NEWSDESK, 3rd March 2010
> ASIA FEATURING JOHN PAYNE
Classic AOR band ASIA Featuring John Payne has inked a recording deal with Steve Vai's Favored Nations record label. A June/July release is scheduled for the yet-to-be-named CD. ASIA Featuring John Payne is currently planning worldwide tour dates to support the new album.
"I am very excited about working with Steve Vai and Dean Schachtel (Favored Nations A&R)," John Payne states. "Apart from being consummate professionals that I admire and respect, their added knowledge of the business is superlative. In a time of change within this industry and conglomerates run by bean counters, Favored Nations is the ideal company for our music and our future. I could not be more happy with this union."
"The artists signed to Favored Nations are a unique, dedicated breed that have attained the highest performance level on their chosen instruments. If you're a music lover who is passionate about real musicianship, we know you will want to hear our albums," says Steve Vai.
John Payne became the front man of the super group ASIA in 1992 at the invitation of keyboardist Geoff Downes, replacing vocalist/bassist John Wetton. ASIA extensively toured the world for the next 14 years performing new classics and old favourites. With John Payne fronting the band, ASIA released 8 stunning studio albums and several live recordings. In 2006, Geoff Downes left the band to reform the 1982 line up for their 25th anniversary. On the 9th of May 2006, John Payne, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe contractually agreed that John Payne would continue his 14 year legacy with ASIA as ”ASIA Featuring John Payne”.
http://www.myspace.com/asiafeaturingjohnpayne
> MOPA NEWS
My Own Private Alaska’s (MOPA) Ross Robinson produced album, Amen, is out now via I Am Recordings.
You can buy the album here: http://www.kertonestore.com/the-amen-deluxe-collector-edition
The band have also teamed up with Ryan’s Rock Show to exclusively stream their song 'After You'. The song has a music video on the way soon, and is the first single from the album.
Stream 'After You' here: http://www.ryansrockshow.com/php2/streams/2109-my-own-private-alaska-after-you-song-stream.html
http://www.myspace.com/myownprivatealaska
> MORE ASIA...
ASIA, rock’s first important super-group of the 80s - featuring members from Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, King Crimson and The Buggles – will release Omega, its highly anticipated new album of original material on April 23rd in Europe and May 4TH in the USA on Frontiers Records.
Geoffrey Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton, the four original ASIA members, reunited in 2006, twenty-three years after all four had last played together. The much publicised reunion resulted in highly successful world tours, a double live LP and DVD (entitled Fantasia: Live In Tokyo) and an acclaimed studio album Phoenix in 2008 which debuted at number 73 in the Billboard charts in the USA and entered the top 100 in several European countries.
Formed at the dawn of the MTV era, ASIA's first release was the best selling album in the world in 1982 and sat at the number 1 spot in the USA for 9 weeks, powered by the classic rock anthem, 'Heat Of The Moment', and four other radio hits. ASIA's 1983 sophomore album, Alpha, also went multi-platinum and enjoyed several hit singles, including the #1 smash, 'Don’t Cry'. During the recording of its third disc, the band splintered, and by the 1990s, only Geoff Downes remained from the original line-up.
The reunion came to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band, but morphed itself into an ongoing endeavour. In 2008, they returned with the first new studio album, Phoenix, which had been strongly influenced by the fusion of talents and heritages that the band excited the music world with back in 1982. Omega shows a new renaissance for this amazing group of musicians, which seem to live up to a joie-de-vivre that stands the test of time.
Begun during the summer 2009, the writing and recording sessions of Omega immediately showed inspiration and good feelings. “We were looking to create something different with Omega,” says keyboardist Geoff Downes. “Of course, the sound of the 4 band members of ASIA will always have a certain hallmark when we play together. That's a given. But we approached the song writing with a mind to getting a degree of variety into these compositions. Hence, you will hear areas of textures where arguably we have never gone before.”
Adds lead vocalist/bassist/guitarist John Wetton: “ASIA is an English prog-rock band with a pop edge, always has been, and hopefully always will be. Accessible, melodic, anthemic songs with great playing, luxuriating in a bed of lush orchestration, with lyrics that strike a sympathetic chord in even the most cynical heart. There you have it, Omega is a themed album in ASIA's fine tradition, without the millstone of a concept.”
