’S SAKE
 
“A finely balanced set of songs and a genuine call to arms in a therapeutic and at times spiritual alternative to the intense nature of device driven modern life”
LOUDER THAN WAR
 
“Never less than fascinating, this is quality writing. Recommended”
FOLKING
 
“A beautifully crafted album that creates its own mood. Its secrets reveal themselves more as time goes by. Don’t let it drift past unnoticed”
THE AFTERWORD 
 
“Grab a paddle, get in the boat and sail with her”
FOLK RADIO UK 
 
EUROPEAN TOUR DATES 
20.09.19 AMSTERDAM Vondelkerk (NL)
26.09.19 VLIELAND Podium (NL) 
27.09.19 LEUVEN Irish College * (BE)
29.09.19 AVELGEM Kasteel Bossuit ** (BE)
04.10.19 BERLIN Bewegung *** (DE)
05.10.19 BERLIN Bewegung *** (DE)
* opening for Jai Jagdeesh
** Suntribe Natural Dance Festival
*** Concert & Workshop Lernen 
 
UK CANOE TOUR
What Does The River Say? 
WELSH DATES
19.10.19  CARDIGAN Bara Menyn Bakehouse
20.10.19  BUILTH WELLS Buzzards Nest
24.10.19  ABERGAVENNY Apple Land 2019, Three Pools
25.10.19  GARWAY Community Centre
+
21.11.19  BRIGHTON Rosehill Tavern 
 
‘The Canoe’ is the third album by Brighton based singer-songwriter Carrie Tree. The listener is drawn into her world of mystical storytelling and sublime melody through the production and arrangements of Markus Sieber (known for his ambient acoustic recordings as Aukai) who creates a spatial, delicate sound that allows Carrie’s mesmeric voice and rhythmic, fluid guitar style to take centre stage, with piano and other instrumentation adding to the soundscape.
 
The album song ’Human Kindness’ is inspired by homelessness and the refugee crisis, with Carrie stating: “I was aware of the desperation and need for volunteers and felt compelled to try and help, so I spent a couple of weeks at a refugee camp in Calais and wrote it after talking to a man who had fled his war-torn country with just the clothes he was wearing. In a wider sense, the song is also about the fundamental human need for ‘home' and the link between a sense of belonging and kindness, but this is a raw and painful struggle for so many. In Calais I met people who had seen their homes and lands destroyed and had become separated from their families. It is history repeating itself once again.

The terms ‘asylum seeker’ and ‘migrant’ are used so often, but I can feel distant when hearing them. When I saw what these people needed, it felt much more real to me than these labels. Every person has a name, a beating heart, dreams and loves. It connected me to the universal needs of every human being."
 
Carrie and multi-instrumentalist Keith Ellis have teamed up to perform songs from 'The Canoe’ around the UK and mainland Europe with voice, guitar, piano and clarinet, with the latest leg taking in several Welsh dates in October to be followed by a home town show in Brighton in November.

Travelling alongside them on this tour is the question 'What does the river say?’ Being concerned by the many environmental and social issues of our time, their intention is to help bring about a deeper appreciation of the rivers, waterways and subtle ecosystems of both the land and of the rivers within ourselves. Spending time on each local river prior to the concerts, they will also collect local stories to share, with storytellers and dedicated ecologists invited to each show as guest speakers to further explore this question. 
 
CARRIE TREE
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Carrie Tree has been an established figure in the UK folk scene for a decade. In true nomadic style, she has spent her entire adult life travelling the world with her music, stirring and softening hearts along the way. With an uncanny ability to reach into the traditions of the lands she visits, she touches a place deep inside the hearts of her listeners wherever she performs. She has collaborated live an in the studio with the likes of Damien Rice, Fink, Albert Mazibuko (Ladysmith Black Mambazo), Carly Simon, Rumer, Martha Tilston and Andy Barlow of Lamb. 
 
carrietree.co.uk

​The Virginia Based James Thomas Band’s Global Fan Base Includes Passionate Listeners in Spain, Italy, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Ethiopia and Venezuela.
 
With the release of the James Thomas Band’s latest, perfectly titled album The Loves of My Life and its simmering, heart-tugging lead single “Eileen,” the multi-talented Virginia based soul-blues rocker continues to ride the wave of an inspiring career renaissance. 
 
The 11-track album, which will also soon be available in Europe in a collectible, special limited vinyl edition, features Thomas’ explosive new lineup of renowned veteran guitarist/producer Andre Ferreri, lead guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboardist Mat Sigmon and lead guitarist Alan Rueda, who began performing in bands with Thomas when the two were in their late teens. 
 
