Category Archives: Press Release

2012/03/06

Sixties Music Legend Tommy Roe To Tour In Support of New CD Release

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Sixties Music Legend Tommy Roe To Tour In Support of New CD Release

3/5/2012 – Hollywood, CA – International ’60s music legend and pop pioneer Tommy Roe is back and better than ever with his first new CD release in many years! In support of his new album Tommy will also be performing several select dates in the US and Canada. A bona fide international star, Tommy Roe wrote and recorded 6 “Top 10” hits between 1962-69, more than any other solo American artist. To his credits he has 11 US Top 40 hits, 6 Top 10s, 4 Certified Gold singles, and 2 #1 Hits. He is a member of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame, The Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. On September 2, 2012 Tommy Roe will be inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Music Association (IRRMA) Hall of Fame. http://iowarocknroll.com/news.php?id=201 Born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Tommy began writing songs at the age of fourteen, and his first recording effort yielded the international #1 hit..SHEILA. In 1963, Tommy Roe headlined the now famous UK tour, in which a rising band called The Beatles were a featured act on his tour.

“I will most likely call the new CD ‘Devils Soul Pile’, after a song I have written and included in the line up,” explains Tommy. “The song is a departure from my normal and expected style, and one that tells the story of dysfunctional families, and the effect it has on our youth and our neighborhoods. Lyrically, this song is a bit serious, and was inspired by the everyday news of violence in our neighborhoods and cities. But a song that ends in hope.” Other new songs include “LA I Belong To You”, “It’s For You I’m Me” and “Water Underneath My Burning Bridge” as well as a re-recorded version of “Kick Me Charlie” from Tommy’s 1965’s ‘Sweet Pea’ album. Also included is a cover of the classic Tim Hardin song “If I Were A Carpenter”, which Tommy has performed in concert for many years.

“Get Ready to party…Tommy Roe sounds better than ever!” LARRY KLEIN-Executive Producer: Dick Clark Productions

AN EVENING WITH TOMMY ROE is a new show featuring all his hits, plus less familiar tunes, and new material as well. The show features full band, unplugged and solo segments. The band is led by veteran guitarist/music director Rick Levy, who plays Epiphone guitars exclusively on tour with Tommy Roe. “I am really excited about my new show,” says Tommy. “I will be featuring some of the new songs I have written, along with some obscure material I have recorded through the years, and get many requests to do. Of course I will highlight the hits, like ‘Sheila’, ‘Everybody’, ‘Hooray For Hazel’, ‘Sweet Pea’, ‘Jam Up and Jelly Tight’ and ‘Dizzy’, along with some of my favorite covers. I will also do a Q&A session in the middle of the show while the stage is being set for my acoustic set with band leader and lead guitarist Rick Levy. This is a new addition to our show, and something I really enjoy. It gives me a chance to get up close and intimate with our audience, kind of like I do at home with family and friends.”

Tommy Roe will be performing on these dates:

April 7-8 – Riverside Casino – Riverside, IA
April 14 – Seneca Niagara Casino – Niagara Falls
May 25 – Century Casino – Edmonton, AB, Canada
June 16 – Fountain of Life Fair – Gray, TN
June 17 (tentative) Ponte Vedra, Fl.
June 18 – The Villages – FL
August 31 – DiamondJo Casino – Dubuque, IA
September 1 – Winnavegas Casino – Sloan, IA
September 2 – Hall of Fame Induction – Arnolds Park, IA

Tommy Roe promo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acd5ZTjEKaA&feature=youtu.be

For more information: http://www.tommyroe.com

Contact: Rick Levy Management (904) 806 0817
rick@ricklevy.com

Press Inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

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2012/03/04

Van der Graaf Generator Legend Judge Smith Creates A Movie For Your Ears – A New Concept CD ‘Orfeas’

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Van der Graaf Generator Legend Judge Smith Creates A Movie For Your Ears – A New Concept CD ‘Orfeas’

