NEWSDESK, 18th December 2009
> NEW GRAND ILLUSION ALBUM ON THE WAY
AOR Heaven have announced the re-unification of the Swedish band Grand Illusion after a four and a half year absence.
A new album entitled Brand New World is in the pipeline for April, and the core of the band; Anders Rydholm - bass, keyboards, guitars; Peter Sundell – vocals; Per Svensson – vocals…. (With guests: Gregg Bissonette – drums; Tim Pierce – guitar; Danny Jacobs – guitar; Roger Ljunggren – guitar; Kjell Klaesson - acoustic guitar; and Arlene Matza-Jackson – Lyrics), are really excited about getting back into the saddle….
"In 2005 we felt we needed a break, to work with other people and to develop as musicians,” says Rydholm. “The core of Grand Illusion started back in 1996 (under the name Promotion), and a lot of things have happened since then and since we broke up, but now we all feel the time is right to get back together, have fun and make some great music again. Just having legends like Gregg on drums and Tim and Danny on guitar feels magical…. The basic formula with strong melodies and over the top vocals are the same, but the work is so much stronger. We are also very proud to be back on the label where everything started. AOR Heaven helped us release our first album (as Promotion – Not For Sale - 1997) and now we’re looking forward to join the same team again.”
> NAZARETH
Famed Scottish rockers Nazareth have been confirmed on the bill of the 2010 Sweden Rock Festival
http://www.nazarethdirect.co.uk/nazareth/
> HELIX'S CHRISTMAS SPIRIT...
Seeing as Christmas is on the way, we thought it might be fun to share this...:
> RICK SPRINGFIELD & JEFF SILVERMAN
Frontiers Records is set to release a collection of newly mastered and some previously un-released demos from Grammy Award winner Rick Springfield and veteran producer, engineer, songwriter, and lead-guitar player from his first touring band, Jeff Silverman. Springfield and Silverman started recording together in the late 1970's. "I would go to [Jeff's] studio when I wanted to record some really great sounding demos," says Springfield. "We also wrote quite a few songs together, which was something I hadn't done with another musician before." Silverman states "Rick and I discovered that we had a great deal in common. our professional relationship began to evolve into more than just playing live. It grew to recording his demo's together, writing together and eventually making records together.
From the Vault (A Collection of works by Rick Springfield & Jeff Silverman) consists of 13 tracks, originally recorded between 1986 and 1999, that have been digitally re-mastered by Jeff Silverman, giving the audience an entirely new listening experience. Many of the tracks, such as 'Dancin on the Edge of the World', 'Right Planet', 'Wrong World', 'You Write the Book', 'Dream in Colour', and 'Religion of the Heart' are previously unreleased versions of the songs. Others such as 'Somewhere', 'Monkey', 'Love Receiver' and 'My Depression' were later recorded for Springfield's albums. Springfield states that the songs on this CD are the result of long hours slaving over a hot studio console in Jeff's studio and have never been released like this before. Even though many of the songs on the CD were never released, agrees Silverman, the care, the hard work and love that went into making every song the best we could make, was always our main objective.
Final tracklisting includes: Dancin' On The Edge of the World; Right Planet, Wrong World; You Write The Book; Monkey; Love Receiver; Hey Eileen; Dream in Colour (demo); Woman II; Religion of the Heart; Why Don't You Dance; Somewhere; My Depression; In Veronica's Head.
As a perfect companion to this release, Frontiers Records will also be reissuing in Europe a special edition of Rick Springfield's latest album Venus in Overdrive, originally released in July 2008. Debuting in the USA on the Billboard chart at #28; this achievement marks Springfield's highest chart position since the mid 80's.
This 2010 version comes with the worthy addition of a bonus track (a new recording of Celebrate Youth) and a concert DVD, Live in Rockford originally released in October 2006 in the USA only. Filmed live as part of the HDNet Concert Series at the historic Coronado Theatre in Rockford, IL, Rick showcases his talent and everlasting energy in this special release.
Live in Rockford contents include: I'll Make You Happy; Will I; Affair of the Heart; I've Done Everything for You; Rock of Life; Red House; Don't Talk to Strangers; I Get Excited; Baker Street; Broken Wings; Beautiful You; Living In Oz; Love Somebody; Jesus Saves; Kristina; Human Touch; Jessie's Girl.
