The Quireboys

Realise Swede Dream With Album Number Nine

St Cecilia And The Gypsy Soul
4CD Deluxe Edition Available March 30 2015

Gracie B EP Released March 16 2015

Unplugged & Personal UK Headline Tour Kicks Off Feb 27 2015

Locked away for a week in the Swedish outpost of Klippan, the Quireboys couldn’t have imagined what would emerge from the most intensive recording process of their careers.

“It was the bleakest place I’ve ever seen,” said guitarist Paul Guerin, following his stay in the town whose name translates as Cliff’s Edge. “I felt like I was in the Big Brother house,” added Spike. “I never stepped out of the studio – not once. We could have gone stir crazy but we came out of there with a record we never knew was possible.”

Inspired by the success of 2009’s critically acclaimed acoustic album Halfpenny Dancer, the band entered Lemon Studios fully intending to repeat that winning formula. However, an Aladdin’s Cave of intriguing instruments and eerie samples inspired the Quireboys to push the boundaries and shift the focus. “The plan was always to record some new acoustic songs and rework some originals,” added Spike. “But the plan changed. There was something about that place – the vibe got better and better and we just went with the flow.”

Spike, Paul Guerin, Guy Griffin (guitar) and Keith Weir (keyboards) flew home with 10 new songs and a brand new sound. Fans can hear the fruits of the Quireboys’ labours this spring when 'St Cecilia And The Gypsy Soul' is released as part of a luxurious 4CD set – featuring buried treasure and bonus cuts.

The new album will be packaged alongside Halfpenny Dancer – finally available again – and two discs covering the previously unreleased 2010 Halfpenny Dancer live show featuring fiddles, pedal steel, mandolin, banjo and more! “This side of the band needs to heard,” added Spike. “And we’ll be taking the new music out on the road with our most intimate tour yet.”

The new album’s title might hark back to the Quireboys’ rootsy legacy but the quality of its music reaffirms a desire to break new ground and grow their sound. The 30^th anniversary celebrations might be over – but the party’s still in full swing!

 St Cecilia And The Gypsy Soul is released worldwide via Off Yer Rocka on March 30 2015 but will be preceded by the Gracie B EP which features 4 bonus tracks & a lyrics video on the 16^th March. 

Produced by The Quireboys and Martin Ekelund

OYR 021

Album Title: St Cecilia & the Gypsy Soul

Release Date: 30th March 2015

Pre order Date: 27th Feb 2015

To See The Quireboys Live click here: 

Track listing

 

Disc 1
1)    Gracie B.
2)    Land  of my father.
3)    St Cecilia.
4)    The promise.
5)    Can't hide it anymore.
6)    Out of your mind.
7)    The Hurting Kind.
8)    Adaline.
9)    The Best are not Forgotten.
10)   Why did it take so long.

Disc 2 – Halfpenny Dancer
1)     There she goes again
2)     Devil of a Man
3)     Love to Love
4)     Mona Lisa Smiled
5)     I cant stop loving you
6)     Roses & Rings
7)     Baby its you
8)     Hello
9)     Pretty Girls
10)  He’ll Have To Go
11)  Long Time Comin’
12)  Hates to please
13)  King of New York

Disc 3 – Halfpenny Live (Part I)
1)     There she goes again
2)     Devil of a man
3)     Mona Lisa Smiled
4)     Love to Love
5)     Roses & Rings
6)     Pretty Girls
7)     Cant stop loving you
8)     One for the road
9)     Hello

Disc 4 – Halfpenny Live (Part II)
1)     Hates to please
2)     Long time comin’
3)     Have a drink with me
4)     Late Night Saturday call
5)     Misled
6)     I love this dirty town
7)     7 o’clock
8)     I don’t love you anymore

The Quireboys will be on their Unplugged & Personal Tour which commences in the UK on 27th Feb

