  NEWS / Most people are in for a shock the first time they experience a Jeff Jensen Band performance. It starts with the trio mixing an eccentric blend of soul, rock, and American roots music with a deep blues influence. Suddenly Jensen feels the spirit, transforming into a whirling dervish of sight and sound as he bounds across the stage, barely able to contain himself. His passion is there for all to see, a rare occurrence in these times of buttoned-down music-making. At first, the sheer emotional force he creates can be overwhelming. Then you realize that all art is an expression of the soul, of the power of the life-giving force that created the universe. Jeff feels it is his responsibility to make the effort to communicate his passion with each member of the audience every night. After all, music is art, and art is the physical form of emotion. This is exactly what you’ll find within “The River City Sessions”.
“Jensen is a solid guitarist, phrasing deftly with just enough macho to make the boys happy and just enough lyricism to make the little girls swoon, and vice-versa.— Rob Cullivan (Portland Tribune)
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  NEWS / Line up voor Roots In't Hofke zat 4 juni 2016.  BIG TIME BOSSMEN (B) Deze vierkoppige roots-rock ’n roll band uit Wetteren startte in 2012 als een “straightforward” rockabillyband. De afgelopen jaren hebben ze hun muzikale horizon uitgebreid met invloeden uit blues, swamprock, soul en zelfs een beetje hardrock. Ze brengen hun originele en krachtige rock ’n roll sound in zeer energieke live-shows. In oktober 2015 hebben ze demo-opnames gemaakt onder leiding van ex-Seatsniffer Walter Broes. Youtube  SHOTDOWN FROM SUGARTOWN (AU) Dit australisch trio is afkomstig uit Perth. Leadzanger Rusty Pinto is één van de eerste australische rockers die in Europa kwamen optreden. Hij heeft de rock&roll duivel in z’n ziel, maar zingt als een engel. Nu komt hij dus met dit trio terug naar Europa. Ze brengen hun Rockabilly, Honky-Tonk en rock&roll heel rauw, onversneden en authentiek. Youtube  THE BARNSTOMPERS (NL) Deze hollandse “swingbilly” band draait al meer dan 20 jaar mee aan top van de europese rockin’ scene. In 2008 speelden ze reeds een eerste keer in’t hofke. Hun authentieke muziek is gebaseerd op de traditionele American Country-Boogie, Western-Swing en Rockabilly. De aanstekelijke stem van zanger/frontman kees Stigter en het muzikaal vakmanschap van de hele band zorgen ervoor dat ze live zeer de moeite waard zijn. Bovendien maakt de sympathieke uitstraling van deze heren op een podium je steeds weer “goedgezind”! Youtube  THE COUNTRYSIDE OF HARMONICA SAM (SE) Samuel Andersson (oftewel Harmonica Sam) is een geweldige mondharmonica-speler en bekend voor z’n rhythm ’n blues shows, meestal begeleid door The Domestic Bumblebees. Maar zijn “country side” is iets compleet anders. Hier speelt hij zelf rhythm gitaar en wordt begeleid door steelgitaar, leadgitaar, staande bas en drums, de ideale bezetting voor authentieke country music. Als je deze fantastische band hoort, waan je je vanzelf in het Nashville van eind jaren vijftig in het goede gezelschap van George Jones, Lefty Frizell en Faron Young. Onweerstaanbare country en honky tonk! Youtube RED HOT 'N BLUE (UK) Legendarische Britse band, die op z’n hoogtepunt was eind jaren 80, begin jaren 90 met record hop hits zoals “Sure Like The look In Your Eyes” en “Jumpin’ Around”. Sleutelfiguren zijn zanger Mouse (Space Cadets) en gitarist Ashley King (Big Sandy). Zeer sporadisch doen ze nog ‘ns een reünie-optreden. Dit is de eerste keer in 13 jaar dat ze hun vette, energieke rockabilly naar het europese vasteland brengen. Youtube TT SYNDICATE (PT)
In 2014 stond deze 7-koppige portugese band uit Porto reeds in ’t Hofke, maar toen vonden veel aanwezigen dat ze veel te laag op de affiche stonden. Dit maken we nu goed door hen te laten afsluiten. Zanger Pedro Serra en drummer Nuno Gomez zijn de bekendste namen in deze band. Zij zijn in onze contreien al jarenlang regelmatig te gast met rockabillyband The Mean devils en country/honky-tonkband 49 Special. TT Syndicate brengt een explosieve cocktail van rhythm&blues, northern soul en 60’s beat en zetten met hun wervelende show onzen hof gegarandeerd in vuur en vlam. Youtube  NEWS / De Amerikaanse thrash metal band Green Death streamt een nieuw nummer ‘Gates Of Hell’ waarin zanger David Vincent die we kennen van Morbid Angel zijn medewerking aan verleend. Het