Steve Howe adds that “the whole recording process has been inspiring and rewarding, and I’m very excited about the result”.
“I would say these are all strong individual songs” says drummer Carl Palmer. “It was a very smooth experience, and arguably one of our best records.”
For the first time since the debut album, ASIA worked with an outside producer, Mike Paxman (Uriah Heep, Status Quo) who managed to create a truly special sounding album with the highs, lows and lots of dynamics. He helped the band to put together a tapestry of sound, which demonstrates the rich strata of ASIA's music. Paxman was able to achieve this through the songs which spun real stories of actual events and experiences in locations around the globe. “The songs always have a message, hopefully positive,” says Wetton. “My songs are almost always autobiographical, so there is hope and experience in there, too. The lyric will never leave you on a negative thought."
As with the most popular of ASIA releases, the cover art specifically designed for the project by acclaimed artist Roger Dean. The concept of the title (Omega), and the 'Year of the Tiger' referencing of the cover art underline the fact that this is real ASIA. John Wetton explains: “The title Omega, as any fan of the band will tell you, is 'very ASIA' (as is the album, by the way). It no more means 'final' than Alpha means 'the first' (which it wasn't). It's a great sounding/looking word, and a bookend to Alpha. In many ways, musically and conceptually, the two albums share commonality.”
“We are embarking on our European tour around the middle of April, then straight in to Japan for the middle of May” says Downes. “It's going to be fun working out the new set list because obviously we have another album under our belt now with Omega.”
After touring Europe and Japan, ASIA will embark on a US tour late in the summer of 2010.
Omega will be released in the first pressing in digipak with one exclusive bonus track: Finger on the Trigger; Through My Veins; Holy War; Ever Yours: Listen Children; End of the World; Light The Way; Emily (*); Still The Same; There Was a Time; I Believe; Don't Wanna Lose You Now. (*) Bonus track first pressing in digipak.
ASIA European tour dates:
Apr. 21 - Helsinki, Finland - House of Culture
Apr. 22 - Moscow, Russia - B1 Club
Apr. 24 - Rome, Italy - Auditorium
Apr. 26 - Prague, Czech Republic - Lidovy dum Kbely
Apr. 27 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Salzhaus
Apr. 28 - Graz, Austria - Orpheum
Apr. 30 - Paris, France - Casino De Paris
May 1 - Uden, Netherlands - de Pul
May 2 - Asschaffenburg, Germany
May 3 - Nuremburg, Germany - Hirsch
May 4 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
May 6 - Reichenbach, Germany - Die Halle
May 7 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche Prinz-Regent-Strasse 50-60
May 8 - Osnabruck, Germany - Rosenhof Rosenplatz 23
May 9 - Bonn, Germany - Bruckenforum
http://www.myspace.com/originalasia
> FREE SPIRIT ENDORSES KALEVALA JEWELRY
The rock band Free Spirit has signed an endorsement deal with the Finnish jewelry manufacturer Kalevala Jewelry.
Kalevala Jewelry is a passionate, modern design company. Their jewelry collection includes well-loved classics alongside the latest designs, each bearing the distinctive marks of the designer’s skill and originality.
Heavy rock and metal fans know this: the music must have the sound of the ancient pounding of the blacksmith’s hammer. It is about being enthusiastic about what you do and diving into the moment.
Free Spirit shares these very values, so cooperation with Kalevala Jewelry was a natural step to take.
http://www.freespiritrock.com/
> TRANSCEND TAKES OVER LEGACY AGENCY
Independent UK music company Transcend Records has announced that it has added management and booking operation Legacy Agency to its portfolio.
Transcend chief Rob Ferguson commented “Having worked with Carl on many occasions I have always been impressed with his efficiency, professionalism and ethos. The Legacy Agency fits perfectly within our current structure which already includes artist management, record label, publishing and festival brand. I look forward to working with Carl to develop his business within ours”
The Legacy Agency formed in late 2008 and has been host to some of the UK’s sickest tours in the last two years whilst also providing first class management to a number of UK underground heavyweights including Shaped By Fate, Carcer City and The First. Thanks to much dedication and a hard work ethic Legacy has grown to become one of the most talked about agencies in the UK and is now a preferred option when it comes to UK or EU tour booking and planning. Some of the tours recently launched by Legacy include artists such as Annotations of an Autopsy, Born From Pain (GER), A Textbook Tragedy (CAN), Death Before Dishonour (USA).