Ferreri and Sigmon are graduates of the famed Berklee School of Music in Boston. Ferreri has multi-genre history that extends back several decades and includes performing with the funk/soul band Powerhouse and jazz/rock instrumental group Airstreeam, performing with the Charlotte Symphony and Greensboro Symphony and doing sessions and live performances with legendary artists like Brook Benton, Maurice Williams, Dave Valentin, Herbie Mann and Sam Moore. Rueda’s electric guitar expertise and years of performing experience mirrors and complements the explosive power of Ferrari and Sigmon’s formal jazz-based education to create Thomas’ most potent lineup yet.
With a previous lineup featuring keyboardist/bassist/drummer David Floyd and guitarist Pat Walters, the James Thomas Band broke through to independent success in 2010 with the multi-faceted concept album The Courthouse and the Redemption. Produced by Thomas, who sang lead and played acoustic guitar, the recording, driven by country rock foundations heavily seasoned with blues/rock influences, earned the group an enthusiastic following in Europe – and, for Thomas, the unique experience of being a middle-aged musician earning a following dominated by fans of the ages 13-18. The music of the James Thomas Band is particularly popular in Spain, Italy (from Sicily to Milan), Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Ethiopia and Venezuela. 
In the handful of years since the release of The Courthouse and the Redemption, the James Thomas Band has evolved significantly. “My challenge was to build on the success of that earlier album, and with this current ensemble, we’ve really come together as a cohesive band with great chemistry these past few years and are looking forward to getting out and sharing the new songs live,” Thomas says. “The Loves of My Life is more focused than the ‘Courthouse’ album, which had me exploring all kinds of genres, from jazz to blues to pop. Because I grew up in Durham, that country twang will always be a part of me, yet as a unit we’re all about soulful blues-rock and we wanted this album and all future recordings to reflect what we’re really great at. 
“I think ‘Eileen’ in particular will open up our sound to audiences on both sides of the Pond,” he adds. “It resonates as a rocker, a country song and a pop tune, and allowed my voice to be at its most emotional. I think people are responding to it so positively because it tells a good story. This takes me back to my earliest country influences, including Hank Williams, Sr., who was a masterful storyteller. That’s basically what country music is about. When I originally wrote ‘Eileen,’ I didn’t realize it would become such a meaningful song to people. Yet it resonates because it’s honest and true and really strikes a chord.”
Many years ago, Thomas had several near misses – including almost signing a deal in Nashville – but a difficult encounter with a record company executive changed his mind. The seeds of his comeback began in the late 2000s, a few years after the passing of his wife of 25 years. Still in a dark place and emotionally distant from his vibrant, earlier musical lifetimes, he ran into his longtime friend David Floyd, who convinced him to start writing music again. To jump start his creativity, Thomas, despite his initial skepticism, posted songs from his long ago released album Ocean Song online – and quickly hit the viral jackpot. In its first two months, over 227,000 listened to the resurrected recording, resulting in an astounding 1.5 million-plus plays. 
“Making music on my own terms now, I can enjoy my success much more than I could have in those days,” he adds. “Back then, I had no objectivity and I was not as strong and refined a songwriter as I am today. I would just throw out the first thing that popped into my head and go with it. Now I carefully craft every single word and feel like I can communicate my feelings so much better. I’ve always understood the impact of music, but now I understand the power of words and always keep in mind how people will receive and relate to them.” 

Op 25 oktober brengt Van Morrison zijn nieuwe plaat Three Chords and the Truth uit.  14 eigen composities die moeiteloos aantonen dat Van Morrison een van de grootste songwriters van zijn generatie is. 
 
Three Chords and the Truth is zijn zesde plaat in vier jaar tijd, een ware tour de force. Morrison schreef en producete alles zelf; enkel bij If We Wait for Mountains kreeg hij hulp van Don Black. Gitarist Jay Berliner speelt eveneens mee op het album en het nummer Fame Will Eat the Soul is een duet met Bill Medley van The Righteous Brothers. 

Luister hier naar de eerste single Dark Night of the Soul. ​
​

 Achtkoppige afrobeatsensatie brengt perfecte mix van jazz en West-Afrikaanse ritmes.
WAT?
Na de release van Gilles Peterson’s compilatiealbum ‘We Out Here’ vorig jaar, duikt de achtkoppige Londense band, KOKOROKO, overal op. Hun prachtige soul/jazzsound is doordrenkt met afrobeat en rootselementen. Ze grijpen terug naar de West-Afrikaanse traditie en laten zich inspireren door Fela Kuti, Tony Allen en Ebo Taylor. De band staat bekend om hun herkenbare sound, die de lyrische gitaar van Oscar Jerome verweeft met het harmonische trompetspel van bandleidster Sheila Maurice Grey ondersteund door percussionist Onome Edgeworth en drummer Ayo Salawu.
In maart verscheen hun gelijknamige debuut EP via Brownswood.

VOOR FANS VAN
Ezra Collective, Kamaal Williams, Nubaya Garcia, Ashley Henry, Moses Boyd, Gilles Peterson

IN DE PERS
‘Kokoroko: ik snap verder natuurlijk niks van Urhobo, maar weet wel dat die bandnaam ‘sterk zijn’ betekent. Voeg daar nu ook maar ‘feest voor de oren’ aan toe.’ **** - De Morgen over hun passage in De Roma
‘Ones to watch: KOKOROKO. The young, London-based Afrobeat band achieve a perfect blend of West African rhythms and improv on their EP’ - The Guardian
‘KOKOROKO est le son du nouveau Londres’ – Les Inrocks
 
Dit concert is een coproductie Ancienne Belgique / Live Nation.

 
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The follow up to Vinnie’s critically acclaimed 2015 “AERIAL VISIONS” album will be released on October 9, on his label Mind's Eye Music. Titled “Soul Shifter”, Vinnie's 9th solo album features guest appearances by legendary artists Rudy Sarzo and Jordan Rudess, with Richie Monica on drums, Michael Bean (bassist from Vinnie’s TIME ODYSSEY album), John Cassidy (Keyboards), and John Pessoni (Drums).
 
Vinnie is considered one of the originators of shred guitar, and has released eight influential solo albums, and six albums and a LIVE DVD as a member of rock royalty legends UFO. He’s made countless album guest appearances, and has even recorded the soundtrack for a PEPSI TV commercial. He’s been a member of Alice Cooper’s band and was opening act for RUSH on their ROLL THE BONES tour with his own band. His solo and UFO recordings as well as LIVE performances have amassed rave reviews all around the globe from both fans and music press, catapulting  him into guitar icon distinction! He has been an inspiration for fans and guitarists worldwide.
 