nummer is afkomstig van hun tweede album ‘Manufacturing Evil’ dat verkrijgbaar is bij de EMP Label Group (eOne/SPV) vanaf mei. Green Death is: Sol Bales – Zang Mark Reinking - Rhythm Gitaar Erich Tran - Lead Gitaar Parker Willis - Bass Ryan Berrier - Drums http://www.greendeathband.com http://www.facebook.com/GreenDeathBand Green Death "Gates Of Hell": https://soundcloud.com/greendeath/gates-of-hell-feat-david-vincent   NEWS / De uit phoenix afkomstige hard/punk rock band Doll Skin brengt een gloednieuwe video uit getiteld ‘Let’s Be Honest’. Het numer is afkomstig uit hun debuut ‘In Your Face (again)’ dat geproduced werd door Megadeth’s David Ellefson en verkrijgbaar is op CD/vinyl via de EMP Label Group op 15 april. Sinds hun oprichting in 2013 kreeg doll skin de kans de wereld rond te touren met o.a. Social Distortion, Slunt, DRI, Metal Allegiance, HELLYEAH, Dead Kennedys en vele andere. Ze kregen een enorme airplay op KROQ in Los Angeles waar z konden rekenen op de steun van DJ Rodney Bingenheimer die grote fan van hen is.
De band brengt nu ook een full length versie van de ‘In Your Face (again)’ EP uit, die aangevuld wordt met bonus materiaal, demo’s en meer http://www.dollskinband.com http://www.facebook.com/dollskinband  NEWS / Hammerheart kondigd aan dat ze een akkoord hebben om de EP “The Book of Suffering Tome 1” van Cryptopsy uit te brengen op CD & Vinyl. Dit album werd vorig jaar reeds digitaal uitgebracht maar zal binnenkort ook in fysieke exemplaren verkrijgbaar zijn. Het toont de band in uitermate Topform. De vier nummers die op de schijf zijn een wervelwind van brutaliteit en uitermate technische skills die elke Cryptopsy fan doet kwijlen. Hammerheart records brengt de fysieke exemplaren uit in juli 2016 www.cryptopsy.ca www.facebook.com/CryptopsyMetal   NEWS / IZZ guitarist, Paul Bremner’s new studio album, The Witness, is scheduled for release on April 26, 2016. IZZ fans have grown to associate Paul’s distinctive and melodic guitar playing with the “IZZ Sound”. Paul has earned the respect of the progressive rock community by writing such memorable songs as “Light From Your Eyes”, “Illuminata” and co-writing the IZZ classics “Late Night Salvation” and “Can’t Feel the Earth, Part II,” among many others. Paul’s new studio album of 10 songs showcases both his dynamic guitar playing and his penchant for writing emotional music and lyrics.
“I am thrilled to release this collection of songs” says Bremner. “They feature a wide range of moods and emotions and I think IZZ fans will find them intriguing and satisfying.” The first track of the album “From Here I Can See the Horizon” features a powerful and exciting lead vocal performance from Anmarie Byrnes while the emotionally charged “Warm” spotlights a hauntingly beautiful lead vocal from Laura Meade. The energetic fury of the title track “The Witness” features Brian Coralian on drums while Greg DiMiceli is showcased on several tracks including the jazz/funk-inspired “No Remorse”. Tom Galgano, who sings lead vocals on several tracks and who engineered and co-produced the album with Bremner notes, “Every song on this album is different and yet they are all connected by Paul’s unique guitar sound and songwriting. It’s been an absolute pleasure working on this album – in fact in many ways it’s been like working on an ‘alternate’ IZZ record.” The last track on the album, “Last Exit Before Toll” comes in at over 20 minutes and encompasses the full range of Bremner’s musical palette. “I am very happy to include this extended piece which I hope will take the listener on a journey; and I am happy that it features all of my IZZ band mates.” Paul Bremner’s The Witness will be available for purchase on iTunes, at Amazon.com and at your favorite online retailer on April 26, 2016.   NEWS / Cole and Logan Layman have grown up making music together. They are both multi-instrumentalists and write original music. They are young, passionate, and all about the blues. Their unique and diverse sound ranges from gritty, foot-stomping acoustic work, to an electrified big-band sound. They perform nationally as a duo, as a trio with their mother on drums and washboard, or as a full band which includes keys, a horn section, and a professional drummer who happens to be their producer and mentor. No matter how they present their music, the core is rooted in the blues, and it is the undeniable connection these siblings have that shines through and makes them special.
