Eric Clapton 1985 Comeback Album ‘Behind The Sun’ Released on Hybrid SACD
“…another great recording…perhaps the most experimental of his career”
Camarillo, CA – Eric Clapton fans are buzzing with excitement over the release of his critically acclaimed 1985 comeback album ‘Behind The Sun’ on limited numbered edition Hybrid SACD on Marshall Blonstein’s Audio Fidelity! The musical climate had changed dramatically from the days Eric Clapton had topped the charts in the ’70s. ‘Behind The Sun’ is not his first album of the decade, but he obviously understood it was time to modernize his sound. After signing with Warner Brothers in 1983, Clapton bounced back on the music charts for the first time in five years, and solidified his return in 1985 with the instant success of ‘Behind The Sun’, his ninth album.
Backed with a line-up of stellar musicians and producers Lenny Waronker, Rod Templeman and Phil Collins, Clapton for the first time in years now had several songs that reached a wider audience, scoring Top 40 hits with “Forever Man” and “See What Love Can Do.” He didn’t abandon his old music, he just blended it more effectively and brought the flavor up to date by mastering the more electronic sound of ’80s radio.
This album also had a heavy soul flavor with a really well produced version of Eddie Floyd’s “Knock On Wood”, and Clapton remained true to the blues with a brilliant eight minute track, “Same Old Blues”, which contains some of his most electric playing of the era.
The sessions featured Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and former drummer Jeff Porcaro, as well as Clapton’s long-time collaborators, drummer Jamie Oldaker, bassist Nathan East and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. Clapton’s voice had a rich new depth, like whiskey aged to perfection. The recording showcased blistering guitar solos, a high-octane R&B beat and a slick synthesizer-backed production that was well-suited for the pop-rock market – The Guitar God was now serenading to a new generation of admirers and fans alike.
“Back in the spotlight…this comeback album is an underrated classic – Don’t miss out on this gem!”
TRACKS
She’s Waiting
See What Love Can Do
Same Old Blues
Knock on Wood
Something’s Happening
Forever Man
It All Depends
Tangled in Love
Never Make You Cry
Just Like a Prisoner
Behind the Sun
Produced by: Eric Clapton, Phil Collins,
Ted Templeman, Lenny Waronker
Mastered by Steve Hoffman
at Stephen Marsh Mastering
Drum Legend Terry Bozzio Presents a Solo Musical Performance on World´s Largest Tuned Drum and Percussion Set on Forthcoming North American Tour!
An Evening with TERRY BOZZIO North American Tour 2014
Los Angeles, CA – Drum legend Terry Bozzio, known for his work with Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, UK and his critically acclaimed solo ventures, celebrates the 50th anniversary of his first drum lesson with “An Evening With Terry Bozzio” coast-to-coast North American tour! During the course of this tour, Terry Bozzio will hit over 40 cities from San Diego to Jacksonville to Montreal to Vancouver to Los Angeles and everywhere in between. This will be a night of solo drumming and include compositions from throughout his career, as well as improvisation. It is by no means a clinic or a workshop. Enjoy an intimate evening of Terry Bozzio and his monster sculpture of a drum kit together for the first time in seated venues across North America.
“TERRY BOZZIO – An Evening of Solo Drum Music” is a unique, intense, dynamic, spiritualistic, melodic, orchestral, atmospheric, and musical performance on the largest tuned drum & percussion set in the world. Unless you have seen Terry, you have no idea what you are in for. Bozzio is an enigmatic, evocative, and engaging musician whose instrument just happens to be the drums. Terry Bozzio is able to accompany himself with bass note patterns and, at the same time, melodically solo on top with highly developed coordination skills to express a complete musical statement on the drum set alone. Drawing from jazz, classical, & ethnic percussion styles from around the world, Terry Bozzio is “a storyteller,” able to weave a hypnotic spell over audiences and enthrall them with an eclectic experience filled with contrast, variety, intimacy, excitement, & passion.
