NUBIYAN TWIST - FIND YOUR FLAME

Nubiyan Twist

 

LIFESIGNS TOUR WITH SUPPORT FROM MIKE KENEALLY

From LeightonMedia:

Lifesigns to Embark on US Tour following ProgStock Festival in October 2024, with support from Mike Keneally, Gregg Bendian, Teddy Kumpel, and Matt Dorsey

UK Band, Lifesigns, is touring the US for the first time with a headlining performance at ProgStock Festival in Rutherford, NJ, and shows in Albany, NY, Buffalo, NY, and Chicago, IL

After playing their first-ever show on US soil at ProgStock Festival on October 20, 2024, UK Band Lifesigns will take to the road for a one-week tour with support from Mike Keneally (Zappa, Satriani, Devon Townsend, ProgJect) and Matt Dorsey (Beth Hart, Sound of Contact, ProgJect, Dave Kerzner Band).

The first show of this mini tour will take place at the Strand Theater in Hudson Falls, New York on Tuesday, October 22. This show only will feature a special performance by “The Mike Keneally Trio,” with Mike Keneally (of course), Gregg Bendian and Teddy Kumpel, and an opening set by Matt Dorsey.

The tour will then move on to Electric City in Buffalo, NY, on Wednesday, October 23, and a private concert in Chicago, IL, on Saturday, October 26, where Mike Keneally and Matt Dorsey will open the show for Lifesigns.

Lifesigns is an independent UK-based band of virtuoso professional musicians. Members of Lifesigns have worked with artists ranging from Asia and The Scorpions through to pop and jazz icons like Bonnie Tyler and Quincy Jones.

Their latest studio album, Altitude, was crowdfunded by their dedicated fans in 40 countries worldwide (including 36 US states) and has been compared to everything from Steely Dan to Pink Floyd to U.K.

Their previous album, Cardington, got to number 4 in the UK Indie chart without so much as a play on mainstream radio. The band has toured the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Lithuania and have played on five sailings of the iconic Cruise To The Edge out of Florida, USA. On the 2024 Cruise, Simon Phillips (Toto, Protocol) guested on drums as our regular drummer was unavailable. In July 2023, Lifesigns released a live album recorded at De Boerderij in the Netherlands.

Lifesigns’ touring band includes John Young on lead vocals and keyboards (Asia, Scorpions, Bonnie Tyler), Jon Poole (Cardiacs, Dr. Hook) on bass and backing vocals, Dave Bainbridge (Iona, The Strawbs, Celestial Fire, Circuline) on guitars and keyboards, and Chris Mack (Iluvatar, Oblivion Sun, Edison’s Children) on drums and percussion.

Mike Keneally is long acclaimed as one of the world’s most creative and intense guitar and keyboard players, with talents as a vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist nearly unequalled in rock music. Keneally has released 24 albums of his original music since 1992 and has built a body of work of remarkable inventiveness and originality.

Keneally played in Frank Zappa’s last touring band, performing as a vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist. He’s appeared on many Zappa albums, is currently a touring member of both Dethklok and the Joe Satriani Band, and has also recorded or performed with Robert Fripp, Wayne Kramer, Kevin Gilbert, Solomon Burke, Steve Vai, Chickenfoot, Bear McCreary, Henry Kaiser, Michael Manring, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Andy Prieboy, Mullmuzzler, The Persuasions and many others.

Keneally’s most recent album is You Must Be This Tall, featuring Mike playing all instruments on several pieces, as well as performances from Marco Minnemann, Bryan Beller and Andy Partridge.

Gregg Bendian is a percussionist/composer/producer/educator/podcaster from Teaneck, New Jersey. During his wide-ranging career he has toured internationally and recorded with jazz and progressive artists Pat Metheny, Ornette Coleman, Todd Rundgren, Jan Hammer, The Mahavishnu Project, Cecil Taylor, Keneally-Bendian-Lunn, John Zorn, The Musical Box, Derek Bailey, Nels Cline, and Zoot Horn Rollo, among many others. An accomplished percussionist and a composer of over 200 works, Gregg has created a body of innovative instrumental music for jazz, rock, percussion (solo and ensemble) ands mixed chamber groups, which include his Interzone and Trio Pianissimo bands.

Teddy Kumpel played guitar on the Grammy winning album Home by Tim Kubart, sang backgrounds with Nine Inch Nails on the MTV music awards; toured and/or recorded with Joe Jackson, Rickie Lee Jones, Goodie Mob, Feist, Toots Hibbert; played on many soundtracks including Anchorman and Talladega Nights; produced, engineered and helped develop many artists, all while nurturing his own art and unique vision over his 30 year + career.