2/28/2012 – London, UK – Independent composer and recording artist Judge Smith, who in 1967 co-founded with Peter Hammill the influential underground band ‘Van der Graaf Generator’, has created a movie for your ears – a new concept CD titled ‘Orfeas’; a retelling of the ancient myth of Orpheus, the magical musican who travels to the Land of the Dead in search of the lost Eurydice. Since his Van der Graaf Generator days, Judge Smith has been responsible for a wide variety of music projects, including four stage-musicals (with productions at the Edinburgh Traverse, Sheffield Crucible and the Lyric, Hammersmith), opera and cantata libretti, songs for the ‘70s TV show ‘Not The Nine O’clock News’, and songs recorded by Peter Hammill and Lene Lovich. His film ‘The Brass Band’ has won several international awards. Judge Smith’s music is complex in structure and often fragmented, but is always tuneful and strangely memorable, with humor never far from the surface. In the course of a twenty-year independent solo career, he has released ten CDs and DVDs.

“My principal interest is in telling stories with words and music,” explains Judge. “Some of my CDs are collections of songs, the usual format for an album, although people say that my songs are unusual and idiosyncratic. However, three of my projects are in a different category. Over many years, I have developed a new way of making extended musical narratives that I call ‘Songstories’, which are more complex than song-cycles or ‘rock operas’. They are not ‘musicals’ either, since they are pretty well un-stageable, and are each intended to be being complete as an ‘audio experience’. The three Songstories are all very different. The first, ‘Curly’s Airships’, a double CD with a running time of two hours and twenty minutes, was completed in 2000 after six years full-time work, and tells the story of the 1930 R-101 Airship disaster. It is probably one the largest and most ambitious pieces of rock music ever recorded. The second, ‘The Climber’, released in 2009, in complete contrast, is performed by me with an unaccompanied Norwegian male voice choir, and a double bass. The third Songstory is ‘Orfeas’, my own interpretation of the Classical myth.”

This Songstory uses wildly contrasting styles of music to tell its story, including instrumental Rock, Mediterranean guitar music, modern classical string sextet music, classical Trance dance music and Death Metal. ‘Orfeas’ also features a radical, and little-known, technique for transforming recorded speech into melody. “As far as I am aware, I am the only person making work like this, and I think it would be probably fair to say that no one else does what I do,” says Judge.

“Best known for his role in the formation of Van de Graaf Generator, Judge Smith is clearly not an artist with much interest in toeing the line. ‘Orfeas’, a three-act ‘songstory’ in which Smith and a host of guest performers re-imagine the titular Greek legend as he headlines at Wembley Arena, is effectively an exercise in schizophrenic musical theatre, replete with rambling soliloquies and plot-revealing dialogue set to avant-garde chamber music, that takes in everything from Jaunty rock radio-jingles and ethereal pop.” Dom Lawson – Classic Rock Presents Prog

In recent news, on November 6, 2011 a performance of Judge Smith’s ‘The House That Cried’ was held in Como, Italy. The show also took place on November 20, 2011 in Chiasso, Switzerland.

For more information visit http://www.Judge-Smith.com

To purchase Judge Smith – Orfeas CD http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/product_details/15417

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

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2012/03/02

Prog-Trio BangTower Releases New Videos In Support of Forthcoming Tour

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Prog-Trio BangTower Releases New Videos In Support of Forthcoming Tour

2/24/2012 – Los Angeles, CA – Progressive rock/fusion ensemble BangTower, in association with Pig Light Show and Declassified Records, are releasing several new music video’s over the next four weeks in preparation for the forthcoming 2012 BangTower tour, currently being scheduled by Backstreet Booking of Cincinnati, OH. In addition to celebrated bassist Percy Jones, who is also known for his work with Brand X a band he formed along with Genesis legend Phil Collins, BangTower also features Grammy Award winning guitarist, engineer and producer Neil Citron. Completing this trio of master musicians is drum virtuoso Walter Garces, who also performs with ’60s psychedelic marvels The Electric Prunes and is celebrating a partnership of 25 years with Premier Percussion, Paiste Cymbals and Gongs, and Calato/Regal-Tip sticks as an endorsing artist.

Eight of the new BangTower music videos were created by Marc Rubinstein of the world famous Pig Light Show, as a preview to elements of select upcoming live shows currently being designed. These video releases comprise all the tracks from the band’s internationally acclaimed 2010 Declassified Records release ‘Casting Shadows’, produced by Neil Citron (who also engineered, mixed and mastered) and Jon Pomplin. The holiday video “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” comes from a downloadable song Neil produced for the holiday season which is available for free from the BangTower website.