Say’s Vinnie, “I have been touring all over the world extensively with UFO and my solo band for the past 16 years. I started this album a couple years back and have been working on it religiously between tours. It’s quite different than any of my others. It has elements of things I’ve done in the past, but has gone much deeper into certain areas. There is an overall sort of contrast between energetic upbeat songs, versus ballad-like soulful ones which has always been a big part of my style. There are some Jam elements in places too. This is likely the most emotional and soulful thing I have ever done. Very moody, with lots of feel”. “I wrote a song as a tribute to Carlos Santana, called BROTHER CARLOS, and another called GAINESVILLE STATION which is a tip of the hat to Steve Gaines. Both players were huge influences on me when I was learning to play, and continue to be now”. 
 
“He’s hands down the greatest Moore since Demi, Roger, Dudley and Mary Tyler”, and the greatest Vinnie since Vinnie Barbarino.” – Johnny JizzleJam, Planet Guitar Gods Magazine
 
“When something moves me, what I am feeling flows directly into music. That’s how I deal with reality. I woke up one morning to the news that Chris Cornell had passed and it really hit me hard. I went into my studio, picked up a guitar and immediately wrote and recorded MYSTIFIED. Without intending to do so, and because of what was going on around me at the time, this album in a way became a tribute to people who meant something to me. The Allman Brothers were always one of my favorite bands and I was working on a song called SOUL RIDER that was inspired by them. While writing it, unfortunately Greg Allman left us. A lot of heart went into recording that song. Also, I wrote a song called HEARD YOU WERE GONE for my friend and band mate Elliott (Dean Guitars) who left us unexpectedly a couple years back. 
 
“There are definitely some downhearted cathartic moments on this album, but they’re balanced out with songs like KUNG FU GRIP and FUNK BONE JAM that represent the opposite side of my personality, which is my constant joking and quirky sense of humor”. 
 
Vinnie has done hundreds of shows all over the planet, including Europe, UK, Scandinavia, Brazil, USA, as well as India, S. Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Russia, and Canada. The UFO “Last Orders” tour began in England in March, and will continue in the USA on October 9.
 
“Ancient astronaut theorists suggest that Vinnie may have been spawned from alien DNA! Or at least his left index finger anyway” – Giorgio Thessaloniki, Ancient Aliens
 
“Solo records are a great vehicle because the canvas is totally open and I can paint whatever and wherever I want. There’s total freedom in not having boundaries. All of my influences are on the canvas, from Rock to Blues to Be-Bop to Funk, even R&B and beyond. I have always felt music deeply even before I played guitar. After I began playing, it became my vehicle to express and release what I feel inside. I love channeling my soul into melodies and songs.”

 
Find Vinnie Online: 
www.vinniemoore.com 
https://www.facebook.com/Vinnie.Moore.Official
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vinnie-Moore-Official-Fan-Page
https://www.instagram.com/vinnie_moore_guitarist/
https://twitter.com/Vinnie_Moore
http://ufo-music.info/

Twee zwaargewichten uit de metal scene bundelen de krachten voor een reeks concerten die het publiek met verstomming zal slaan. Within Temptation en Evanescence gaan samen de hort op. Aftrap van de ‘Worlds Collide Tour’ wordt op zaterdag 4 april gegeven in Paleis 12 in Brussel. De voorverkoop start op vrijdag 20 september om 10u.
 
Met Evanescence’s Amy Lee en Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel op kop, twee van de meest creatieve vrouwen uit de rock scene, kijken beide bands reikhalzend uit naar de tour waarbij ze samen de affiche delen. Een tour die nu al als uitzonderlijk de geschiedenisboeken in gaat.
 
Amy Lee: “We kunnen niet wachten om onze krachten te bundelen met Within Temptation en er een epische tour van te maken. De fans hebben hier heel lang om gevraagd en we zullen het wachten zeker belonen. Ik kijk ernaar uit om Sharon’s prachtige stem elke avond te horen!"
 
Sharon den Adel: "Within Temptation en Evanescence hebben veel gemeen en bovenal delen we dezelfde passie voor wat we het liefst doen: zingen. Ik kijk er enorm naar uit om samen met hen door Europa te reizen en er een onvergetelijke ervaring van te maken!”


 
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03.02.2020
Ancienne Belgique, Brussel
Verkoop vanaf vrijdag 20 september om 10u

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Nadat hij in 2016 de Ancienne Belgique al in lichterlaaie zette, komt ScHoolboy Q terug op 3 februari om er zijn nieuwste plaat 'CrasH Talk’ voor te stellen. Voor de gelegenheid brengt hij als special guest zijn Black Hippy-collega Jay Rock mee.
ScHoolboy Q is het levende voorbeeld van een selfmade man: zijn eerste mixtapes 'ScHoolboy Turned Hustla’ (2008) en 'Gangsta & Soul: the mixtape’ (2009) vormden de sleutel tot zijn grote succes. De tapes kwamen namelijk bij de juiste platenbonzen terecht en vrijwel direct werd ScHoolboy ingelijfd bij Black Hippy, het hiphopcollectief uit Los Angeles waar ook Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul en Jay Rock deel van uitmaken. ScHoolboy Q bracht een unieke, rauwe en energieke hiphopsound die al enige tijd ontbrak binnen de urban scene. Terwijl Black Hippy furore maakte op onder andere het SXSW festival, tekenden de 4 MC’S bij het label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) om aan hun respectievelijke solocarrières te werken. ScHoolboy Q releasede in 2011 zijn debuut 'Setbacks', dat met veel enthousiasme ontvangen werd. Verder volgden nog 3 (inter)nationaal succesvolle albums 'Habits & Contradictions’ (2012), 'Oxymoron’ (2014) en 'Blank Face LP’ (2016).
Zijn laatste album 'CrasH Talk’ verscheen in april 2019 en debuteerde meteen op de derde plaats van de Billboard Top 200. Op het album werkte hij onder andere samen met Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign en Kid Cudi. Hoewel ScHoolboy Q in 2016 al aangaf dat er een nieuw album aankwam, werd het uiteindelijk pas 3 jaar later uitgebracht en dat had een goede reden. ScHoolboy Q voelde zich verloren na het succes van zijn 'Blank Face LP’ en schreef daarom meer dan 50 songs, waarvan hij het grootste deel opnieuw naar de prullenbak verwees. Daarnaast kreeg hij in 2018 ook af te rekenen met het verlies van zijn goede vriend Mac Miller. De nieuwe ScHoolboy Q weerspiegelt zijn evolutie als persoon: "It’s more so my life after I made it to the point of ScHoolboy Q. I gave you me, but I never gave you the other side of me: the father, the dude that’s actually happy, the dude that doesn’t be in the hood just hanging out. The dude that's trying to put his homies in position now. I'm not a deadbeat father anymore.”
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De voorverkoop voor de show van ScHoolboy Q op 3 februari in Ancienne Belgique start op vrijdag 20 september om 10 uur via abconcerts.be.