Terry has had tremendous success with his last two Terry Bozzio solo drum performance tours in Europe (2012 included his headline show at the Jazz Festival Frankfurt – the oldest jazz festival in the world – and 2013 which included sold out performances in Sweden, Germany, Eastern Europe, and France). Please note that this is not a bombastic 2 hour drum solo. This is MUSIC on drums, “an evening with Terry Bozzio.” In most of Bozzio’s works, he accompanies himself with bass lines while soloing over it melodically on the tuned toms. There is space, classical forms & structures, ambient electronic loops, and atmospheric percussion effects, as well as some exciting & fiery drumming that brings audiences to their feet!
An Evening with TERRY BOZZIO North American Tour Dates:
Aug 15, 2014 – Mexicali, BC, Mexico – Lob Bar (Bol Bol)
Aug 17, 2014 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM Music Theater
Aug 23, 2014 – Denver, CO – Soiled Dove
Aug 26, 2014 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard
Aug 28, 2014 – Conroe, TX – Dosey Doe
Aug 29, 2014 – Fort Worth, TX – McDavid Studio
Aug 31, 2014 – Austin, TX – One World Theater
Sept 04, 2014 – Orlando, FL – Plaza Live
Sept 05, 2014 – Largo, FL – Largo Cultural Center
Sept 10, 2014 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
Sept 11, 2014 – Wilmington, DE – World Café
Sept 13, 2014 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint
Sept 14, 2014 – New York City, NY – Iridium (2 shows – 8pm & 10pm)
Sept 15, 2014 – New York City, NY – Iridium (2 shows – 8pm & 10pm)
Sept 16, 2014 – Stafford Springs, CT – Stafford Palace Theater
Sept 19, 2014 – Richmond Hill, ON, Canada – Cosmopolitan Music Hall
Sept 21, 2014 – Buffalo, NY – Nietzches
Sept 24, 2014 – Nashville, TN – 3rd and Lindsley
Sept 26, 2014 – Newport, KY – The Southgate House Revival
Sept 30, 2014 – Little Rock, AR – Juanitas
Oct 05, 2014 – Chicago, IL – Martyrs
Oct 06, 2014 – Chicago, IL – Martyrs
Oct 14, 2014 – Calgary, AB, Canada – Orpheus Theatre
Oct 16, 2014 – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Imperial
Oct 17, 2014 – Vancouver Island, BC, Canada – Tidemark Theatre
Oct 19, 2014 – Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
Oct 20, 2014 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
Oct 23, 2014 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi´s
Oct 25, 2014 – Los Angeles, CA – Catalina´s
Oct 26, 2014 – Los Angeles, CA – Catalina´s
In other news, Over the last four decades, drummer Terry Bozzio has built an extraordinary legacy based on his unique approach to rhythm and the diverse and acclaimed recordings to which he’s contributed. On April 18, 2014 he’ll go beyond genres into new mediums with the release of an art collection titled [RHYTHM] + [SKETCH]. Available exclusive at http://www.terrybozzioart.com, the collection is a fusion of artwork crafted over the last three decades mixed with new abstract visuals made from capturing rhythm.
A project that began a year ago, [RHYTHM] + [SKETCH] is a highly limited release of artwork on canvas. The collection’s visuals are a unique fusion of ink sketches Bozzio has made throughout his career, as well as his take on the new medium of rhythm-on-canvas, a process of creating abstract artwork through the documentation of rhythmic performance and light movement. To build the collection, Bozzio joined Los Angeles art team SceneFour in the creation process. SceneFour is the team responsible for the rhythm-on-canvas movement, working exclusively with the world’s finest drummers to craft abstract artwork from performance. “Terry’s collection is a remarkable step forward. His style is so unique that once captured the arcs and techniques he’s mastered become crystal clear to a discerning viewer,” SceneFour’s Co-Founder Cory Danziger states. “The fusion of Terry’s sketches into the rhythmic creations is a natural. His work behind the kit has similarities to the artwork done by hand. It’s very telling of how his creativity is consistent even as it crosses platforms.” In total, twelve different works are featured in Bozzio’s collection, with a limited number of each piece available to the public on April 18, 2014. Each piece is numbered and signed individually by Bozzio. To join the interest list to learn more and see it before the release, sign up at http://www.terrybozzioart.com. Terry’s stage setting for his upcoming solo drum tour will include large pieces of his [RHYTHM] + [SKETCH] work as a backdrop on the stage.