In addition to these eight excellent videos from Pig Light show, a new music video of the CD’s opening track entitled “BBA”, produced by Declassified.TV, has been released and is available in several formats from the BangTower and Declassified Records websites as well as on the new BangTower YouTube channel “BangTowerTV”. The video was filmed during the recent tour rehearsals in Los Angeles with founding members Neil Citron, Walter Garces and Percy Jones with a guest appearance by LA session musician Gary Crite on rhythm guitar and keyboards.

In addition to the “BBA” video, two additional videos were released on 2/21/2012, with an additional two videos to be released each Tuesday for the next three weeks. They are being made available on the BangTower and Declassified Records websites as well as the BangTower YouTube channel
http://www.youtube.com/bangtower

Here’s what the music press has raved about BangTower’s debut CD ‘Casting Shadows’:

“Totally smoking fusion disc!” – Barry Cleveland – Guitar Player Magazine (editor’s top pick)

“…very intense, well-produced and very diverse.” – Adam Plato – Prog Rock Music Talk

“Just amazing! From jazz and funk to fusion flavored instro rock – it’s all there in BangTower mix.” – Robert Silverstein – MWE3

“Blistering fusion, screaming rock, fiery jazz – whatever you call it, this trio will blow you away.” – Stephanie Sollows – Progressive World

“This is a refreshing take of progressive compositions played with a serious no fear attitude.” – Jason Kot – Bass Musician Magazine

“A great album and one that I recommend to all, it’ll be one of the best purchases you will make this year.” – Jon Nuedorf – Sea of Tranquility

“A power prog album of epic proportions!” – Marty Dodge – Seattle PI

The world famous Pig Light Show is the legendary outfit owned and operated by Marc Rubinstein, who thrilled and amazed concert goers of the Fillmore East in NY and the Capitol Theatre in NJ, from the late ’60s / early ’70s behind legendary music artists and bands like the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa & the Mothers, Jethro Tull, Santana, Yes, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, the Allman Brothers and many, many others.

For more information on BangTower and it’s members visit: http://www.BangTower.com

For more information on “Pig Light Show” visit: http://www.piglightshow.com

Press Inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158,
glassonyonpr@cs.com

Booking Inquiries: BackStreet Booking, PH 513-442-4405 ext. 11,
jimbb@backstreetbooking.com

Record Label Inquiries: Declassified Records visit: http://www.declassifiedrecords.com
label@declassifiedrecords.com

Leave a comment | posted in BangTower, Press Release

2012/02/22

Santana / Journey Legend Gregg Rolie To Play Acoustic Solo Show At Famed Iridium In NYC

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Santana / Journey Legend Gregg Rolie To Play Acoustic Solo Show At Famed Iridium In NYC

2/20/2012 – Gregg Rolie, co-founder of two multi-platinum super groups, Santana and Journey, will make two unique solo appearances on March 2 & 3, 2012 at the famed Iridium in NYC. The legendary Iridium has a dual history as both a jazz institution and the home of Les Paul, who performed at the venue regularly from 1996-2009. Les Paul Mondays were always an event with such iconic guitarists as Jeff Beck, Steve Miller, Todd Rundgren and Ted Nugent sitting in with the Les Paul Trio. Gregg Rolie’s two-day performances at the Iridium come on the heals of his new solo EP, “Five Days”. Gregg, along with his special guest, blues guitarist Alan Haynes, will be playing selections from the new EP along with many old favorites. He’ll share stories from his 40-plus year career and answer questions from the audience during the show. After his performance, there will be a meet and greet with the audience and Gregg will be on hand for pictures and autographs.

Gregg Rolie is the voice behind the classic Santana hits “Black Magic Woman” “Evil Ways” and “Oye Como Va”. In 1998, this world class musician, writer, producer was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall Of Fame as the unmistakable lead vocalist of the Santana band. In addition to launching- along with Carlos Santana- the now legendary act, Rolie also co-produced their first four groundbreaking albums. Departing Santana after the pioneering jazz fusion offering ‘Caravansarai’ in 1972, band members Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon went on to form the 1980s hit-makers Journey, co-writing and producing that band’s first 7 albums.