De Nederlandse zanger Rob de Nijs kondigt in weekblad Privé aan dat hij stopt met zingen. Hij kreeg in het ziekenhuis immers te horen dat hij lijdt aan Parkinson, zo schrijft de Nederlandse krant De Telegraaf.
Door de Parkinson-diagnose ziet hij zich genoodzaakt een punt te zetten achter zijn zangcarrière. Wel wil hij het publiek eerst nog de "Rob de Nijs geven die ze gewend zijn", zegt de zanger. "Ik wil nog een nieuwe cd maken en op een nette manier, na zestig jaar, afscheid nemen van het publiek. Ik maak mijn huidige tour gewoon af en dan volgt volgend jaar een afscheidstour langs alle provincies en een allerlaatste concert in Amsterdam, waar ik vandaan kom en waar alles voor me begon."

De 76-jarige Rob de Nijs is bekend van successen zoals 'Ritme van de Regen', 'Jan Klaassen de Trompetter', 'Dag zuster Ursula', 'Malle Babbe' en 'Banger Hart'.

​Randy Newman
op 12 juni 2020 in het Koninklijk Circus in Brussel
op 16 juni 2020 in de Stadsschouwburg in Brugge
op 17 juni 2020 in De Roma in Antwerpen

Tickets in verkoop vanaf woensdag 18 september om 10u via www.gracialive.be
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​Verwacht je aan een avond met Randy Newmans klassiekers, liedjes uit zijn indrukwekkende repertoire gaande van zijn onvergetelijke filmmuziek tot hartverscheurende en satirische hits, maar ook liedjes uit zijn lyrische en muzikale laatste album DARK MATTER. Het album bevat tevens het Grammy Award bekroonde 'Putin'.
 
Randy Newman zal in 2020 internationaal touren met ‘An Evening With Randy Newman’!
Met deze tournee zal hij in januari en februari doorheen Australië en Nieuw-Zeeland touren om nadien in mei en juni 2020 naar Europa te gaan.
 
Voor ons land heeft Randy Newman wel 3 data gepland: op vrijdag 12 juni in het Koninklijk Circus te Brussel, op dinsdag 16 juni in de Stadsschouwburg te Brugge en op woensdag 17 juni in De Roma in Antwerpen.
 
Tickets gaan in verkoop op woensdag 18 september om 10u via www.gracialive.be
 

 

17.01.2020
Capitole, Gent
NIEUW
Tickets te koop via teleticketservice.be

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24.01.2020
Het Depot, Leuven
NIEUW
Ticket te koop via hetdepot.be

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21.02.2020
Concertgebouw, Brugge
NIEUW
Ticket te koop via concertevents.be

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07.03.2020
De Roma, Antwerpen
NIEUW
Tickets te koop via deroma.be

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28.03.2020
Ancienne Belgique, Brussel
NIEUW
Tickets te koop via abconcerts.be.

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ALLE TOURDATA 2020

18.01.2020
Théâtre Royal de Mons, Bergen
Tickets te koop via ticketmaster.be

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25.01.2020
De Velinx, Tongeren
Tickets te koop via develinx.be

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31.01.2020
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Charleroi
Tickets te koop via pba.be

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01.02.2020
CC Ieper, Ieper
Tickets te koop via hetperron.be

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07.02.2020
Le Forum, Luik
Tickets te koop via leforum.be

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09.02.2020
CC Maasmechelen, Maasmechelen
Verkoop via ccmaasmechelen.be

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12.02.2020
CC 't Vondel, Halle
Verkoop via vondel.be

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19.02.2020
CC Het Bolwerk, Vilvoorde
Tickets te koop via hetbolwerk.be

LAATSTE TICKETS

23.02.2020
Cultuurcentrum Zwaneberg, Heist-op-den-Berg
Tickets te koop via zwaneberg.be

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18.03.2020
Cultuurcentrum, Hasselt
Tickets te koop via ccha.be

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19.03.2020
Maison de la Culture Arlon, Aarlen
Tickets te koop via mcarlon.be

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22.03.2020
CC De Werf, Aalst

SOLD OUT

25.03.2020
Kubox, Kuurne

SOLD OUT

Ric Ocasek, zanger en gitarist van de Amerikaanse rockgroep The Cars, is dood aangetroffen in zijn appartement in Manhattan. Volgens de politie van New York zijn er geen aanwijzingen van crimineel opzet bij zijn dood. Ocasek en The Cars scoorden in 1985 hun grootste hit met "Drive".

Ocasek bracht tussen 1978 en 2011 zeven studioalbums uit met The Cars. De grootste hits van de band dateren uit de jaren 1970 en 80: in 1979 scoorden ze hun eerste grote hit met "My best friend's girl". 
Het is echter tot 1984 wachten tot de band met "Drive" zijn grootste hit scoort. Het nummer werd geschreven door Ric Ocasek, maar werd gezongen door de bassist van de band, Benjamin Orr. 