Early reviews: “In Layman Terms delivers on the promise of greatness with their first full-length album, Tangled. Logan Layman’s vocals are deep and amazing with the assuredness of a mature chanteuse while Cole Layman’s guitar work is precise and electrifying. This is a stunning debut album and they aren’t anywhere near their peak!” -John Porter, blues historian and co-host of “Time For The Blues “ “We already knew the Laymans were tremendously talented, but this CD represents clear artistic growth. In Layman Terms just keeps getting better.” -Mike Holtzclaw, “The Daily Press” “In Layman Terms, siblings Cole and Logan Layman have released their debut CD and it is a real winner. Maturity in performance well beyond their years and a freshness, an eagerness to play the blues with exuberance that just puts a smile on your face. ” Its a thought whose time has come to In Layman Terms!   Hamilton's award-winning rockabilly / roots sweetheart's new album on Busted Flat Records April 29, 2016
NEWS / With her sultry and powerful voice, sassy and commanding stage presence and a repertoire that blends country, rock and blues, Ginger St. James packs a lot of entertainment into her petite frame. Following the tradition of country songbirds like Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline, St. James writes music from real experience; growing up on the family farm, being broke, having fun, and love gone wrong. A born entertainer who captivates audiences with her tongue-in-cheek songs that are as entertaining lyrically as they are visually and musically, St. James was the winner of Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2015 Hamilton Music Awards. She released her first EP Spank, Sparkle & Growl in 2010, followed by the EP Tease in 2012 and released her debut full length album Diesel and Peas in 2014. Ginger St. James is set to release her second full-length recording One For The Money on April 29, 2016 via Busted Flat Records. As one critic wrote, “[St. James] is a sassy and dynamic rockabilly singer, songwriter and guitarist, creating a national buzz with some slightly cheeky music and a captivating charisma fuelled by her roaring voice and model beauty." (Nick Krewen, Toronto Star) "We are stoked for this new album and tour. Ican't wait to share it with the rest of Canada and the world!," says St. James. "Look out, folks, we are just getting started!" Country, blues and rock n' roll are her primary weapons, though it's her skilled fretwork, energetic performance, and sultry, expressive voice that commands her audience and keeps them coming back for more. www.gingerstjames.com  CD NEWS / Legendary soul singer and songwriter William Bell has returned to his original home, Stax Records, for the appropriately titled This Is Where I Live, his first major release in almost four decades, out June 3rd, 2016. Known for writing and performing several soul standards – “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” “Private Number,” “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday,” and “I Forgot To Be Your Lover” among them – Bell co-wrote most of the songs on This Is Where I Live with GRAMMY-winner John Leventhal, who also produced the album. Additional co-writing contributors are Marc Cohn, Rosanne Cash, Cory Chisel and Scott Bomar.
This Is Where I Live features newly-penned liner notes by music historian and author Peter Guralnick, who observes that the album “convey[s] home truths from a perspective of age and experience that might not always have been readily apparent to a younger man.” The performances, likewise, are assured and subtle, yet simmering with tension. “At my age,” says Bell, who is 76, “I've had a lot of experience, and I know what my limitations are, what my faults are as a human being, and I utilize that. When I approach a lyric or a melody, I'm brutally honest.” That approach is immediately apparent on album opener “The Three of Me,” which features a classic William Bell conceit as he catalogs the different sides of a man who has loved and lost. NPR notes that "age becomes Bell's voice, which is still sweet and unwaveringly earnest; befitting the song's conceit, he sings harmony with himself. It's a pleasure to once again hear his reliable romanticism arranged astride the earthy simplicity of horns, Hammond organ and unfussy guitar riffs." Other album highlights include the hard-grooving “Poison In The Well,” about an addiction to an unhealthy love, and the autobiographical title track, in which Bell charts his journey from humble Memphis origins to the world stage. When he switches into ballad mode, as on the sweetly tender “I Will Take Care of You” – written for a close friend recovering from health problems – the effect is devastating. William Bell’s career started in the 1950s when he joined the Phineas Newborn Sr. band as a teenager. He signed to Stax in 1961 and delivered one of the iconic soul label’s earliest hits with “You Don’t Miss Your Water.” He also co-wrote, with Booker T. Jones, the iconic song “Born Under A Bad Sign” for Albert King, which was later famously covered by Cream. In more recent years he has been covered by Carole King, sampled by Kanye West, and feted