Just released in 2011, “Gregg Rolie – Five Days” is Gregg’s latest EP/CD consisting of 6 songs with Gregg playing acoustic piano and singing live. He recorded these tracks in his living room on the piano given to him by his father in the early days of Santana, and as Gregg says, “it’s from my house to yours” He gives beautiful new renditions of 2 classic hits that he sang as the lead singer in Santana – “Black Magic Woman” and Journey – “Anytime” – as well as 4 new songs, his own compositions through solo voice and piano. Recently featured on the cover of the UK’s Keyboard Player magazine, Rolie is a renowned Hammond B3 player, celebrated for his gritty and intense performances. Up close, personal and intimate, the show will feature a side of Gregg that all fans should get to know.

When: March 2 & 3, 2012 – two shows per night 8:00 / 10:30 PM
Where: Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway and 51st Street, New York, NY 10019 – PH: 212-582-2121
For Ticket Info: http://theiridium.com

For more information: http://www.GreggRolie.com

Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDwiZYL21To&

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

Leave a comment | posted in Gregg Rolie, Press Release

2012/02/20

Legendary Flower Kings Vocalist Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion To Release Second Album ‘Powerplay’

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Legendary Flower Kings Vocalist Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion To Release Second Album ‘Powerplay’

2/17/2012 – Sweden – Much to the excitement of the progressive rock community around the world, legendary Flower Kings vocalist Hasse Fröberg and his group Musical Companion are releasing a new album. ‘Powerplay’ is the second album by Swedish progrockers Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion. About a year after the release of their critically highly acclaimed debut ‘Futurepast’ (Sept. 2010), the band entered the studio to cut the backing tracks for ‘Powerplay’ (April 2012). The line-up of the band is still the same, Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion:

Hasse Fröberg: Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Anton Lindsjö: Lead guitar, backing vocals
Kjell Haraldsson: Keyboards, backing vocals
Thomsson: Bass, backing vocals
Ola Strandberg: Drums, backing vocals

The debut CD generated gigs in countries such as Sweden, Norway, Germany, Holland and Belgium. With the release of ‘Powerplay’, the band is now confirmed for festivals (“RoSfest”, Gettysburg in USA and “Night of the prog”, Loreley in Germany) as well as gigs on both sides of the Atlantic.

As sound engineer on ‘Powerplay’, the band has chosen to work with Tomas Bodin. He’s a collegue with Hasse in the established and influential prog band The Flower Kings. The collaboration proved to work out just fine and even if Hasse likes to be in the studio, he prefers the live scene: “Playing live is definitely the right element for us. I really can’t wait to take The Musical Companion and and the songs on ‘Powerplay’ on the road”.

Release date 23rd of April, 2012

Pre-orders from http://www.reingoldrecords.com 13th of April, 2012

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

Leave a comment | posted in Musical Companion, Press Release

2012/02/15

Wishbone Ash Drummer Joe Crabtree Develops Innovative New Drum and Music Software

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Wishbone Ash Drummer Joe Crabtree Develops Innovative New Drum and Music Software

2/15/2012 – London, UK – Best known for his drumming with UK classic rock legend Wishbone Ash, Joe Crabtree has developed new and exciting software for the drummer and musician. Crabtree, who has been creating music software for a number of years, is excited to introduce the RhythMachine, OctopuSequencer, Pyramid and PolyNome.

RhythMachine is a tool for generating rhythms and melodies and orchestrating them on the drum kit or pitched instruments. It can be used for ear training, creating vamps to solo over or generating grooves and fills.

“I began work on my first piece of software, the RhythMachine, back in 2008,” Joe explains. “It was inspired by some lessons I took in New York with Robby Ameen. In my lesson with Robby we were playing double drums – both playing a songo groove with a left foot clave. We’d play 3 bars of groove, then Robby would keep the clave going and play a 1 bar melodic fill on the toms. We’d go around the 4 bars again and my challenge was to mimic what he had played. It was challenging and I wanted to develop some software that would replicate that scenario. I wrote RhythMachine to do exactly this.”

OctopuSequencer is a tool for creating multi-layered grooves consisting of overlapping time signatures. Its core feature set allows you to easily program and manipulate grooves in order to discover new ones.