“I just want to make music on the drums.” – Terry Bozzio
Americana Music Artist Brian Baugus Releases Highly Anticipated Debut Album
Asheville, NC – Actor, Songster and Sage, Brian Baugus took his first stage in 1969, playing in the “Coffee House” scene that was then popular. Since those days, he has been in so many acts, venues, bands, combos and such, that it has been said that “There is no gig that Baugus wonʼt play!” He has been a sideman, frontman, straight man, and doorman. He has played bass, guitar, and of course, COWBELL! He has been in duos, jambands, redneck bands (Fire Creek), comedy bands (Rich Hallʼs HeadCleaner), on TV, and in the movies. He has performed in Canada, Mexico, New England, Ohio, California, Texas, and throughout the South! In 2006, Brian’s song “Circle Of Drums” was covered by legendary Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten. The track was featured on the album Moved To Stanleyville by Tom Constanten and Ken Foust. And now, much to the excitement of his fans around the globe, Brian Baugus is releasing his debut CD Actor, Songster, Sage! With musical influences such as Tony Bennett, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and Tom Waits, which can be heard throughout his work, Brian’s new Americana CD is guaranteed to thrill and amaze you! Also, Baugus hopes the CD will position him “to take over the World”, he hisses, “The Whole World!”
Says Brian, “I’ve been waiting in the wings for quite a while, now I am ready to wow you with some Beans Creek Boogie!”
As an actor, Baugus has played one lead, which was Broom Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckooʼs Nest ( CPCC Theater, 1991, with director Steven Ware ). Being a part of the No Small Part school of acting, he has played many supporting roles, such as Lesgate, the would-be killer in Dial ʻMʼ For Murder, Simon Stimpson, the drunken choirmaster in Our Town, and most recently, Burnsville’s Parkway Playhouse’s World Premiere of Gary Carden’s Outlander. Still, he is proudest of his “walk on with lines” in one of TV Guideʼs, “Top Ten Worst Ever Movies”, teaming up with musician buddies Billy Scott (Georgia Prophets) and “Ranger” Doug Scharnberg, in Don Swanʼs dreadful Gore-Met: Zombie Chef From Hell! Says Brian, “In acting, rehearsal is hard and performance is easy. In music it’s vice versa.”
Mr. Baugus is currently playing live in various venues in support of his new release, Actor, Songster, Sage, which was engineered and produced by Rod Martin at his Queen Anneʼs Revenge Studio for Rodʼs Barking Moondog Records label. Brian Baugus is anxious to bring his Beans Creek Boogie to your roadhouse, festival, or pigpickinʼ, just as soon as he can!
Says producer and president of Barking Moondog Records, Rod Martin, “Listening to this ‘Underground Americana’ record, will push you into the existential void, and then snatch you from the edge of the abyss, and send you on a journey, where you will follow a chirping sound, to a surrealistic landscape behind a toilet, where a cricket reigns supreme! Then, on to a place where time and space collide! That signpost ahead… the Beans Creek Boogie Zone!”
The Oak Ridge Boys Celebrate The Release Of Boys Night Out By Offering Fans A Chance To Win The Ultimate “Fans Night Out”
Los Angeles, CA – One of the most loved and best selling groups in all of country music is set to release their first ever live hits album Boys Night Out on April 15, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, the band has partnered with its label Cleopatra Records and digital distributor The Orchard to offer fans the opportunity to win a special VIP concert package. The contest, dubbed “Fans Night Out,” will run for the entire month of April after which one lucky participant will be randomly selected to win 4 tickets to an Oak Ridge Boys show of his/her choice along with a $50 debit card, and, most exciting of all, an exclusive meet-and-greet with the Oaks themselves! It’s a dream come true for any ORB super fan, as well as an expression of deep gratitude from a band so well known for their generous and humble spirit!