by Snoop Dogg. He has performed everywhere from Bonnaroo to The White House, and will play a select run of dates with John Leventhal and his band around the release of This Is Where I Live, to be announced soon. (Bron: Soultracks.com)  CD NEWS / We’re excited to announce that on 20th May 2016, Donna’s final studio album, ‘CRAYONS’, is to be reissued by Driven By The Music/Crimson, as an expanded and overhauled format. The release date coincides with the eighth anniversary of the album’s original release but sadly also coincides with the week that marks four years since her untimely passing. This re-mastered 3CD re-issue, is packaged in a sumptuous case-bound book, as per the 2014 studio album reissues and features the original UK-configured studio album, which includes the non-US album track ‘It’s Only Love’, as well as two additional CDs with 20 mixes from the three singles released from the album. ‘CRAYONS’ bore all the hallmarks of another classic Donna Summer album...and it was. It spawned three Billboard Dance Chart #1 Singles in ‘I’m A Fire’, ‘Stamp Your Feet’ and ‘Fame (The Game)’.‘CRAYONS’ featured several producers, including Greg Kurstin, J.R. Rotem and Sebastian Arocha Morton, as well as reuniting her with a ‘Bogart’, in the shape of Evan “Kidd” Bogart, son of the late Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records. Newly authored liner notes appear by noted US writer Christian John Wikane, featuring new interviews with Evan Bogart and Sebastian Arocha Morton, as well as Christian’s archive interview with Donna Summer undertaken at the time of the album’s original release. ‘CRAYONS’ left everyone wanting more, especially as the singles were all triumphant on the Billboard Dance Chart and that’s probably the best place to be...at the Top. (Bron: The Official Donna Summer on Facebook)
 NEWS / Veteran singer Jimmy Riley, whose career spanned six decades of popular Jamaican music, passed away last week (Mar. 23) in New York, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Born Martin Norman Riley on May 22, 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica, Riley was best known to the younger generation as the father of Tarrus Riley, one of contemporary reggae’s most in-demand artists. Father and son recorded together often in recent years, and the younger Riley regularly brought his father onstage to sing with him, including his late-summer set l last year at Central Park's Summerstage. “My father introduced me to music, brought me into recording studios long before I could even talk; I was around all the great Jamaican musicians and singers because of him,” Tarrus told Billboard a 2014 interview. Possessing a pliant, distinctively robust tenor, Jimmy Riley began his recording career in the mid-'60s as a member of harmony group The Sensations, which recorded several hits for sound system owner-turned-producer Arthur Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label. Reid’s symphonic productions made him a king of rock steady -- the slower, more soulful rhythmic successor of ska and reggae’s direct forerunner. The rock steady era, the short but influential period between 1966-68, brought forth a new generation of acts dominated by groups like Riley's Sensations, whose hits for Treasure Isle included "Everyday Is Just A Holiday" and "Those Guys," as well as a memorable interpretation of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions’ “Right On Time” for producer Bunny “Striker” Lee. Following his departure from the Sensations, Riley joined The Uniques in 1967, recording several rock steady classics including “My Conversation”, highlighted by Smith’s immortal falsetto lead, as well as renditions of Mayfield’s “Gypsy Woman” and “My Woman’s Love." The Uniques had a successful, but abbreviated, run. Riley embarked on his own around 1969, just as reggae music emerged as a voice for Jamaica’s most downtrodden. Riley’s greatest commercial success arrived some time later, in the early '80s, alongside the internationally renowned drum and bass production duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Sly and Robbie produced Riley’s first No. 1 hit in Jamaica, “Love and Devotion," which reached the British pop charts in 1982. “Jimmy and other pioneering artists laid a solid foundation for reggae’s growth at home and internationally, especially in Japan,” reminisced Don Green, one of the founders of Reggae Sunsplash, Jamaica’s landmark reggae festival established in 1978. When Sunsplash was initially exported to Japan in 1985, Riley was part of the all-star lineup. “The Japanese audience was mesmerized by the music," says Green, "and today a younger generation of reggae artists from Jamaica and Japan have greatly benefited from the performances by those original music ambassadors and Jimmy stood tall among them.” Riley released the final album of his career, Contradiction in 2013 for Queens-based indie and VP Records’ subsidiary VPAL (VP Associated Label Group). Donovan Williams, director of VPAL, remembers Jimmy as “always pleasant, full of rhymes and laughter, and very involved in all aspects of the album.” Jimmy Riley’s music and career accomplishments provided an ongoing source