“To play the songo groove in RhythMachine I had to build a step sequencer,” says Joe. “I built in the ability to chose any subdivision rate between 1 and 32, and to loop at any point in the sequence. Once I’d written the step sequencer I realized that I could stack them, and that having four independent step sequencers would allow me to program some of the kind of grooves that Virgil Donato, Marco Minnemann and Mike Mangini were playing – grooves which are essentially combinations of different time signatures layered over each other. That concept evolved into the OctopuSequencer.”

Pyramid is an advanced metronome which allows you to easily program polyrhythms and the rhythmic scale. It includes features which make it easy to learn how unfamiliar rates and polyrhythms sound.

“Someone who’d bought OctopuSequencer asked me how they would use it to program in the rhythmic scale where you work your way up through all the subdivisions between 1 and 16,” Joe explains. “OctopuSequencer wasn’t designed to do this, so I spent a few weeks working with that idea and developed The Pyramid. It’s much simpler than OctopuSequencer but is an invaluable tool for all musicians (not just drummers) who want to become more familiar with unconventional subdivisions.”

PolyNome is the ultimate metronome for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.

“Soon after writing Pyramid I met Lucas Ives, a New York-based drummer who used to work for Pixar,” says Joe. “He had experience coding for the iPhone so we worked together to develop PolyNome, which is basically the metronome that I wanted to own. It has all the functionality of Pyramid and more. We built in the option to program clicks with bars of rest so you can use it to improve your internal clock which is proving to be a very popular feature among all musicians. So far we’ve had great feedback from Dave Weckl, Jon Riley, Peter Erskine, Will Lee and others. In the words of Dennis Chambers – it’s the s**t!!!”

“Wow! Polynome is a brilliant tool for drummers and any musician! It allows you to understand precisely what subdivisions among bars of time feel like, teaches you the drum rudiments, and so much more. I love ‘time check’ where it’ll leave bars of silence in between bars of click to see if your groove stays in time. One of the best apps for your toolkit, right up there with a good tuner!” – Will Lee – session bass legend (Late Show, Brecker Bros, Bette Midler…)

Joe Crabtree has been teaching drums for 16 years. He has recorded and toured with UK prog-rock ensembles Pendragon and the David Cross Band and has been a member of legendary UK classic rock band Wishbone Ash for the past 5 years. Joe’s website features many free lessons and software for drummers. “Joe is a drummer who has it all, he has an unbelievable ability to learn complex songs fast with an accuracy and power that makes it feel as though he has been in the band for years,” says Nick Barrett of Pendragon. “He has an astonishing flair for playing odd time signatures and straight fours with easy flowing technique,” adds David Cross, formerly of King Crimson.

Along with the marketing of his new software, Joe is preparing for a world tour with Wishbone Ash on the heels of their critically acclaimed new CD release ‘Elegant Stealth’. For more information visit the official website at http://www.WishboneAsh.com. Joe also has a regular column in Drumhead Magazine in the US. Finally Joe has this to impart to drummers around the world: “Never forget why you started playing drums in the first place. I’ve seen so many drummers get caught up in the business side of things and end up hating the instrument. I’ve always said that if it gets to the stage where I’m not enjoying it I’ll get a regular job and keep drumming for fun.”

For more information on RhythMachine, OctopuSequencer, Pyramid and PolyNome visit http://www.JoeCrabtree.com

Press Inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

Leave a comment | posted in Press Release, Wishbone Ash

2012/02/11

Psychedelic Surf Music Legend Merrell Fankhauser’s ‘Best Of Tiki Lounge’ Volumes 1&2 DVDs Now Available on Gonzo MultiMedia

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Psychedelic Surf Music Legend Merrell Fankhauser’s ‘Best Of Tiki Lounge’ Volumes 1&2 DVDs
Now Available on Gonzo MultiMedia

2/10/2012 – London, UK – Hailed as the godfather of surf music, legendary Merrell Fankhauser, who has led one of the most diverse and interesting careers in music, has released ‘Best Of The Tiki Lounge’ volumes 1&2 DVDs, featuring performances from his famed TV show ‘Tiki Lounge’, on UK’s Gonzo MultiMedia. Merrell Fankhauser is considered one of the main innovators of surf music and psychedelic folk rock, and is widely known as the leader of the instrumental surf group The Impacts who had the international hit “Wipeout”. His travels from Hollywood to his 15 year jungle experience on the island of Maui have been documented in numerous music books and magazines in the US and Europe. Merrell has gained legendary international status throughout the field of rock music; his credits include over 250 songs published and released.