De legendarische Britse rockers snijden een volgend hoofdstuk aan! Met een nieuwe tour, die in juni al van start ging en onder meer aan de Belgische kust neerstreek, maar vooral ook met… een 33ste studioalbum! En dat vieren de heren van Status Quo zoals het hoort. Status Quo 2.0, onder leiding van Francis Rossi, kondigt vandaag een reeks concerten aan voor 2020, en doet daarbij uiteraard ook ons land aan! Op 23 november 2020 staat Status Quo op de planken in de AB. Tickets zijn verkrijgbaar vanaf 20 september om 10u.
 
‘Backbone’ ligt sinds begin deze maand in de rekken. Een speciaal moment voor de band, want het is hun eerste plaat zonder de betreurde Rick Parfitt. Status Quo vond zichzelf opnieuw uit en nam eind 2018 elf prachtige tracks op in de studio van Rossi. De magie is nog steeds intact, en de groep is klaar om hun nieuwe werk ook live aan ons voor stellen. Het Engelse vijftal grijpt uiteraard ook rijkelijk uit hun rijke repertoire, met onder meer “In The Army Now”, “Rockin’ All Over The World”, “Whatever You Want” en “Caroline”. Zet het in je agenda!

 
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Op 25 oktober komt het twintigste studioalbum van ex-Beatle Ringo Starr (79) uit en daarop pakt hij uit met een stuntje. Samen met voormalig collega Paul McCartney (77) covert hij een nummer dat door John Lennon werd geschreven. Volgens Starr is zelf vierde Beatle George Harrison bij het project betrokken.

‘Grow Old With Me’ heet het nummer dat Starr en McCartney samen opnamen. Ringo is als zanger te horen op de cover, Paul McCartney speelt basgitaar en zingt de backing vocals. Ringo kwam op het idee voor de cover toen hij Jack Douglas tegen het lijf liep, Douglas is de man die het album ‘Double Fantasy’ van John Lennon en zijn vrouw Yoko Ono producete. 

“Jack vroeg me of ik ooit de Bermuda tapes had gehoord, dat is de muziek die Lennon ten tijde van dat album schreef”, aldus Starr. “Ik hoorde het nummer en werd er meteen verliefd op. Ik heb mijn best gedaan om het zo goed mogelijk te zingen. Ik wilde ook absoluut dat Paul zijn bijdrage leverde. Op een bepaalde manier zijn dus zowel John, Paul als ik op het nummer te horen.”
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Starr noemt het nummer geen publiciteitsstunt. “Dit is gewoon wat ik wilde”, zegt hij.  Bovendien is er nog een extraatje aan het nummer, vertelt de voormalig drummer van The Beatles. “Als je goed luistert naar de gitaarpartij is er ook een stukje van ‘Here Comes The Sun’ te horen. Dat in beschouwing gelaten staan we er dus eigenlijk alle vier op.” George Harrison, de vierde Beatle, schreef dat Beatles-nummer in 1969. (bron:HLN)

Belgische fans van The 1975 kunnen zich in de handen wrijven. Nadat de Engelse indiepoprockers vorige week de titel en release datum van hun vierde langspeler ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’ (release voorzien op 20.02.2020) wereldkundig maakten, volgt vandaag het nieuws dat ze in het voorjaar de baan op trekken met de nieuwe plaat. Op dinsdag 24 maart 2020 staat The 1975 voor het eerst in de Lotto Arena in Antwerpen. De ticketverkoop start vrijdag 20 september om 10u.
 
The 1975 is één van de acts die ertoe doen vandaag. Matt Healy en zijn drie makkers zetten eerder deze zomer nog menig meisjeshart in vuur en vlam op de wei van Rock Werchter. De vier spelen samen sinds het begin van de middelbare school en vullen elkaar als geen ander aan. Zowel in de studio als op het podium. Vorig jaar startte een nieuw muzikaal tijdperk voor de band. Gedoopt als ‘Music for Cars’ telt het twee albums: ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ uit 2018 en het volgend jaar te verschijnen ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’. Met 22 tracks wordt het ook meteen hun langste album tot nu toe. Voorproevertjes zijn alvast het stevig rockende “People” en de opener van het album, de track “The 1975” waarin klimaatactivist Greta Thunberg het woord voert.

 
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Today, rising Nashville band KING CALAWAY announced its debut full-length album Rivers will be released on October 4 via BMG – and is now available for pre-order here. Fans who pre-order the album now will instantly receive the five tracks on their eponymous EP released in January – “No Matter What,” “Rivers,” “I Do,” “World For Two” and “Love the One You’re With” – along with a brand-new track, “Driver’s Seat.” 

“We’re so excited to announce the release of a record we’ve worked so hard on this past year. Everyone who worked on this album shared a similar vision of creating an authentic, original sound while spreading a message of positivity through the lyrics and melodies,” singer and guitarist Chad Michael Jervis says of album. “With our love and passion for making music, the title track mirrors who we want to be as a group. ”I know where we belong, I know where we feel free. And it goes on and on, like rivers to the sea.” We hope our debut album inspires others the way our favorite albums have inspired us.”

The band of six is also confirmed to make its debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden on October 8 where they will perform the album’s foot-stomping anthem and title track “Rivers.”

King Calaway, while new, has already taken the world by storm – from performing with Ricky Skaggs at the Grand Ole Opry, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, opening for Garth Brooks at one of his stadium dates, to headlining a festival in Gibraltar, King Calaway has already accomplished major milestones most Country artists can only dream of. The band was lauded by Rolling Stone for bringing an “exuberance to the stage…each taking solo parts between lushly harmonized chorus parts.”

