Category Archives: Sound of Contact

Sound of Contact’s Dave Kerzner Releases New Studio Album “Static” Feat. Members of Genesis, Big Big Train, Porcupine Tree and others! OUT NOW!

For Immediate Release

Sound of Contact’s Dave Kerzner Releases New Studio Album “Static” Feat. Members of Genesis, Big Big Train, Porcupine Tree and others! OUT NOW!

Miami, Florida – Dave Kerzner, co-founder of the progressive rock group Sound of Contact, has released his second solo album “Static” with a physical CD version available in mid-October. “Static”. The album is the follow up to his highly acclaimed debut album “New World”. Joining him are special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd), Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree) and more in addition to his core group consisting of guitarists Fernando Perdomo and Randy McStine, fellow SOC band mate Matt Dorsey and drummer Derek Cintron.

“Static” is a “progressive rock opera” about the clutter and chaos in modern everyday life. It boldly navigates through subjects ranging from noise in our heads of ego, jealousy, technological distractions, substance abuse and narcissism to profiling the hypocritical and corrupt characters in politics, media and society today.

With a bit of dark humor, sarcasm and a retro-future dystopian view, with rich imaginative artwork created by Ed Unitsky, “Static” merges elements of a twisted Broadway musical with familiar vintage rock flavors like that of King Crimson’s “Red” or Genesis’ “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” Other strong detectible influences include The Beatles, Queen, Radiohead and Kerzner’s late band mate from “Thud,” Kevin Gilbert.

“I aim to bring forward some of my favorite qualities of classic rock and prog albums and blend it with something new that feels right today. “ Says Kerzner “I like creating memorable songs that tell a story in a melodic musical way. This is what I love about the timeless rock albums in my collection and my goal is to contribute to other people’s collections in the same way.”

About working with Steve Hackett: “Having Steve Hackett guest on guitar again is a dream for me because I grew up listening to Genesis and wanting to play with a guitarist as innovative and melodic as Steve. I also love these sort of cross-generation collaborations where we meet in the middle of modern and retro,” says Kerzner.

Dave Kerzner and his band embarked on a US tour starting with headlining the ProgStock festival on October 14th in New Jersey where they performed all of the album “Static” live and then headed over to Chicago for the Progtoberfest at Reggie’s on October 20th. From there the Dave Kerzner Band and fellow American proggers District 97 continue on their “Static-Vaults Tour” playing in other cities around the East Coast. In February 2018, the Dave Kerzner Band will be performing on Yes’s Cruise To The Edge for the third time with plans to do a short tour of Europe in the Spring.

Dave Kerzner’s “Static” is OUT NOW!

BIO:
Dave Kerzner is a singer, keyboardist, songwriter and producer from the US. He co-founded the Prog-award-winning rock group “Sound of Contact” with Simon Collins, son of Phil Collins, in 2009 and over the years has worked with artists such as Kevin Gilbert, Steve Hackett, Keith Emerson, Alan Parsons, Billy Sherwood, Jon Anderson, Steven Wilson, Joe Lynn Turner and more. His debut solo album “New World” featured the song “Stranded” which was nominated for “Anthem of the Year” in the 2015 Progressive Music Awards and it featured Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd), Steve Hackett (Genesis) and Jason Scheff (Chicago). Kerzner has released both a standard 1 CD and deluxe 2 CD version of his concept album “New World” as well as a live album and now a second studio album called “Static”. He continues to write and record with Sound of Contact as well as other musical projects.

To purchase: http://geni.us/Static

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

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com


RoSfest 2014 Lineup To Feature Prog Legends Caravan, Beardfish, Collage, Sound Of Contact, Clepsydra and Others – May 2-4, 2014

RoSfest Poster

For Immediate Release

RoSfest 2014 Lineup To Feature Prog Legends Caravan, Beardfish, Collage, Sound Of Contact, Clepsydra and Others – May 2-4, 2014

Featuring Caravan, Beardfish, Clepsydra, Elephants of Scotland, Sound of Contact, Thank You Scientist, Fright Pig, Red Sand, Subsignal and Collage!