Joe Bonsall, tenor vocalist for The Oak Ridge Boys, enthuses, “This whole Boys Night Out project has been geared towards the fans since the beginning. Our long time friends have asked for a kicking live album for decades and, at last, the time was right to give it to them! We are so thankful to Cleopatra Records for jumping on the train with us and releasing Boys Night Out to the worldwide market! Fans Night Out – Hey, it makes sense!”
The release of Boys Night Out, which features such iconic hit singles as “Elvira,” “American Made,” “Bobbie Sue,” “Y’all Come Back Saloon,” and others, has sparked new interest and appreciation for this long-standing quartet. The band was recently featured on both Bloomberg TV as well as Fox’s Wendy Williams Show, where they were presented with a plaque from the RIAA certifying the sales of 41 million albums! The Oak Ridge Boys also recently held another exclusive meet-and-greet for an extra special longtime fan of the band, Former President George H.W. Bush, who spent time with the group backstage after their show in Galveston, TX. And the Boys will continue their intensive touring schedule, crisscrossing the continental US through the end of 2014, and providing fans plenty of opportunities to catch one of the hottest country tickets around!
New CD By Acclaimed Guitarist Matt Stevens ‘Lucid’ Featuring Pat Mastelotto Of King Crimson Available On Esoteric Recordings March 31, 2014
London, UK – Esoteric Antenna is pleased to announce the release of the new album by acclaimed guitarist MATT STEVENS, noted for his work as both a solo artist and as a member of Fierce and The Dead. “Lucid” sees Matt joined by a host of guest musicians including drummer Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson), Bass guitarists Lorenzo Feliciati (Naked Truth), Charlie Cawood (Knifeworld) and Kev Feazey, keyboard players Jem Godfrey (Frost) and Emmett Elvin (Chrome Hoof / Guapo), violinist Chrissie Caulfield (Helicopter Quartet / Crippled Black Phoenix), vibe player Jon Hart and Nicholas Wyatt Duke (Trojan Horse) on Spoken Word.
Speaking about his new album Matt states; “Lucid took three years as I really wanted to make this one a significant step up from the previous albums. It’s inspired by a bit of a dark time, but hopefully it’s an uplifting record. I’m so proud of the people who played on it, working with people like Pat Mastelotto on drums from King Crimson and Jem Godfrey from Frost* was amazing but all the players really were outstanding. Stuart Marshall (Fierce And The Dead) and Charlie Cawood (Knifeworld) were the rhythm section for a lot of the tracks. And it was great to have Chrissie back who played violin on the previous records. It’s a record that reflects my love of Jesu and Celtic Frost as much as the Mahavishnu Orchestra and King Crimson or even Peter Gabriel and I’m really proud of it. If you’re not going to take risks and try and do something interesting what’s the point?”
As befits this most unique musician, “Lucid” is a carefully crafted work, and one that is surely to be one of the Progressive Rock highlights of 2014.
Track Listing
1) Oxymoron
2) Flow
3) Unsettled
4) The Other Side
5) The Ascent
6) Coulrophobia
7) Lucid
8) KEA
9) Street and Circus
10) The Bridge
11) A Boy
Released: 31st March 2014
For further information please contact: esotericarts@btconnect.com
Audio Fidelity To Release The Butterfield Blues Band ‘East-West’ Album On Hybrid SACD
“One of the greatest guitar albums of all time…A breath taking performance from beginning to end.”
Camarillo, CA – Much to the excitement of blues aficionados worldwide, Marshall Blonstein’s Audio Fidelity is releasing The Butterfield Blues Band’s legendary ‘East-West’ album on Hybrid SACD on April 1, 2014. The Butterfield Blues Band had already shown on their first album that they had a definite command of the Chicago blues idiom. On ‘East-West’ they open up and branch out without losing the edge and drive of their first recording. ‘East-West’ represented a watershed for pop music…more maturity, better musicianship, more exploration, more successful blending of other genres. ‘East-West’ stretches the boundaries of the blues, above any other extended piece of the mid-Sixties; a rock band finally achieved a version of the musical freedom that free jazz had found a few years earlier. It can also be heard as part of what sparked the West Coast’s rock revolution, in which song structures with extended improvisation became commonplace.