of inspiration for his son, who catapulted to reggae superstardom in 2006 with the hit “She’s Royal," arguably the most popular reggae song of the decade. Tarrus debuted on the Hot 100 in October 2015 alongside Ellie Goulding with the Major Lazer-produced single “Powerful." The younger Riley’s hit-filled repertoire includes several songs recorded with his father such as “Stronger," “Pull Up Selector,” and an acoustic rendition of “Black Mother Pray” for his 2012 album Mecoustic. In 2014 Tarrus released “Love Situation” (Zojak Records), a tribute to rocksteady, featuring a rendition of The Uniques’ “Lesson (Story) of Love” (written by Jimmy Riley), renamed “Version of Love (My Story)” for Tarrus’s album. “Rocksteady is the music of my father’s generation but I grew up on it too,” Tarrus explained. “Working on “My Story” was a special treat because my father was there in the studio while I was recording it, he loved our version of his group’s song, it brought back great memories for him.” (Bron: Billboard.com)  NEWS / How do you like your rock ‘n’ roll? If the answer is safe, sterile, sexless and spat out by the corporate machine, then move along. But if your wish-list takes in soul, swagger and smack-in-the-mouth stagecraft, then Jane Lee Hooker is the band you’ve been gasping for. Tearing out of their native New York in 2016 with white-knuckle debut album No B!, these five rockers fuse the sticky thrills of golden-era punk and blues with a healthy slug of modern attitude. “Not a lot of bands can capture the excitement, sweat and charisma of the ’70s bands we grew up listening to,” they say. “But we can and we do.” Released in April on Ruf Records, ‘No B!’ might be a debut album, but don’t mistake Jane Lee Hooker for a pack of overnight newcomers. Between them, Dana ‘Danger’ Athens (vocals), Melissa ‘Cool Whip’ Houston (drums), High Top (guitar), Tina ‘T Bone’ Gorin (guitar) and Hail Mary Z (bass) boast sprawling collective pedigree, having dodged the bottles and put miles on the clock in bands like Nashville Pussy, the Wives, and Bad Wizard. Yet it was their fateful 2013 hook-up as JLH that brought fresh momentum. “We’re a gang, a family,” says the lineup. “We love playing with, to and for each other.” Ten of these tracks find the band digging back into the blues songbook, exhuming a fistful of standards including Muddy Waters’ “Champagne And Reefer”, Willie Dixon’s “Shake For Me” and Albert King’s “The Hunter”. In each case, Jane Lee Hooker claims ownership, pouring on the rocket fuel until even the dustiest standard becomes a stinging punk-blues thrill-ride, driven by jackhammer rhythms, twin lead guitars and Dana’s scorched-earth vocals.  “We basically play songs we like, and they end up turning into something that has our own take on it,” says the band of their respectful-yet-rebellious approach. “Like Mean Town Blues: it’s such an amazing song, and our version pays tribute to that. We feel the spirit of Johnny Winter is with us on the ride.” Meanwhile, it’s testament to the band’s own songwriting skills that original tune “In The Valley” stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the celebrated moments on the tracklisting. “We’ve been having a blast taking the spirit of these amazing classics we’ve been playing and developing a style to write our own original songs,” says the band. “There are thousands of masterpieces out there that so many people don’t even know about. And at the same time, there are enough shitty songs in the world – we’re not interested in adding to them.” When it came to tracking ‘No B!’ last year in Brooklyn, the five-piece were equally clear on their mission statement. “We told our producer, Matt Chiaravalle, that we wanted it to sound exactly like the album Hard Again that Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter did in 1977,” recalls High Top (who coincidentally chose her nickname after Mud’s shout-outs to Pinetop Perkins on that record). “It’s the album that both Tina and myself played along to when we were kids, to learn how to solo. I still think it’s one of the greatest albums ever recorded and some of the finest from Muddy and Johnny.” In the era of cut-and-paste, computer-driven recordings, ‘No B!’’s production was as minimalist, and the results explode out of the speakers. “We played live,” continues High Top, “and we used no effects. We all played in the same room at the same time. Most songs were done on a first take. I don’t think we played anything more than twice!” Make no mistake: Jane Lee Hooker is moving fast. In the three years since their formation, the band have already torn it up on some of the US circuit’s most prestigious stages, from New York’s Irving Plaza to Antone’s Record Shop in Austin, Texas. Now, with live shows booked through 2016 and ‘No B!’ at the heart of their setlist, this five-headed punk-blues juggernaut is coming for your hearts and eardrums. “We play with the same passion to twenty people as we do to a thousand,” says High Top. “The secret is we’re having a ball playing together. We are doing it all for us, and we are happy anyone wants to come along. It’s like we are driving up to your house in a Camaro and throwing open the door — we hope you climb in, but if you don’t, we’re still going.” Meer info: V2 Records Benelux  NEWS / Velen van jullie weten het natuurlijk al; Slayer komt naar Nijmegen! Niet voor 1, maar voor 2 shows! En dat in het nieuwe, maar nog steeds relatief kleine Doornroosje. Een unieke kans om de band van dichtbij aan het werk te zien. De eerste show van Slayer op dinsdag 21 juni was binnen een uur uitverkocht, maar niet getreurd, op woensdag 22 juni doet de band nóg een show, en daar zijn we maar wat blij mee! De kaartverkoop hiervoor is gestart.   