Gettysburg, PA – The most anticipated music festival of 2014, the legendary RoSfest, will take place this year May 2-4, 2014, and will feature progressive rock icons Caravan, Beardfish, Collage, Clepsydra, Sound Of Contact and others! The Rites of Spring Festival, or RoSfest as it’s commonly called, is an annual progressive rock festival held every spring in Gettysburg, PA. RoSfest is in its 11th year, and are thrilled to be presenting UK prog icons Caravan, who has not performed in the US in many years, along with 9 other amazing bands this year. RoSfest has always been at the forefront of bringing new and upcoming progressive rock bands to an American audience, while also bringing in bands that were at their peak during the heyday of prog rock in the 70’s. This year’s lineup features 10 bands over three days, with Friday night’s show featuring Clepsydra (Switzerland) and Caravan (UK). Saturday’s show features Elephants of Scotland (US), Sound of Contact (UK), Thank You Scientist (US), and Beardfish (Sweden). Sunday’s lineup features Fright Pig (US), Red Sand (Canada), Subsignal (Germany), and Collage (Poland). All three days feature a strong lineup with a mix of different sounds and styles within progressive rock.

Says George Roldan, founder of RoSfest, “It’s really an honor to be featuring a classic band like Caravan at RoSfest. They are so well known in the genre, and they have been very instrumental in developing the Canterbury sound that has become familiar to prog fans. We really are thrilled to host Caravan’s first show on American soil in years. Our Sunday night headliner, Collage, is one of the most famous bands in Polish progressive rock, and indeed Polish music in general. They’ve just reunited, and this will be their biggest show in years, so we are honored that they agreed to perform at RoSfest for this special occasion. In addition to the classic bands, we also continue to bring in new rising stars of progressive rock, such as Sound of Contact, which is a project from Simon Collins, Phil Collins’ son, and they bring a refreshing modern sound to the genre. This whole lineup is incredible, and we’re looking forward to bringing all of these wonderful bands to the stage!”

With a history going back to 1968, Caravan is one of a dwindling amount of bands around that merits a description as living legends. They were one of the two principal bands in the Canterbury Scene, a movement that saw bands blending elements from progressive rock and fusion with whimsical lyrics, quirky instrumental movements and a distinct English sound – but often without any major superficial likeness shared between the bands subscribed to this style. Caravan peaked commercially early on, with 1971’s ‘In the Land of Grey and Pink’ their best-selling album. Their early 70’s albums in general are all considered classics today, and while they never made much of an impact in the UK or US in these early days their stature have continued to grow following the resurgence of interest in progressive rock. Following spells of inactivity in the 1980’s and 90’s Caravan have been a mostly going concern since 1995, albeit with a number of line-up alterations along the way. The current incarnation of the band dates back to 2010 and consists of Pye Hastings, Geoffrey Richardson, Jan Schelhaas, Jim Leverton and Mark Walker. Twelve years have gone by since Caravan had their last triumphant return to the US at Nearfest.
Caravan official website: http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/
Caravan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialCaravan

While Beardfish is still regarded by many as a fairly new band on the scene they have actually been around for more than a decade already, with seven full length albums to their name. Initially renowned for their fairly eclectic take on retro-progressive rock they have developed towards a harder edged variety of that sound in later years, firmly documented on their 2012 album ‘The Void’. An album they finished promoting in October 2013.
Official website – http://www.beardfishband.com
facebook – https://www.facebook.com/beardfish

Says George Roldan, “As many will see from the bands we have signed for 2014, RoSfest is in development. There’s a steadily increasing number of fine new bands that comes forth that we feel deserve the chance to play at a festival such as ours. Some established with a small following already, others are fresh entities just starting out. We feel we have an obligation to the best of those new artists to make them somewhat better known, especially when conditions for recording artists in general and new artists in particular are as challenging as they are. All of them represent the finest quality in music of course, we do owe our audience a high quality festival after all. They are just not that well known yet. We do take care to sign better known bands too. Newly reunited Clepsydra and Collage for instance, Beardfish as one of the top names among the new generation of progressive rock bands, and in Caravan we managed to sign one of the few remaining giants from the golden age. But all in all RoSfest 2014 has a somewhat higher percentage of lesser known bands than before. We hope our audience understand and support this slight alteration in approach.”