The Legacy Agency was founded by Carl Sewell, who has many years experience in the industry and brings his assistant Darren Cooper with him to join the Transcend stable. Carl Sewell said: "It’s been a long hard road to get where we are today but with support and help of Transcend we now launch into a groundbreaking opportunity to push all our artists to the big-time. We thrive on our reputation and are delighted by the amount of bands wanting to join the roster, thank you to everyone for all their support."
http://www.transcendmediagroup.com/
http://www.myspace.com/legacyagency
> BEHIND THE SUIT AND TIE: A DOCUMENTARY
Ed Rivadavia Sr. Director of digital marketing, (RCA Music Group), Jason Lekberg marketing manager, (Epic Records) and owner Daniel Herrdmann, (Tiefdruck Musik) are all confirmed to take part in the final filming production for the up and coming heavy metal music documentary Behind The Suit And Tie , A Look Inside The Heavy Metal Recording Industry.
A raw six minute trailer of Behind The Suit And Tie:
Through a series of interviews with players from both major and indie labels, Behind The Suit And Tie will also showcase the truth of how the music industry is being affected by the downward spiral of hard CD sales and new up-and-coming artists must learn to adjust to the changing times with today's major transition. according to a press release. Behind The Suit And Tie will spend more time with the people behind the labels rather than the more musician-focused approach of most music documentaries to address piracy, corruption, manipulation issues and the future of a record label.
Commented creator/producer Robert Bolger Jr, "After four years in the making I'm very pleased to finally see the project taking shape. I'm still reviewing all the raw footage as we speak and still have not decided yet on the final promotional trailer. I have posted a few raw segments to show that the film had made some progress. With or without a label support the film will see the light of day, count on it."
The DVD package is expected to be released some time in July.
http://www.behindthesuitandtie.com/
> 20 YEARS OF THERAPY? LIVE ALBUM RELEASE
To commemorate 20 years of Irish-noiseniks, Therapy?, Global Music are proud to announce the band will be releasing their first official live album in the Summer 2010 and you’re invited to the recording...
Therapy? will be performing three London shows running the 29th, 30th and 31st March 2010 at the famous Monto Water Rats Theatre to be recorded for the live album. Each night the band will perform a different set-list drawn from their extensive recording career.
The release will be a celebration, marking their 20th Anniversary and long-standing catalogue of amazing music with breakthrough records including Babyteeth (1991) and Troublegum (1994); songs such as 'Nowhere' (1994), 'Screamager' (1994) and 'Church Of Noise' (1998); with 13 studio albums, their latest being Crooked Timber (2009), a diverse selection of songs is to be expected over the three nights!
Tickets are selling fast so make sure you get yours soon via Ticket Web here.
http://www.therapyquestionmark.co.uk/
> HALCYON WAY BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO
Atlanta progressive metal band Halcyon Way have released a behind the scenes video of the studio sessions for the upcoming album.
The new release is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed debut by the band, A Manifesto For Domination. It features the debut of new vocalist Steve Braun (Ashent, Siloam) , as well as a guest appearance by Pamela Moore of Queensryche fame.
> FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM CONFIRMED FOR HELLFEST
UK Goth legends Fields of the Nephilim have been confirmed as the headline act for the RockHard stage on Saturday 19th June at the forthcoming Hellfest which takes place in Clisson France, 18/19/20 June. The seminal cult rockers will headline the 10,000 capacity tent at Hellfest and promise to deliver their spine tingling soundscapes in spectacular style amidst their trademark swirling fog and machine gun strobes.
Fields of the Nephilim are widely regarded as one of the most influential and powerful bands in their genre and have been sighted by numerous major industry figures as such. The band are known to have strongly influenced and inspired artists as diverse as HIM, Nevermore, Behemoth, Fear Factory, Kreator and Immortal to name but a few.
Currently only making select festival appearances this is performance represents their long waited return to French soil in advance of the promised new releases of 2010.
http://www.fields-of-the-nephilim.com/