De legendarische Amerikaanse metalband is al jaren een van de meest favoriete en gerespecteerde metalbands op deze aardbol. We zijn dan ook bijzonder trots en vereerd deze vier heren te mogen verwelkomen in onze nieuwe zaal. Slayer is alweer een tijdje in topvorm getuige ook het laatste album ‘Repentless’ en de vlammende optredens afgelopen jaren. De band klinkt fris, snaarstrak en is nog immer een lichtend voorbeeld voor de jonge garde metalheads. Een unieke kans om de band van dichtbij te zien in een relatief kleine setting en een zeer legitieme reden om de hele avond ‘SLAYEERRR’ te brullen!   NEWS / Nog maar 19 jaar is ze, maar ondertussen heeft Birdy al een mooi palmares op haar naam staan: Best International Winner (Echo Awards 2013), Best International Female Winner (Principales 2014), en Brit Award Nominee. Mocht dat samen nog niet genoeg zijn, brengt Birdy nu ook haar derde studioalbum uit: ‘Beautiful Lies’. Daarmee bewijst ze opnieuw hoe veelzijdig ze is.
Birdy schreef al succesverhalen dankzij haar debuutalbum “Birdy” (2011) en haar tweede album “Fire Within” (2013) waar ze meer dan 2,5 miljoen albums van verkocht en 7 miljoen singles. Zowel haar debuutplaat als de opvolger “ Fire Within” domineerden ook in België de charts. Het nieuwe album ‘Beautiful Lies’ bevat 14 tracks waaronder de hit ‘Keeping Your Head Up’ en gloednieuwe single 'Wild Horses'. Via Warner Music CURVED AIR LEGEND DARRYL WAY RELEASES NEW PROG ALBUM “MYTHS, LEGENDS AND TALES” - OUT NOW!26/3/2016  NEWS / Darryl Way is the co-founder of CURVED AIR, a trail blazing rock violinist and composer. “Myths, Legends and Tales” is Way's latest PROG album which takes its inspiration from some of the mythologies (both ancient and present day) which have inspired him. “Myths, Legends and Tales” is a mixture of instrumental Symphonic Rock and Songs. The inspiration for the instrumental pieces comes from the mystical world of Greek Mythology, whereas the songs are a mixture of observations about the world we live in and stories and events that have been inspirational. “As a rock violinist I have always been searching for that elusive sound, turn of phrase and means of expression that would give the electric violin a legitimate voice in the idiom of rock music. With this album, I feel that I have come closer than ever before to achieving this goal. 'Myths, Legends and Tales' is another attempt by me to fly the flag for 'Prog Rock'. I've raised the flag up the mast as far as I am able and can only now hope, that it will be seen and appreciated by the devoted fans of this neglected genre.” - Darryl Way The album features full length prog tracks which will appeal to Curved Air fans and new listeners who have been enjoying Way's return to the music industry in a burst of fresh creativity.  Track Listing:
1. APOLLO (RACING AGAINST THE SUN) 2. ORPHEUS AND THE UNDERWORLD 3. WHATEVER HAPPENED? 4. DOVE OF PEACE 5. STRANGE GOINGS ON 6. APHRODITE 7. THE ICE MAN 8. CRUSADER 9. HELTER SKELTER 10. PROMETHEUS CHAINED To purchase Darryl Way's “Myths, Legends and Tales”: Amazon CD: http://geni.us/4Dv Amazon Digital: http://geni.us/43BZ iTunes: http://geni.us/34EV ALSO AVAILABLE: DARRYL WAY – ULTRA VIOLINS (ExM004) CHILDREN OF THE COSMOS (RHRC001) For more information: http://www.darrylway.com/ Darryl Way is managed by QEDG Management [email protected]
 NEWS / We here at Ellersoul have several releases scheduled for 2016. First up is a project that I’ve wanted to do for some time now. Get together some great friends / blues harmonica players and pay respect to one of the all time greats, Big Walter Horton. Big Walter has been a major influence on all of the great players of my generation and beyond. We want to do our part in spreading the blues gospel of Walter Horton. Some people like the legendary Willie Dixon said he was “the best he ever heard” and he’d heard and worked with all the greats. This is a non-profit project with proceeds going to charity. Everyone involved is donating music for the cause. We’re very excited about the record and are so grateful for the stellar lineup that is involved. We have the great Kim Wilson with Big Jon Atkinson, Mark Wenner, Mark Hummel, Steve Guyger, Sugar Ray Norica, Bob Corritore on tracks with Jimmy Rodgers and Robert Lockwood, Kurt Crandall and yours truly Li’l Ronnie. I hope we get to do a Volume II because they’re so many great players that we couldn’t get on this one CD.   NEWS / Sinds de gebeurtenissen in Parijs afgelopen november hebben we de veiligheidsmaatregelen versterkt om ons publiek, de artiesten en ons personeel optimaal te kunnen laten genieten van de optredens in de Botanique.