Merrell Fankhauser has presented a number of television programs over the years including ‘California Music’, ‘Route 66 TV Live’, and in 2001 he began hosting a music show called ‘Tiki Lounge’ that airs on the California Central Coast, Southern California, Hawaii and parts of the East Coast. ‘The Best Of The Tiki Lounge’ volumes 1&2 feature highlights from Merrell’s cable TV show. Volume One features Merrell performing alongside other music artists, such as Willie Nelson, Randy California, Dick Dale and Nicky Hopkins. The DVD also includes clips from Merrell’s Birthday Boogie with Mary Ramsey of 10.000 Maniacs, Fito De La Parra of Canned Heat, Ed Cassidy of Spirit and many others! Joined once again by former Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy, along with John Cipollina, Mark Tullin and others, the ‘Best Of The Tiki Lounge’ Volume Two features new original songs by Fankhauser, including “The Whole Day Ahead of Us”. Also in this volume, Merrell takes an expedition into the Nevada desert to the edge of the secret airbase Area 51 in search of UFOs.

To purchase Merrell Fankhauser ‘Best Of Tiki Lounge’ DVDs http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/product_details/15360

Visit the official Merrell Fankhauser website at http://www.merrellfankhauser.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

Leave a comment | posted in Merrell Fankhauser, Press Release

2012/02/03

Prog Rock Records To Release Highly Anticipated Second Album By Prog Duo Centric Jones ‘The Antikythera Method’

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Prog Rock Records To Release Highly Anticipated Second Album By Prog Duo Centric Jones
‘The Antikythera Method’

2/2/2012 – Loveland, CO – One of the most highly anticipated new CD releases in 2012 by prog duo Centric Jones has the music community buzzing with excitement. Slated for release on March 6th by Prog Rock Records, ‘The Antikythera’ is Centric Jones’s sophomoric release and promises to take the listener on a sonic adventure. With influences like Rush, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, UK, YES and King Crimson, Centric Jones has taken progressive rock to a whole new level!

Centric Jones is Chris Fournier and Tobe London, augmented by an eclectic set of revolving musical guests. Chris plays bass, guitars, keyboards and electronic percussion, and Tobe plays drums, acoustic/electronic percussion and keyboards. They met in 2007 and discovered a shared goal: to create songs that broke through musical boundaries without sacrificing feel and an emotional connection to the audience. Fournier and London had the ability to excel at doing this, which in 2009 resulted with the duo’s critically acclaimed debut CD ‘Foreign Tea’. Centric Jones continued to build up the emotional appeal and complexity of their music both rhythmically and melodically following that first album, culminating in the up-coming release of their new CD ‘The Antikythera’ on Prog Rock Records. With both musicians being involved in various bands since the late 1970s, Centric Jones is able to stand apart from much of the musical pack today by merging their mature musical senses with the drive to create ever-more-expansive sonic imagery.

When asked if there was a concept behind the new Centric Jones album Tobe had this to say: “I’ve always had a fascination with mechanical devices and gizmos. Of particular interest to me is the Antikythera mechanism – the ancient Greek mechanical computer designed to calculate astronomical positions. I’d like to go on and on about the thing, given the fact that it predates anything like it by about a thousand years. The most fascinating aspect of it for me would be its inherent rhythm. I picture all those handmade gears turning and churning in an amazing visual if not audible display of polyrhythmic wonder. Centric Jones loves to apply this as much as we can to our music. We call it The Antikythera Method.”

In support of their new CD release, Chris and Tobe are currently putting together a live show consisting of some of their favorite album songs combined with improvisations and some theatrics. The duo plan on performing locally on the Front Range of Northern Colorado in addition to some of the progressive rock festivals going on in the US and elsewhere during the summer of 2012. They are also implementing a new recording setup in Tobe’s studio in order to more directly compose and trade tracks together – new albums of increasing ambition are on the horizon for sure!