In 1966 when this album debuted, it was nothing less than astonishing. A mixed-race band? A white guy singing blues? A Jewish kid and a southern farmboy sounding like Robert Johnson on guitars? The album was recorded at the famed Chess Studios in Chicago. It peaked at #65 on the Billboard pop albums chart. This album features traditional blues covers and the guitar work of Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. The edge this band had was it had people from Chicago, the home of urban blues, who had grown up and played with all the greats. “East-West” combines the emotion and power of the blues along with the swing and instrumental dexterity of a great jazz band. The two centerpieces of the album, the instrumentals “Work Song” written by jazz great Nat Adderly, and the title cut “East-West” are recognized by many as the first recorded versions of jazz-rock fusion put to vinyl.
“One of the essential albums everyone must own…An American milestone recording.”
TRACKS
1. Walkin’ Blues
2. Get Out of My Life Woman
3. I Got A Mind to Give Up Living
4. All These Blues
5. Work Song
6. Mary, Mary
7. Two Trains Running
8. Never Say No
9. East-West
Producer Mark Abramson, Paul Rothchild
Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Rolling Stone Magazine’s Number Five ‘Greatest Drummers of All Time’ Terry Bozzio By Al Carlos Hernandez on March 28, 2014
HOLLYWOOD (Herald de Paris) – Legendary drummer and educator, Terry Bozzio ranks number five in Rolling Stones’ 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time. He is also included in Modern Drummer’s Top 25 Drummers of All Time and ranks number nine in Esquire Magazine’s Ten Craziest Drummers Ever.
Terry Bozzio, a San Franciscan native, began his love of music as a child by playing to records of Tito Puente, Sandy Nelson, and The Ventures. His musical education began at Sir Francis Drake High School and College of Marin where he received his degree.
Bozzio first got his start as the drummer for Frank Zappa’s backing band during the ’70s, but would go on to become one of rock’s most versatile session men. He went on to form one of new wave’s most visually exciting bands Missing Persons along with then-wife Dale Bozzio. In the early ’70s Bozzio had landed gigs with such rock musicals as Godspell and Walking in My Time, in addition to playing in several jazz/fusion outfits and appearing on his first record while backing trumpeter Luis Gasca on his 1972 release Born to Love You.
Bozzio caught his big career break when he auditioned for and got a spot drumming for Frank Zappa. Bozzio’s tenure with Zappa lasted only three years, but the drummer was featured on ten albums and countless tours (Bozzio appeared in the Zappa concert movie Baby Snakes). Bozzio also served as the inspiration for several Zappa compositions during their time together including The Black Page and Punky’s Whips.
After leaving Zappa in 1978, Bozzio nearly landed spots with a pair of potentially interesting groups – a jazz supergroup called Group 87 (consisting of bassist Patrick O’Hearn and keyboardist Mark Isham, among others) and already-established hard rockers Thin Lizzy. Unfortunately, both wound up not working out for Bozzio although he would play on Group 87′s self-titled debut recording a couple of years later. But Bozzio didn’t have to wait long to join his next project once he got the thumbs up to join progressive rockers U.K. in 1979.
The same year he played on a pair of U.K. albums (Danger Money and Night After NIght) as well as their subsequent supporting tours. Up next for Bozzio was a new wave project with his wife Dale and former Frank Zappa guitarist Warren Cuccurullo – they called their group Missing Persons. The group’s space age sound and look turned heads right off the bat as they enjoyed a pair of hit singles/videos (Words and Destination Unknown), as well as a gold-certified debut album, 1982′s Spring Session M. But the band (and Bozzio’s marriage) didn’t last much longer.
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band Vocal Legend Chris Thompson Releases Eagerly Awaited New CD ‘Toys & Dishes’ – March 17, 2014
London, UK – Esoteric Antenna is pleased to announce the release of the new album by CHRIS THOMPSON. Known for his work as the vocalist and guitarist on many hits with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, including “Blinded By The Light”, “For You” and “The Mighty Quinn”, as well as featured on the classic Jeff Wayne concept album ‘War of the Worlds’, Chris is also a noted songwriter (penning among other songs the smash hit “You’re the Voice” for John Farnham). His new studio album, ‘Toys & Dishes’, is his first in over ten years and draws on all the musical elements that make Chris’s songs and voice so instantly recognizable.