The previous single “World For Two” was the Most Added song at Country radio in its first week at US radio, is currently in the Top 10 for consumption per spin and streams per spin, streaming 1.5 million a week, and currently has 38 millions streams to date and continues to grow rapidly across streaming platform

TRACK LISTING:

1. 1. No Matter What – (Andy Albert, Paul DiGiovanni, Jordan Schmidt, Mitchell Tenpenny, Devin Dawson)
2. 2. More Than I Do – (Nate Cyphert, Ben West, Laura Veltz)
3. 3. Rivers –  (RuthAnne Cunningham, Teddy Geiger, Bruce Fielder, Tom Parker, ØJM)
4. 4. Obvious – (Steven Lee Olsen, Nolan Sipe, Brandon Day)
5. 5. Missing You – (Dave Barnes, Jordan Reynolds)
6. 6. Driver’s Seat – (Josh Hoge, David Ryan Harris,  David Hodges)
7. 7. Grow Old – (RuthAnne Cunningham, Tom Parker, ØJM)
8. 8. I Do – (Ross Copperman, Jon Nite, Brad Warren, Brett Warren)
9. 9. Picture of the Way You Are – (Barry Dean, William Rinehart, Jimmy Robbins)
10. 10. World For Two – (Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne, James Abrahart)
11. 11. Love the One You’re With – (Stephen Stills)
12. 12. I Did – (Logan Turner)

 
ABOUT KING CALAWAY:
After a whirlwind year since their debut EP was released in January 2019, King Calaway is proof that there’s strength in numbers. Their eponymous EP in January 2019 features hit single “World For Two,” which became the #1 most added song at country radio in its debut week. Their first full-length album Rivers - out October 4 on BBR Music Group/Stoney Creek Records - will build on the five-song EP’s success, with seven new tracks and was executive produced by Robert Deaton and Ross Copperman. After being named one of the seven new country acts to watch out for by Billboard, the band continues to take the country music industry by storm from multiple performances at the famed Grand Ole Opry - including an incredible performance moment with the legendary Ricky Skaggs - to making their late night television performance debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and an appearance on the internationally acclaimed show Neighbours. They’ve brought their energetic live show to various stages, including a CMA Fest debut and opening slots for Rascal Flatts and Garth Brooks. Hailing from across the globe – from the small towns of the American Midwest to the small coastal country of Gibraltar; from the Atlantic Seaboard to the Central Belt of Scotland – King Calaway brings a worldly perspective. They’re country stars for a new generation, singing songs that erase the boundaries between genres and countries. King Calaway isn’t looking to blend into the crowd. They’re not even looking to fit in. They’re in the business of standing out…and King Calaway stands tall.  
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Beatles-liefhebbers krijgen vanaf vandaag de kans om het kinderhuis dat de inspiratie vormde voor het nummer Strawberry Fields Forever van de Beatles uit 1967 te bezoeken. De BBC meldt dat het een toeristische attractie en een jeugdcentrum wordt.

John Lennon klom als kind vaak over de muren van het tehuis om rust te vinden in de tuinen van Strawberry Fields, zegt zijn zus Julia Baird. Het was volgens haar “zijn speciale plekje”. In het centrum komt dan ook een speciale tentoonstelling over zijn jonge jaren en worden er trainingen gegeven aan jonge kinderen met een leerachterstand. “Ik denk dat hij het geweldig had gevonden”, zegt Baird. “Want hij was zelf ook niet mainstream en dat wist hij maar al te goed.”
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Het kindertehuis in Liverpool was van 1936 tot 2005 in gebruik. Sindsdien is het gesloten en niet toegankelijk voor het publiek. Toch nemen ieder jaar zo’n 60.000 toeristen een kijkje bij de poort van het gebouw.
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The rock artist, known for hits like “Two Tickets to Paradise,” was recently diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer

​Singer-songwriter and rock musician Eddie Money has died, as Variety reports. He was best known for his hits throughout the late ’70s and early ’80s, including “Two Tickets to Paradise,” “Baby Hold On,” “Take Me Home Tonight,” and more. He was 70 years old.

Eddie Money (born Edward Joseph Mahoney) began his 50-year career in the late 1960s following a brief stint working as a police officer in his native New York. Two of Money’s earliest hits, “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets to Paradise,” coincided with the release of his 1977 eponymous debut for Columbia Records.

In 1986, Money achieved his biggest hit with “Take Me Home Tonight”—a duet featuring former Ronette Ronnie Spector. The single was featured on Money’s Can’t Hold Back LP, and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Money released several more albums over the next twenty years, his most recent being 2006’s Wanna Go Back. In addition to writing, singing, and performing his own music, Money occasionally worked as an actor, appearing on “The King of Queens” as well as “The Drew Carey Show.”

In August 2019, Money and his wife announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer in a video clip for his AXS television series “Real Money.” Money also revealed that the cancer had spread to his liver, lymph nodes, and stomach. “What I don’t want to do is I don’t want to keep the fact that I have cancer from everybody,” Money said in the clip. “It’s not honest. I want to be honest with everybody. I want people to know that cancer [treatment] has come a long way and not everybody dies from cancer like they did in the Fifties and Sixties. Am I going to live a long time? Who knows? It’s in God’s hands.”

De Australische band is ontketend sinds hun dolle doortocht op Graspop 2018! Parkway Drive zette in februari van dit jaar nog Vorst Nationaal op stelten, en ging op de Main Stage van Rock Werchter gewoon op dat elan verder. Vandaag kondigt de band het vervolg op de festivalzomer aan, met een tournee die in april 2020 Europa moet doorkruisen. Afspraak met de Belgische fans op donderdag 16 april in Vorst Nationaal! Tickets zijn verkrijgbaar vanaf dinsdag 17 september om 10u.
 