Matt Dorsey is a California-based multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter known for his work with Sound of Contact, In Continuum, The Dave Kerzner Band, Circuline, the progressive rock “super-group” cover band ProgJect, and most recently his solo project The Matt Dorsey Band. Matt wrote and produced his first solo album entitled Let Go, with Matt on guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and singing both lead and background vocals, and guest drummers Marco Minnemann and Jonathan Mover. Joining him on keyboards for the song Waiting For The Fall is his Sound of Contact bandmate, Dave Kerzner. The Matt Dorsey Band, with Matt on guitar/vocals, Randy McStine (Steven Wilson Band, Porcupine Tree) on bass/backing vocals, Andrew Colyer (Circuline, The Tubes) on keyboards/backing vocals, and Chris Dorsey on drums/backing vocals debuted at ProgStock Festival 2023. Following the festival, Matt opened for Progressive Rock giants Marillion at Marillion Weekend in Canada. Matt will return to ProgStock in 2024 on bass and backing vocals with the band Circuline and then head out on this tour opening for the UK band Lifesigns with his friend and former bandmate, Mike Keneally, on Lifesign’s first tour in the US.

• Sunday, October 20, 8:30 PM: ProgStock Festival, Williams Center, 1 Williams Plaza, Rutherford, NJ 07070 
• Tuesday, October 22, 7:00 PM: Strand Theater, 210 Main St, Hudson Falls, NY 12839 
• Wednesday, October 23, 7:00 PM: Electric City, 433 Pearl St, Buffalo, NY 14202

AYREON FEAT. ARJEN LUCASSEN, ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN & THIJS VAN LEER

Recorded in concert at 013 Poppodium in Tilburg, The Netherlands, on Sunday September 15,  2019.

 

MEGAWAJOOKA

The Zappa tribute concert that Megawajooka did at Le Triton in Paris, France, earlier this year, is available for subscribers in the video archive of Le Triton. 

https://vod.letriton.com/content/megawajooka-joue-frank-zappa

PAULINE BUTCHER VISITED PRAGUE TO PROMOTE THE CZECH VERSION OF "FREAK OUT! MY LIFE WITH FRANK ZAPPA"

Invited by the Czech Frank Zappa Fan Club, Pauline Butcher visited Prague to present the Czech version of her "Freak Out! My Life With Frank Zappa" book.

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Pauline, her husband Peter, and Bohous

JOE DENINZON & STRATOSPHEERIUS - IMPOSTOR !

• Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius: Impostor !
      (2024, download, --, bandcamp)

The brand-new Stratospheerius album has been made available as a digital download / streaming album on Bandcamp, and also on CD (although I don't know if it's available in Europe without customs harassment).

Again, Stratospheerius succeeded in producing a fine prog rock album. The leading role is reserved for violinist Joe Deninzon, who's also part of Kansas nowadays, but there's some great guitar playing going on as well. And the band sounds tight. Really tight.

9 tracks. All original music, except for the (excellent version of) Adrian Belew / King Crimson's 'Frame By Frame'.

There's quite a number of guests featured on the album. It provides some beautiful, extra seasoning.

Rachel Flowers makes a guest appearance as well. Adding a beautiful flute solo to 'Storm Surge'.
Nice. Very Nice.

Check it out.

Recommended listening.

MANUEL HERMIA & CHRISTINE OTT - THE LOTUS PATH

• Manuel Hermia & Christine Ott: The Lotus Path
      (2024, cd, Belgium, igloo)

Manuel Hermia: tenor saxophone, bansuri, flute
Christine Ott: ondes martenot (sort of a Theremin but controlled by a keyboard)

Recorded live as part of Manuel Hermia's Carte Blanche at the Gaume Jazz festival in 2023, this duet with Christine Ott is essentially composed from musical material from the Rajazz.

Rajazz are a form of note organization and are represented as musical mandalas.

The concept of rajazz comes from a cross between tonal music and Indian modal music. The name is a contraction of raga and jazz: rajazz.
All the compositions on this album evoke in one way or another the idea of ​​transformation. As the Yi Jing (or Yi King, I Ching or "book of transformations") already professed almost 3000 years ago: the only thing that never changes is that everything changes all the time.
A reflection and pause on the very nature of change, both in our inner life and in our perception of the outside world, constitutes the common thread of the compositions presented here.