Of his new album, Chris reflects; “I’m very proud of the result. The songs really mean a great deal to me, mostly inspired by my daily life, a couple of forays into the past and a story or two! Hopefully they’re accessible to both my very loyal fans and to everybody struggling to find time and money to do what they really want to with the people they love.”
‘Toys & Dishes’ is a must have for all fans of legendary Chris Thompson!
Chris Thompson ‘Toys & Dishes’ album preview video:
PledgeMusic and Cleopatra Records Join Forces to Re-issue Van Morrison’s The Complete 1967 Bang Sessions
The Double LP Limited Pressing in a Velvet Cover on Red Splatter Vinyl includes the colossal hit “Brown Eyed Girl”
PledgeMusic, the leading direct-to-fan company and Cleopatra Records, an independent L.A. based record label with an eclectic roster of artists, have announced a pre-order for the re-issue of the legendary album of Van Morrison, The Complete Bang Sessions. Cleopatra Records is pressing a strictly limited edition of 1,000 numbered copies of this 180 gram Red & Black Spatter vinyl in a luxurious black velvet gatefold cover, an exclusive for fans only available through PledgeMusic’s platform.
Look up the phrase “blue-eyed soul” in the dictionary and there you will find a picture of Van Morrison. But in 1967 Van Morrison was finished with the record industry, after disbanding Them and exiling himself away in Belfast. Producer Bert Berns managed to convince Van Morrison to return to the states and record for Bang. It was these early sessions which would mark the beginning of an incredibly successful career, beginning with the colossal hit “Brown Eyed Girl”. Every fan who pledges support will receive the highly collectible vinyl for The Complete Bang Sessions. Pledge at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/vanmorrison
Jayce Varden, President, North America at PledgeMusic, commented: “Van Morrison is one of the most talented artists of our time and PledgeMusic is thrilled to partner with Cleopatra Records to give his fans the rare chance to get their hands on this exclusive deluxe packaged item.”
Matt Green, Vice President of Acquisitions at Cleopatra Records added, “Cleopatra Records is proud to present Van Morrison’s smashing solo debut in a beautiful package & pressing, which a work of this caliber deserves.”
PledgeMusic is the world’s leading online, direct-to-fan music platform, offering artists a unique way to engage their fans in the music making experience whilst interacting with PledgeMusic’s global community of music fans. Since its inception in 2009, PledgeMusic has worked with artists and labels to deliver high impact campaigns that provide exclusive engagement, incentives and content for music fans as well as new commercial benefits and revenue streams for artists and music labels.
PledgeMusic’s platform has generated chart topping albums worldwide. Successful campaigns have included Slash, The Libertines, Bring Me The Horizon, Ginger Wildheart, Ben Folds Five, Killing Joke, Emmy The Great and Rachel Yamagata amongst others. http://www.pledgemusic.com
UK Prog Legends Curved Air Featuring Sonja Kristina Release Eagerly Anticipated New CD ‘North Star’
“CURVED AIR, with a real band attitude and a zest for life; this is a band you want to see live for the sheer artistry of how to deliver the musical goods.”- Lee Dorian, Classic Rock
London, UK – Much to the anticipation of press and music fans worldwide, UK progressive rock legends Curved Air, featuring iconic vocalist Sonja Kristina, released a new CD ‘North Star’ via Cherry Red Records on March 17, 2014! ‘North Star’ is the band’s first album featuring new studio material since 1976! The full-length CD features a mixture of re-recordings, cover songs and seven new original compositions, all housed in a lavish digi-pack.