Finally, Chris and Tobe have this to impart to their listening audience: “We would like to sincerely thank anyone who purchases our album and gives us a chance to share our music with them – it is truly exciting and enjoyable to compose and perform, it’s the kind of thing we’ve both dreamed of since high school! As we continue to perform live, we are hoping to add more musicians to our collective to bring you an ever-increasing wall of sound. We hope to see you at a festival during he summer of 2012.”

‘The Antikythera Method’ is the first release from Centric Jones on Prog Rock Records and is available for immediate ordering at a $2 discount till early-February 2012 and will be shipped in mid-February. It will be available at retail and digital outlets March 6, 2012. Audio samples, information and ordering can be found at http://www.therecordlabel.net/progressive-rock/centric-jones/the-antikythera-method

For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Centric-Jones/154174534602065#!/pages/Centric-Jones/154174534602065?sk=app_2405167945

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

1 Comment | posted in Centric Jones, Press Release

2012/01/24

Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit In The Sky Still Popular In 2012

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit In The Sky Still Popular In 2012

1/23/2012 – Santa Rosa, CA – After 40 years, one of music’s greatest gospel-rock hits ‘Spirit In The Sky’, penned by Norman Greenbaum, remains as popular today in 2012 as it did in 1970 when it rocketed to number #1 in the US and UK. While being named song of the year by Cashbox magazine, the track would go on to sell two million copies in 1970 and through the next 4 decades would be featured in 47 movies and dozens of commerical ads and TV series. In addition, two British cover versions of “Spirit In The Sky” also made it to number one on the charts, making the song a three-time number one hit!

So the question remains, why does ‘Spirit In The Sky’ still resonate with the music listener today? Norman explains, “A few reasons: It’s just a great song, with a terrific production that has stood the test of time, still sounding as vibrant today as 40 years ago. It also sounds great in the car, yep, car radio. When we mixed it, we made sure it sounded as great on car stereos as it did on home systems. It has an unforgettable opening musical riff, at times referred to as ‘the heavy duty industrial fuzz tone’. It gives people chills listening to it. Plus, when it was included on Rock Band 2 it brought a new generation into the mix. Now that the song is aging in years, but not excellence, many fans have aged with it and now recognize it not only as a great song that reminds them of their life back then, such as taking their first date to my concert, ‘Spirit’ being the first album they ever bought, their parents screaming to turn the volume down, love making in the back seat to it and my favorite, naming their car ‘the green-bomb’, and as a song to take with them as we near the time to go up to the Spirit In The Sky. Because I answer my own e-mail, many people relate to me the circumstances of a loved one passing and how my song has brought them solace and each time they hear my song, either on the radio, in a movie or on TV, they are reminded that their loved ones are OK and looking down on them.”

The story behind the song “Spirit In The Sky” is an interesting one. The original idea for the song came from Norman watching a performance on TV one night by country legend Porter Wagoner, who was singing about a preacher. This inspired Greenbaum to write a religious rock song. Although many have believed through the years that Norman, born of Jewish heritage, was a ‘born again Christian’, in truth, this is not the case. He made the decision to challenge himself to writing a gospel lyric, hoping he wouldn’t flub it and meticulously crafted music that went on to surpass everyone’s expectations. The guitar riff to ‘Spirit In The Sky’ undoubtedly is just as important to the song’s success as the words and music. “My riff is a take on old blues riffs, common in the ’20s and ’30s,” Norman explains. “Although a few other songs have similar riffs, my riff really stands out, as I infused a few original notes and changes the others do not have. Plus, the fuzz just ripples your mind. It is a sound that has never been reproduced, another reason the song stands so well.”

Recently, Norman Greenbaum has redesigned his official website – http://www.spiritinthesky.com and has made available his much sought after CDs from the ’60s and ’70s, along with T-shirts, hats, mouse pads, signed photos and other memorabilia! Although Norman has not recorded anything in recent years, he is very active with his new website, posting messages to his fans and making available rare photos for viewing. “Since my website has been redesigned it is much more efficient and compact, with photo viewers and better links,” says Norman. “It also has an improved store, where I have introduced a new product, Going-Greenbaum tote bags; the small-sized bag is made of cotton and the large-sized bag is made of canvas. The new site also has music clips of all of my songs available on CD and ‘The Best of Norman Greenbaum’ import is available again. I also will be introducing some new shirt designs soon.”