To date, Rick Springfield has sold over 19 million records and has charted a whopping 17 top 40 hits, including his #1 hit, 'Jessie's Girl'. Having performed for millions of fans over the last three decades, and showing no signs of slowing down, Rick continues to play 100 shows a year, sharing his love of performing, unstoppable energy and his unique brand of crowd interaction with thousands of fans each night. Rick literally wades deep into the crowd at each show. His tour dates also include a 5-day fan oriented cruise. This year, the 3rd annual Rick Springfield & Friends Cruise is set to sail in November 2010. In 2005, Springfield returned to daytime TV's General Hospital as the character he originated in the 80's, Dr. Noah Drake as well as assuming an alternate character, Aussie rocker Eli Love. More recently, Springfield appeared on a 4 episode ARC on Showtime's hit show Californication's 3rd season.
Jeff Silverman is a veteran producer, engineer, songwriter, accomplished musician and singer. He started playing piano at the age of 5, then guitar at 10 and made the decision to make music a lifelong career not long after. After traveling around the US in club bands after high school, he arrived in LA in 1976 and almost immediately met up with Rick Springfield for his first US tour of the Wait for Night album. He has been a staff songwriter at Motown/LA and has co-written with a number of artists including: Rick Springfield, Michael Peterson and Tommy TuTone. Jeff has also mixed, mastered and edited for artists such as: Charice, Boyz to Men, David Cassidy, George Clinton and Prince and has performed live with Rick Springfield, Roger Miller and Redbone. He currently operates Palette Studios, his own Pro Tools HD3 studio in Nashville, Tennessee where he writes, produces and records.
http://www.rickspringfield.com/
> BRIAN HOWE
Frontiers Records is delighted to announce the release of Brian Howe's forthcoming solo album entitled Circus Bar on February 26th 2010 in Europe and March 9th in the USA.
Long regarded as one of rock's legendary voices, Brian Howe started his career in 1983 as lead vocalist for Ted Nugent on the Penetrator album and fronting its band on the subsequent world tour. In 1984, drummer Simon Kirke and guitarist Mick Ralphs asked Brian to replace Paul Rodgers as the lead singer in Bad Company. Brian decided to accept the offer and continue the legend of the band. This was not an easy task, but along with Kirke and Ralphs, Brian created, wrote, recorded and toured for the following 10 years, headlining every major venue around the globe.
Along with Bad Company's highly acclaimed 1993 live CD What You Hear Is What You Get - The Best of Bad Company - Live, Brian wrote and sold with Bad Company something like 19 million of records, highlighted by such radio and video hits as 'Holy Water', 'If You Needed Somebody', 'No Smoke Without A Fire', and 'How About That', - not to mention a few of the group's previous hits as recorded on the "live" CD.
Thirteen years after the release of his debut solo album Tangled in Blue (later renamed Touch in Europe), Brian is back and ready to unleash his awesome new solo album entitled Circus Bar. "When I decided I wanted to make a new CD" tells Brian, "I wanted to try to make everything memorable and enjoyable. Therefore I set aside a week for writing with my new producer Brooks Paschal and I decided we would go down to my favourite place in the entire world: Lake Atitlan , Guatemala, an incredibly inspirational place for me to be. We realized after three days that we had written enough songs for the CD and that took any pressure I had been feeling away and it soon became obvious that the CD should be named after that wonderful little bar where we spent our evenings eating, drinking and listening to the local music. The bar was started by circus performers and still has posters and pictures of all the great circus acts from throughout the years".
Some friends helped Brian in shaping up Circus Bar, an album, which promises to be a career landmark for this amazing singer: Wayne Nelson of Little River Band dropped by the studio for a few days and also Pat Travers popped in and played guitar on 'My Town'. "I didn't want to have too many "established" musicians on the record because I wanted to keep the feel somewhat fresh and spontaneous", explains Brian.
The album includes also two stunning - newly recorded - remakes of the Bad Company hits 'How 'Bout That' and 'Holy Water'.
Produced by Brooks Paschal and mixed by Rafe McKenna (Giant, Bad Company, Tesla, Ten) Circus Bar tracklisting includes: I'm Back; Life's Mystery; There's This Girl; Could Have Been You; Surrounded; Flying; How It Could Have Been; My Town; How 'Bout That; Feels Like I'm Coming Home; If You Want Trouble; Feelings; Holy Water; Little George Street.
"I like to think that this CD is representative of an established artist with a modern outlook on what happening in today's music scene" concludes Brian. "It's been 13 years since my last record and on this CD I have given them everything I have: music that appeals to anyone that likes big melodies with an edge". 100% gold class awaits the faithful fans who will purchase Circus Bar, better believe it: Brian Howe is back to Rock!
http://www.myspace.com/brianhowe01