Says Sonja, “I am proud to release into the world Curved Air’s ‘North Star’. The North Star is the fixed point in the sky about which all the stars seen from the Northern Hemisphere rotate. A star linked to the celestial magnetic energies of the North Pole. Following its light, the lost, the wanderer, the explorer and the warrior have been guided throughout time. The North Star helps us know where we are and where we are going. Curved Air’s album ‘North Star’ is born of the musicianship and dedication of this brilliant incarnation of Curved Air – renowned for the audience’s rapturous response to their concerts. The North Star album material reflects on humanity, love, solutions , perspectives and staying human through changing times and revolutions, virtual lives and delicate attractions – love and shamanic sub atomic worlds.”
Curved Air, originally formed in 1969, is a groundbreaking progressive art-rock band renowned for their showmanship. Each member pushed the boundaries of possibilities for rock music performance. Vocalist Sonja Kristina won the hearts of a generation of music lovers and was voted top British Female Vocalist of the 1970’s whilst the three top twenty albums that this lineup released are regarded as classics.
Breaking through from the underground scene into top of the early ’70s album charts, Curved Air’s musicians hailed from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classic, folk and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band is a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock and fusion with classical elements. Along with High Tide and East of Eden, Curved Air was one of the first rock bands after It’s a Beautiful Day and The United States of America to feature a violin. Considered (according to AllMusic) “one of the most dramatically accomplished of all the bands lumped into Britain’s late-’60s prog explosion, Curved Air released eight studio albums (the first three of which broke the UK Top 20) and had a hit single with ‘Back Street Luv’, which reached number 4 in the UK. Numerous band splits and reformations have occurred since then but the current line-up of Sonja Kristina, Florian Pilkington-Miksa, Chris Harris, Robert Norton and Paul Sax have been together since 2009”. With classic era guitarist Kirby Gregory rejoining the band in 2013.
Curved Air’s music was also described as “’Art Rock’, the quasi classical imprints of Terry Riley hooked onto beautiful and demonic violin combined with electronic adventurous synths and interwoven with brilliant guitar wizardry mesmerisingly embroidered by the subliminal and exotic presence of a unique girl lead singer Sonja Kristina”. Though progressive music pioneers they were hailed as Pop Stars when the sultry “Back Street Luv” was a Top 5 hit in 1971.
Sonja Kristina, who topped the British Music female vocalist polls throughout the ’70s was the first UK female lead singer fronting a Rock band. She has been the constant flame leading Curved Air through the decades. Today, vibrant and edgy as ever, Sonja, the original prog diva gives a charismatic and highly visual performance. Looking like a glamorous gipsy queen with her flowing red hair and dressed in sparkly black, that signature voice is still as smoky and seductive as ever as she spins around the stage around the excellent musicians who are Curved Air. Phil Oakey recently recalled, “When I formed The Human League it was because I was such a huge Sonja Kristina fan and I still am.”
“Sonja Kristina prowls the front of the stage… expertly playing off the energy of all the performers with her.” – Alex Lynham, PROG magazine
All of the players impress. Although only drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa is from the original line-up, Sonja has found some stunning new instrumentalists who immerse the audience in a set of swirling, whirling solos that emphasize moods and nuances and floating waves of sound that act as a counterpoint to Sonja’s dramatic sense of theatricality. Much to the excitement of Curved Air fans, classic-era guitarist Kirby Gregory returns to the fold for ‘North Star’!
Says Sonja, “The performances were created and produced collaboratively by Curved Air with the expressive and intricate touch of the original drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa, and the mighty eloquence of Kirby Gregory (the composer of ‘Purple Speed Queen’ and ‘UHF’), interwoven with the passionate melodic wizardry of violinist Paul Sax, and the atmospheric extemporization and groove of ambient sonic explorer Robert Norton on keyboards. Kirby returns to Curved Air after 35 years and has added his identity and creativity to the sound. His input and presence in the band feels so right to us all as we prepare to bring new Curved Air material to the world stage. Chris Harris on bass earths the music with drive and precision within the moods, motifs and fire of Curved Air – who are – as always – a dynamic creative collective of virtuoso performers.”
Curved Air is: Vocalist Sonja Kristina, Drummer Florian Pilkington Miksa, Guitarist Kirby Gregory, Violinist Paul Sax, Bass Chris Harris and Keyboard Player Robert Norton.
Glass Onyon PR 