Much to the excitement of his fans, Norman will be making a rare live appearance in February! “I’ll be doing a guest performance of 3 songs with the band Time In A Bottle at The Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa, CA on February 18th,” says Norman. “My original back-up singers The Stovall Sisters will be joining me, the first time ever this has happened on stage! Time In A Bottle is a local rock/soul band. The Stovall Sisters will also be doing a few of their own songs with the band.”

Finally, Norman has this to impart to aspiring songwriters everywhere: “Keep at it until it all fits, you’ll know when. One song will stand out. Put all your effort into that song. Of course, ‘catchy’ helps.”

For more information visit Norman Greenbaum’s official website at http://www.spiritinthesky.com

Press Inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
glassonyonpr@cs.com
PH: 828-350-8158

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2012/01/21

Percussion Virtuoso River Guerguerian To Release Highly Anticipated New Solo CD ‘Grooves for Odd Times’

By glassonyonpr

For Immediate Release

Percussion Virtuoso River Guerguerian To Release Highly Anticipated New Solo CD
‘Grooves for Odd Times’

1/19/2012 – Asheville, NC – The percussion community is buzzing with excitement about the highly anticipated forthcoming solo CD by virtuosic Multi-Percussionist/Composer/Educator River Guerguerian titled ‘Grooves for Odd Times’. River has been inspiring audiences with his ecstatic and versatile percussion for over 30 years, and has performed and recorded with such groups as the BBC Concert Orchestra, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tan Dun, Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble, Paul Winter Consort, Chuck Berry, Sophie B. Hawkins, The Billy Sea and Ziggy Marley/Gipsy Kings. He also co-founded the world jazz group Free Planet Radio and Talujon Percussion Ensemble. The music on his new CD ‘Grooves for Odd Times’ represents a body of work that spans five years. This time period includes: 1) composing music for solo and mixed ensembles, 2) performing with inspiring artists, 3) recording/archiving the process of these creative cells.

“The inspiration for ‘Grooves for Odd Times’ was to create a sonic palette in the same way a painter might approach canvas,” River explains. “The album’s roots are heavy grooves mixed in with the lyrical side of percussion. There is a dance in the odd time rhythmic structures.”

River has performed in many prestigious venues and places worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House, Madrid International Jazz Festival, Barbican Hall (London), World Music Sufi Festival (New Delhi), Jerusalem Hall (Jerusalem), Edinburgh International Festival (Scotland) and even the White House! River received his Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory, and has recorded on over 150 albums and film soundtracks. He also creates music for the purpose of meditation. His passion is researching the scientific effects of sound on the mind and body. River travels the world conducting Sound Exploration and Rhythm Workshops for people of all ages, and is Director of Music at the Creative Technology and Arts Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

Here’s what the press has raved about River Guerguerian:

“Guerguerian made magical sounds…” – New York Times

“Superb drumming!” – Savannah Morning News

“Creative and spectacular! Asheville is truly fortunate to have world class musicians.” – Asheville Citizen Times

“Guerguerian’s composition, sensationally performed, devoted itself even more religiously to the possibilities of pure sound.” – New York Times

Whether playing with world-class symphonies or studio musicians, partnering with Grammy-award winning composers, or creating dynamic plays of rhythm for his own projects, River’s passion and attention to the vibrant life off the drum reverberates throughout the crowd. “I will be doing many performances in the southeast area, some in NYC collaborating with composers from the Aaron Copeland School of Music at the City University in New York, and a tour of Spain,” says River.

In closing River instills a message to his listeners, “Try to listen to the music with your whole body and not just your mind. There is a message in the sound.”

For more information visit http://www.sharethedrum.com

To Purchase River Gurguerian – ‘Grooves for Odd Times’ CD:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/riverguerguerian
http://www.amazon.com/Grooves-for-Odd-Times/dp/B006LYYB8G
http://itunes.apple.com/album/grooves-for-odd-times/id488957170?v0=9988&ign-mpt=uo%3D1

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com

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