De zware aanslagen in Brussel geven aan dat we waakzaam moeten blijven, en onze veiligheidsmaatregelen blijven van kracht. Onze samenwerking met de politiezone Noord is daar een voorbeeld van, en we beschikken over alle nodige bescherming om onze geplande activiteiten te laten doorgaan. We heropenen de Botanique vanaf donderdag 24 maart 2016. De exposities van Vincent Glowinski en Vincent Chenut zijn open, en alle optredens in de nabije toekomst zullen doorgaan. We vragen opnieuw aan ons publiek om geen rugzakken mee te nemen, aangezien deze de controles aan de ingang van de Botanique kunnen vertragen. In de concertzalen zelf worden deze niet toegelaten. Concertbezoekers zullen systematisch gefouilleerd worden aan de ingang, en kleine zakken of tassen dienen verplicht in de vestiaire te worden ondergebracht. We raden jullie aan om onze site regelmatig te bezoeken om op de hoogte te blijven van de recentste maatregelen. Bovenal bedanken we jullie voor jullie medewerking, en doen wij er alles aan zodat jullie zo goed mogelijk kunnen genieten van onze optredens. Het optreden van Rover is verplaatst van 23.03 naar 30.04. Het optreden van Jess Glynne gaat vrijdag 25.03 door zoals gepland. Daarnaast programmeren we naarstig onze kalender verder vol. Zo komt Whitney in juni naar de Rotonde, en mogen we in het najaar Yuna verwelkomen.  NEWS / In a year that has been devastating in the losses the music world has experienced, we are sad to report another. James Jamerson, Jr., one of the greatest R&B bass players ever – and the son of perhaps the most noted R&B bass player ever - has died.
James Jamerson Sr. was an integral part of the emergence of the Motown label in the 1960s, his unique bass work being the foundation of so many of the great Funk Brothers performances for just about every Motown act. So, when his son, James Jr, picked up the bass, people took notice. It is often difficult for a child to perform in the shadow of his or her parent, and the senior Jamerson, who died in 1983, cast a large shadow in the music world. But rather than shrivel in that shadow, James Jr. cast his own spotlight, developing into a musician who would be lauded worldwide for his virtuosity. The Detroit-born James Jr. began his public notoriety by playing in the Temptations road band in the late 60s, but soon developed into arguably the most sought-after bass player in the R&B world, playing on albums of such notables as Tavares, The Four Tops, The 5th Dimension, The Crusaders, Johnny Taylor, The Dramatics, Teena Marie and countless others. He also toured with Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan and may other greats, and appeared in the movie Standing In The Shadows of Motown. In the late 70s, Jamerson formed the group Chanson and landed a hit with “Don’t Hold Back.” And, importantly, he developed his own style as a player that many felt took his father’s legacy in a new and exciting direction. Sadly, illness became a constant companion of James Jr. over the past few years. I last saw him in early 2016, appearing with Motown arranger Paul Riser, Sr. and others at a wonderful community event in Detroit celebrating Motown history. He was clearly struggling physically, but roused the audience to a frenzy by pulling out his bass and working through the intro of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” It is difficult to lose one’s father early, and just as difficult to enter into the same business. But James Jamerson, Jr. did both, and did them with class and with unbounded talent. He became the kind of man and musician that extended the Jamerson family and Motown tradition for excellence into the 21st Century. And his influence on bass players will continue for years to come. Godspeed, James. (Bron: Soultracks.com)  NEWS / Terwijl geruchten en bevestigde informatie over reünie-optredens van de Amerikaanse hardrockband Guns N’ Roses mekaar snel opvolgen, is er nu ook een bericht dat voorman en zanger Axl Rose van Guns N’ Roses tijdelijk Brian Johnson zou vervangen als zanger van de “Australische” collega-hardrockgroep