"The Lotus Path" is a stunning musical document that highlights the collaboration between Manuel Harmia and Christine Ott.
I love the sound of the ondes-Martenot. It adds a beautiful, mysterious layer to the mesmerizing melodies.

https://www.igloorecords.be/album/manuel-hermia-christine-ott-the-lotus-path/

WIGWAM

The Svart record label is re-releasing two Wigwam albums on colored vinyl:

Wigwam - Hard'N'Horny, LP (Transparent Magenta/White/Black Marble) - limited edition of 100 copies

Wigwam - Tombstone Valentine, LP (Turquoise/Pink Marble) - also limited to 100 copies

WIGWAM'S FIRST TWO ALBUMS REPRESSED

WIGWAM’s two first albums reissued on vinyl in February 2025 via Svart Records

Due to high demand, Svart Records will release represses of Wigwam's early works on vinyl once again. The Finnish legends in Wigwam are no strangers to fans of Progressive Rock around the world. Their debut album Hard N’ Horny from 1969 and the following Tombstone Valentine from 1970 are a couple of cornerstones among many in their impeccable discography. The previous Svart editions of these absolute classics by the pioneers of early progressive rock date back to 2019, so it was about time to bring back these must-haves to the market.

Hard N’ Horny started the legacy of Wigwam. Album’s A-side is jazzy, early prog-rock by the keyboardist Jukka Gustavson, with an exception on the first track written by the original bass player Mats Huldén. Lots of heavy organ, jazzy piano, and some vocal parts by Gustavson. The B-side is ‘60s psychedelia written by the British-born vocalist Jim Pembroke. It consists of songs about a man called Henry, together forming a mini Rock opera.

Wigwam's sophomore album Tombstone Valentine uniquely stands on its own as not only a precursor to what was still to come but also a spectacular album bubbling over with soul searching folk/psych/prog leanings. Kim Fowley, a producer from America, was so excited about Wigwam's debut album Hard N’ Horny, that he decided to come to Finland to produce their second album Tombstone Valentine. The album is not as experimental as their debut, but partly because of that it's also a more coherent and a better-balanced effort. The line-up had changed slightly, as this was Pekka Pohjola's debut with Wigwam. Guitarist Nikke Nikamo left the band during the recording of the album, so the guitar parts are delivered by Jukka Tolonen and Heikki Laurila, who never officially joined the band.

Hard N’ Horny and Tombstone Valentine are out on limited vinyl pressings on February 7th, 2025.

LUZIA VON WYL ENSEMBLE - THROWING COINS

• Luzia von Wyl Ensemble: Throwing Coins
      (2018, cd, switzerland, hatology)

Modern jazz in a contemporary classic package, with added world music flavours.

With a beautiful instrumentation: piano, flutes, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, violin, violoncello, bass, marimba and drums.

I love it.

Here's a live performance of 'Antumbra' with special guest Faisal Al Saari on oud:

AYRON TO PERFORM IN TILBURG NL IN SEPTEMBER 2025

AYREON - 30TH ANNIVERSARY - AN AMAZING FLIGHT THROUGH TIME

Arjen Lucassen announces 5 shows at the 013 venue in Tilburg on 12, 13, and 14 September 2025

https://www.ayreon.com/live/

After five sold-out performances of Ayreon - 01011001 - Live Beneath the Waves at the 013 venue in The Netherlands in 2023, attended by 15,000 fans from 64 countries, and following four sold-out Ayreon - Electric Castle Live & Other Tales shows in 2019, as well as three sold-out Ayreon Universe shows in 2017, Ayreon is ready to add another exciting chapter to its live history. The new production, Ayreon - 30th Anniversary - An Amazing Flight Through Time, will mark 30 years since the release of the debut album, The Final Experiment, in 1995. This massive, state-of-the-art live production will take the audience on a journey through Arjen Lucassen's entire discography, featuring a massive, one-of-a-kind stage design, stunning visuals, spectacular special effects—and much more.

Ayreon Mastermind Arjen Lucassen, alongside lead producer and keyboardist Joost van den Broek, has assembled a remarkable cast of many fan-favorite Ayreon vocalists and special guests, plus an outstanding group of instrumentalists to bring the music to life at the highest possible level. Lucassen himself will also perform on vocals.

Titled An Amazing Flight Through Time, the setlist will span Ayreon’s 30-year history, offering a wide range of songs, including some that have never been played live before, alongside fan favorites. Besides that, some songs of Arjen’s side projects will be performed as well. No effort will be spared in transforming the 013 venue into an immersive "Ayreon world," where fans will be transported to another dimension. This show is set to be the ultimate Ayreon celebration, paying tribute to Arjen's music in its most complete form.

While the two previous Ayreon live shows focused on performing full studio albums, this anniversary show will be the ultimate 'Best of Ayreon'. In 2019, Electric Castle Live & Other Tales was atmospheric and dynamic, while 2023’s 01011001 - Live Beneath the Waves brought a mysterious, industrial, and bombastic energy. The 30th-anniversary shows, however, will be an eclectic mix of everything that is Ayreon, creating the perfect event for Ayreonauts to unite and share their love of Arjen's music at the Ayreon party of the decade. Expect further details and surprises in the coming weeks!