Parkway Drive wordt in 2002 geboren in de gelijknamige straat in Byron Bay, een vermaard Australisch surfparadijs. De groep kiest voor een mengeling van hardcore punk en hard rock. Het thuispubliek is meteen mee. Dus trekt het vijftal naar de Verenigde Staten om van daaruit de rest van de wereld te veroveren. Dat lukt vanaf ‘Ire’ (2015), een album dat sterk doet denken aan Rage Against The Machine. Drie jaar later slaan ze opnieuw toe met hun zesde en meest recente werk. ‘Reverence’ (2018) staat volgens de kenners op het niveau van het ‘Black Album’ van Metallica. Het is hun grootste succes tot nog toe.
Live zitten zowel de podiumbeesten zelf als hun uitzinnige publiek allerminst stil, dankzij beukende riffs en allesvernietigende drums die je voortdurend om de oren vliegen. De meesters van de metalcore houden op 16 april halt in Vorst Nationaal; mis dit niet!
 
 
Klik hier voor het officiële persbericht en een volledig overzicht van de tourdata.

 
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DINSDAG 17 SEPTEMBER, 10U

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​‘Heat’ – het fel bejubelde tweede album van Soulsister - blaast in 2020 exact 30 kaarsjes uit. En zoals tradities dat eisen: dit moet gevierd worden! ‘Heat’ kan zondermeer als een succesvolle Belpop-klassieker bestempeld worden. Het album ging niet minder dan 100.000 keer (!) over de toonbank en stond meer dan één jaar (!) in de toenmalige album Top 50. Uit het album werden tevens een reeks singles getrokken die telkens meteen in de top 10 werden gekatapulteerd. Denk: ‘Through Before We Started’, ‘Well Well Well’ of ‘Facing Love’. Allen perfecte popsingles with a touch of soul.

De internationale aspiratie van Soulsister was destijds opvallend naar Belgische normen. Hun toenmalige manager Michael Lang (tevens één van de Woodstock-organistoren) deelden ze met Joe cocker. Steve Winwood was dan weer een opvallende gast op de plaat en achter de knoppen zat niemand minder dan Chris Lord-Alge die al eerder wonderwerk verrichtte voor o.a. Prince, James Brown, Tina Turner en Bruce Springsteen.

In het kader van de ◄◄ REWIND-reeks zal Soulsister integraal hun klassieker ‘Heat’ brengen (en uiteraard nog een resem encores met hun grootste hits). En dit in een uitgebreide bezetting, compleet met blazers, percussionist en algehele feest- en speelvreugde. Wat meteen impliceert dat Soulsister terug is. En hoe!

Soulsister, Ancienne Belgique (Brussel)
12 maart 2020, 20u.
Start ticketverkoop: vrijdag 13 september om 11u. 
 
 
◄◄ REWIND
In 2007 lanceerde AB een tijdloze reeks: ◄◄ REWIND. Centraal in deze reeks staan Belgische artiesten die integraal ‘hun klassieker’ performen. Noem het een mijlpaal in hun carrière of meer zelfs: een sleutelplaat uit de Belgische popmuziek. Het gaat vaak om albums die – zij het niet uitsluitend – in het collectieve geheugen gegrift zijn. Noem het ankerpunten in het Belgische muzieklandschap. Elke ‘pièce de résistance’ wordt dus integraal gebracht. Integraal? Jawel, exact in die volgorde zoals de artiest zijn/haar verhaal destijds (of nog steeds) wil(de) vertellen.

Met ◄◄ REWIND draagt AB ook een steentje bij tot het activeren van het Belgische muzikale erfgoed. Passeerden al de revue: ‘The Kids’ (The Kids), ‘Op Zoek Naar Romantiek’ (Guido Belcanto), ‘Jonge Helden’ (Arbeid Adelt!), ‘Gorky’ (Gorki),‘1981-1984’ (The Neon Judgement),‘Royalty In Exile’ (The Scabs), ‘Nooit Meer Drinken’ (Raymond Van Het Groenewoud), ‘De Mens’ (De Mens), ‘The Ship’ (Luc Van Acker), ‘Un Ball Dans La Tête’ (De Puta Madre), ‘Hè Hè’ (Jan De Wilde), ‘Laïs’ (Laïs) en ‘Struggle for Pleasure’ (Wim Mertens).

​Today we release the album “Cosmos” by freshly and exclusively signed Ambient artist Liam Thomas. The album is available at all well-known download stores, streaming services and as limited edition CD.

The album starts off with an atmospheric intro about the big bang and then leads to the title track “Cosmos”. Groovy and with samples of female vocals Liam Thomas creates the entire cosmos.
“For me, ‘Cosmos’ is about a journey. A journey where we try to truly understand the universe. I believe as humans we have a space between being conscious and being asleep. This is called Hypnagogia. With ‘Cosmos’ I wanted to remove you from reality for a brief moment and enter your body in this state of mind. Personally this feeling represents pure euphoria. How I felt writing ‘Cosmos’.”, Liam Thomas says about the album.

“Vega” – part of the northern constellation Lyra and the fifth brightest star in the sky. Just as shining and beautiful is the track “Vega”. It truly removes you from reality and makes you dream for a bit. The vocal parts are so nicely enwrought that you rather hear them subconsciously.

“Pollux” is a calm but pulsing dance track. But still there’s not need to wake from your trance. It keeps you in that peaceful state of mind.

“Cosmos” is made for those summer nights, sitting outside and gazing at the stars. Your journey through the “Cosmos” will be pure euphoria.

​Een ongeremd en rauw statement, dat is ‘All It Takes’, het nieuwe album van de Hamburgse formatie The Blue Poets onder leiding van stergitarist Marcus Nepomuc Deml. ‘All It Takes’ komt vandaag uit via Triple Coil Music/ Broken Silence.