AC/DC. Begin maart kondigde AC/DC aan een tot 10 april geplande serie concerten uit te stellen nadat artsen de 68-jarige Johnson hadden gewaarschuwd dat hij bij voorzetting van de tournee riskeerde doof te worden. De groep voegde er ook aan toe “waarschijnlijk” met een andere zanger te zullen terugkomen. Sindsdien doken er meerdere namen op, waaronder die van Rob Halford (Judas Priest) en Marc Storace (Krokus). In Atlanta, waar AC/DC op 8 maart had moeten spelen, meldde rockradiostation WNNX nu Axl Rose te hebben gezien in de stad in Georgia waar hij aan het repeteren met de groep zou zijn geweest. “Het is een zo goed als uitgemaakte zaak, Axl Rose zingt voor AC/DC tijdens de tien resterende concerten” in de VS, aldus dj Jason Bailey. Namens Rose en AC/DC kon niemand daarover meer uitleg geven. Twintig jaar geleden spatte de succesbezetting van Guns N’ Roses uiteen. Nu is een aantal reünieconcerten gemeld, waarbij de precieze bezetting nog onduidelijk is. Brian Johnson verving in 1980 bij AC/DC overleden zanger Bon Scott. (Bron: HBVL)  NEWS / Het Italiaanse Sipario tekent bij Underground Symphony voor hun tweede album, na het succes van hun debuut ‘Oblivion – Dark Thrones’. De bad werd opgericht door toetsenist Daniele Tari, gitarist Valerio Specchio& zanger Maeg Raheena en spelen symphonic Power Metal met georkestreerde arrangementen. Deze bezetting werd vervolledigd met Domenico Sibillo aan drums, Sandro Lovanella op bas. Als verteller fungeert Stefano Casciello Lauropoli. ‘Eclipse Of Sorrow’ is een meesterwerk dat in de smaak zal vallen bij fans van Epica, Avantasia & Kamelot en zal op 15 mei in de rekken liggen in deluxe digipak editie. De cover is ontworpen door Pierre Alain-D.  Tracklist: Echoes of Eternity Ante Lucem Carnage Revolution Celestial Karma Desolation Guardians of Eden Part I – The Purge Guardians of Eden Part II – Dandelion’s Night Guardians of Eden Part III – Icarus’ Symphony Insurgency Dawn of Silence Eclipse A New Day...  NEWS / Hammerheart Records kondigd de heruitgave van O.L.D.’s ‘Old Lady Drivers’ aan op CD & LP – één van meest legendarische Grindcore albums!
Eén van de meest legendarische zal opnieuw hererkt en gepresenteerd worden zoals nooit eerder gehoord. Nadat ze sinds voorbije herfst een overeenkomst hadden met Earache Records kunne ze nu met trots dit album in zijn beste vorm heruitbrengen. ‘Old Lady Drivers’ kwam voor het eerst uit in 1988 en is zowat de laatste mijlpaal in de gouden tijden van grindcore/death metal. Toen het Hammerheart Records ter ore kwam dat het origineel album bij Earache Records per ongeluk uitkwam met een foutieve mix werd door James Plotkin, die naast gitarist en zanger bij O.L.D. ook nog producer was na de O.L.D. dagen, dit album in zijn juiste mix, opgepoetst met de moderne technologieën van vandaag. Er werd ook materiaal toegevoegd in de vorm van de ‘Total Hag demo uit 1989 en de ‘promo demo 1990’ (die later als Split 7” uitkwam samen met Assück) als extra bonus. Alle opnames zullen in best mogelijke kwaliteit op het album verschijnen en zowel de Vinyl alsook de CD editie zal in deluxe versie uitkomen inclusief lyrics, foto’s & flyers. Dit album wordt verwacht voor de herfst 2016.  NEWS / Hammerheart Records Kondigt een Deluxe CD heruitgave aan op Cd & LP van de Chileense band Necrosis.
In deze heruitgave zal zowel de klassieer ‘The Search’ uit 1988 alsook het legendarische ‘Kingdom Of Hate’ demo it 1987 staan! Deze ‘Kingdom Of Hate’ the is mogelijks wel de sterkste demo die ooit uitkwam in Zuid Amerika. Necrosis zat op een zelfde niveau als Pentagram (Chilli) & Sepultura’s ‘Schizophrenia’ era in de late jaren tachtig, maar zeker ook vergelijkbaar met bands als Exodus, Slayer, Excel and old Corrosion Of Conformity. Hiermee is dit album meteen ook een must have voor fans van top thrash bands. Tot op heden is het nog altijd een mysterie waarom Combat, Metal Blade of Roadrunner het niet aandurfde om Necrosis onder contract te nemen. Op deze dubbel CD editie zal ook bonus materiaal staan, de LP zal het album en de demo bevatten. De release wordt verwacht tegen eind 2016. |