Multinational band Sound of Contact is a new player on the scene, so to speak, but with a potential that secured them a contract with prestigious label InsideOut for their first release. The instigator of this band is one Simon Collins. As a solo artist he has released three full length albums over the past decade, establishing his credentials firmly prior to venturing out into band and progressive rock circles. A vital part of his music resume and presumably more important for him than many others. Simon Collins is a vocalist and drummer both, just like his father Phil was. And Phil Collins is a musician that easily merits a description as famous. With an already established career, Simon has seen to it that he isn’t merely regarded as the son of his father when now following in his footsteps. The reception given to Sound of Contact’s debut album ‘Dimensionaut’ in 2013 emphasize that clearly, with a steadily growing number of glowing reviews following in it’s wake. Sound of Contact live, for live purposes consisting of Simon Collins (vocals, drums), Bill Jenkins (keyboards, vocals), Matt Dorsey (bass, vocals), Randy McStine (guitars) and Ronen Gordon (drums).
Website: http://www.soundofcontact.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/soundofcontact
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/soundofcontact

RoSfest once again will be held at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg. Eighty years ago, the doors of the Majestic Theater opened for the first time, welcoming audiences to the largest vaudeville and silent movie theater in south-central Pennsylvania. Built by Henry Scharf as an annex to the historic Gettysburg Hotel, the theater seated 1,200 patrons and proudly served as the cultural crossroads of commerce, college, and community.
MAJESTIC THEATER
25 Carlisle Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Majestic Theater website – http://www.gettysburgmajestic.org/ and click BUY TICKET Tab and scroll down to the show to purchase tickets.

RoSfest Schedule:

Friday May 2nd
Clepsydra – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Caravan – 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Saturday May 3rd
Elephants of Scotland – 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Sound of Contact – 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Thank you Scientist – 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Beardfish – 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm

Sunday May 4th
Fright Pig – 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Red Sand – 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Subsignal – 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Collage – 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm

Also, doors will be opened at 5:00 pm on Friday, 10:00 am Saturday-Sunday; doors will be closed every night at 11:30 pm.

Gold Tickets for RoSfest 2014 are on sale. The order link can be found on the RoSfest homepage Direct link: http://rosfest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=120
Regular seat tickets may only be purchased on the Majestic Theater website or through the box office by calling (717) 337-8200, or in person at 25 Carlisle Street during box office hours (Sunday: 3-7:30 pm, Monday-Saturday: 12 noon-7:30 pm).
Single day passes go on sale Friday March 14th at the Majestic Theater box office for all three days and online.

For more information: http://www.rosfest.com
Face book https://www.facebook.com/RoSfest?ref=hl
Face book group page https://www.facebook.com/groups/rosfest/

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


Sound Of Contact Dimensionaut To Be Released On Vinyl – Video For ‘Pale Blue Dot’ In The Works

sound of contact dimensionaut cover

For Immediate Release

Sound Of Contact Dimensionaut To Be Released On Vinyl –
Video For ‘Pale Blue Dot’ In The Works

Los Angeles, CA – Hot on the heels of winning Prog Magazine’s Limelight Award for being the best new band in progressive rock, Sound of Contact can announce the release of their acclaimed debut album ‘Dimensionaut’ on double vinyl LP on the 2nd December 2013. This will be a limited edition import in the USA and available through http://www.cmdistro.com.

Band leader Simon Collins had this to say: “It’s a very exciting time for this band, as we bring you another chapter of ‘Dimensionaut’. Along with our up and coming release of our second single and music video, ‘Pale Blue Dot’, we are also delighted to answer many of your requests for a vinyl release by responding with a special limited edition of ‘Dimensionaut’ on vinyl, which will be available on December 2nd. We are grateful to be part of keeping rock progressive in its true meaning, bringing the future into the presence of now while still staying true to the roots which we have all been so inspired by. Thank you for your votes towards the Limelight Award, words fall short of our appreciation for your love and support and in this case actions speak louder than words. So, this is our way of saying thank you!”

The band is also making the finishing touches to the forthcoming video for new single ‘Pale Blue Dot’ which is once again being directed by Tim Glover who was at the helm for the ‘Not Coming Down’ video. Stay tuned for more information!

A selection of the brilliant media reactions to ‘Dimensionaut’:

‘Eloquent, soulful, modern prog-rock’ – Classic Rock

‘High-concept space-rock, prog dynamics, soaring atmospherics…it’s difficult to imagine any purists arguing against this debut taking its place in the modern prog canon.’ – Prog Magazine

‘A dense, multifaceted and rather special album.’ – Powerplay

‘A unique album to repeatedly savour’ – Classic Rock Society

To purchase Sound Of Contact’s ‘Dimensionaut’ limited edition import double vinyl LP: http://www.cmdistro.com.

Sound of Contact Online:
http://www.soundofcontact.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundofcontact
http://www.youtube.com/soundofcontact

INSIDEOUTMUSIC online:
http://www.insideoutmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
http://www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic

Press Contact:
Edgel Groves for InsideOut Music
Edgel.groves@insideoutmusic.com

Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com