Geen gepolijst bluesrock product
‘All It Takes’ bestaat uit negen van blues doordrenkte rocksongs over verlangen, pijn en wereldgebeurtenissen. The Blue Poets is geen gepolijst bluesrock product, maar een band met een eigen stijl; spannende songstructuren en gitaarspel dat onder je huid kruipt.

Ongeëvenaard gitaarspel
Zanger Gordon Grey’s ruwe timbre geeft de liedjes diepte en focus, terwijl de ritmesectie (Felix Dehmel op drums en Phil Steen op basgitaar) veel meer biedt dan de noodzakelijke basis. Een glansrol is weggelegd voor het ongeëvenaarde gitaarspel van Marcus Deml. Gewapend met alleen een Stratocaster, een Marshall versterker en zijn signature "Sweet Elephant" Overdrive pedaal, zet hij een geheel eigen geluid neer. Of het nu gaat om de riffs van het titelnummer ‘All It Takes’ of de drie minuten durende solo van ‘Crawling’, Deml slaagt er altijd in om een ​​verhaal te vertellen met zijn gitaar.

Errorhead en Guitar Hero Award
"Na al die jaren in de muziekwereld kan het me niet meer schelen wat mensen van mij denken", aldus de in Praag geboren globetrotter Deml. De gitarist verrijkte honderden albumproducties met zijn gitaarspel en leidde meer dan 10 jaar de Duitse band Errorhead. Het Amerikaanse tijdschrift ‘Guitar’ bekroonde Marcus met een Guitar Hero Award tijdens een uitreiking in de Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Vrij van de gebruikelijke regels
De muziek op ‘All It Takes’ profiteert van de ontspannen houding van Deml; alles klinkt organisch en vrij van de gebruikelijke regels. De liedjes schuwen sociale thema’s niet. Het catchy ‘Angry Man’ gaat over de maatschappelijke woede waar we dagelijks mee geconfronteerd worden en ‘Crawling’ weerspiegelt het gebrek aan kansen waar sommige groepen tegenaan lopen. ‘Cyber ​​Love’ koppelt humor aan de zoektocht naar liefde in het digitale tijdperk. In hekkensluiter ‘The Day’ zoeken The Blue Poets naar een manier om te dealen met de eindigheid van het bestaan.
The Blue Poets touren in het najaar in Duitsland. Aan een liveshows in de Benelux wordt gewerkt.

www.thebluepoets.com

Legendary Canadian guitarist, bandleader and songwriter Myles Goodwyn is returning to his first love – the blues – with the second recording of Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues, the follow-up to his JUNO nominated and East Coast Music Award winning blues debut.
 
Set for release on October 25th via Linus Entertainment, Friends Of The Blues 2 has 13 original songs written by Goodwyn and a cover of “All Over Now” by Bobby Womack.  As with Friends Of The Blues 1, the album features a supporting cast of the “who’s who” on the Canadian blues music scene, including Jack de Keyzer, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Warren Robert, Ross Billard, Bruce Dixon, JR Smith, Matt Andersen, Mike "Shrimp Daddy" Reid, Jack Semple, Sherman "Tank" Doucette, Joe Murphy, Bill Stevenson, Will Van Hansolo, Steve Segal and more.  A real feature on Blues 2 is a stunning duet with six-time winner of Female Vocalist of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards, Angel Forrest. 
 
Myles Goodwyn, singer, guitarist, writer, producer and leader of the multi-platinum selling rock band April Wine, has shaped and directed the group from its earliest beginnings. April Wine has sold over 20 million recordings worldwide.
 
Goodwyn grew up poor and is the classic “small-town kid makes good” success story.  As a young teenager Goodwyn honed his skills playing in cover bands and began writing original material as soon as he could play the guitar.  One of April Wine`s biggest hits, “You Won't Dance With Me”, was written when he was a teenager.
 
Myles Goodwyn’s voice is as distinctive and immediately recognizable as his songwriting skills are prolific.  Myles and the other members of April Wine were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 2010.  Goodwyn received the prestigious East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the SOCAN National Achievement Award in 2002.  In 2016 he released his memoir named, Just Between You and Me, which became an instant seller on the Globe and Mail`s Non-Fiction List.  His second book, Elvis and Tiger – this time fiction was published in 2018 and was well received.
 
The Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues recording earned him international acclaim and Juno Nomination for Blues Recording of the Year 2019. The recording won the East Coast Music Award for Blues Recording of the Year in 2019. 
 
Not a bad start to a blues career and his first blues recording effort at age 70 or at any age.  Goodwyn was committed to making his follow up recording, Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues 2, using the same logic as his blues debut release; “I wanted to write some good blues tunes and sing these tunes as best that I could.  I really appreciate great blues material because it is timeless, it is vital and it’s passionate, even heartbreakingly so”, says Goodwyn.  His decision to use only “real blues players” was again, deliberate; “I wanted the real deal when it came to the performances."
 
The result of these collaborations is testament to the care that went into Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues 2 will surely show, yet again, that Myles Goodwyn is not only a gifted blues singer/songwriter and musician, but also a real blues man at heart.
 
mylesgoodwyn.com | linusentertainment.com
 
 
Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues 2 Track List
 
01 - Hip Hip
02 - Like A Dog Ain't Had Its Day
03 - Over Now
04 - You Got It Bad
05 - Fish Tank Blues
06 - Speedo (Revisited)
07 - Daddy Needs New Shoes
08 - Being Good
09 - I Love My Guitar
10 - Help Me Baby
11 - When Your Ship Came In (I Was At The Airport Drinking)
12 - Sick And Tired (Of Being Sick And Tired Over You)
13 - I Saw Someone That Wasn't There (And It Was You)
14 - (Bonus Track) Even Singing Cowboys Get The Blues