27 Feb: The Railway, Bolton
28 Feb: The Railway, Winchester
1 Mar: Zephyr Lounge, Leamington Spa
6 Mar: The Live Rooms, Chester
7 Mar: The Attic @ Rushden Athletic Club, Rushden
8 Mar: The Musician, Leicester
9 Mar: The Robin2, Bilston
11 Mar: The Iron Road Rock Bar, Evesham
12 Mar: Static Rock Bar, Swansea
13 Mar: Fuel, Cardiff
15 Mar: The Brickmakers, Norwich
19 Mar: Warehouse 23, Wakefield
20 Mar: Yardbirds Rock Club, Grimsby
21 Mar: The Arts Centre, Bingley
22 Mar: The Diamond Live Lounge, Doncaster
26 Mar: Bannermans, Edinburgh
28 Mar: The Diamond Rock Club, Ballymena, Ireland

Ian  Paice's Sunflower Superjam-

Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2012

CD/DVD Released 2nd March

Following the release of the Sunflower Jam ‘Celebrating Jon Lord’ in September 2014 (No.1 in the DVD/Blu-Ray Charts in five European territories), another great once-in-a-lifetime event is going to be released on 2 March 2015 on earMUSIC.   ‘Ian Paice’s Sunflower Superjam – Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2012’ will be available as a CD+DVD and DVD+CD set.

This spectacular live document is a feast for the eyes and ears capturing the second of the Sunflower Jams in the most prestigious of all London venues: The Royal Albert Hall.  Before this show, which was open to any rock fan, “the Jam” was a private charity event, organised by Deep Purple’s Ian Paice and his wife Jacky Paice, where the biggest stars would jam and perform classic songs to raise money for charity.

‘Ian Paice’s Sunflower Superjam – Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2012’ couldn´t have turned more powerful, thanks to the contribution of Mark King (Level 42), delivering groovy renditions of two of his greatest hits with a legend of the Hammond organ: Brian Auger, who also plays on almost the whole show; Iron Maiden´s Bruce Dickinson, who lends his explosive voice for Thin Lizzy´s ‘Emerald’ and The Who´s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, Alice Cooper playing with Ian Paice and Brian May his classics ‘Elected’ and ‘School´s Out’, or Bruce Dickinson, Brian May, John Paul Jones and Ian Paice teaming up for a rendition of Deep Purple’s ‘Black Night’.

For British Blues Rockers The Temperance Movement at the time this was their biggest show yet, while Steve Balsamo paid tribute to Jon Lord with ‘Pictured Within’, anticipating the great homage the Sunflower Jam would dedicate to Lord two years later with ‘Celebrating Jon Lord’.  Just when the Royal Albert Hall audience thought it simply couldn’t get any better, the final ‘Smoke on The Water’ literally caused an explosion of joy and celebration - A feeling that is present on each song of this exciting recording.

The DVD contains the whole show plus further bonus tracks by Brian May & Kerry Ellis, The Temperance Movement and Alfie Boe.

Classic Rock Legends Wishbone Ash To Undertake Pilgrimage North America Tour!

Tour to span West Coast, South in April/May 2015

Wishbone Ash, one of the most influential guitar bands in the history of rock, returns to these shores in April 2015 for the first leg of their Pilgrimage North America Tour. Following spring and fall tours in 2014 that featured the group's best-selling “Live Dates” album, this year Wishbone Ash will present classics spanning their 46-year career and showcase selections from their latest release, “Blue Horizon.”

After logging more than 20,000 miles touring North America last year, the group will begin their 2015 spring tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, winding down the West Coast of the US and then heading across the South – hitting cities that include Portland, Seattle, Oakland, San Juan Capistrano, Ramona, Phoenix, Austin and Dallas. Visit www.wishboneash.com/tourdates for the complete schedule.

“The 'Live Dates Tour' went just great,” says bandleader and founding member Andy Powell. “To play Texas and California out West, and Mississippi in the Deep South, for example, was really nice. You realize just how popular guitar-based rock is in these places. We aim to repeat the experience and build on it this year.”

The title of the 2015 tour is a nod to the Wishbone Ash's beloved “Pilgrimage” album, but it's also a fitting way to describe what has become an annual journey filled with familiar faces and places. “Each year when we tour countries on our world circuit, these visits feel like pilgrimages to all our old haunts,” says Powell. “We visit venues we've performed in multiple times over the years. We know the staff there, we often stay in the same hotels, visit the same restaurants, we see the same folks thousands of miles apart. The fans, of course, are the major component. We catch up on their stories and their lives.”

In 2014, Wishbone Ash released “Blue Horizon” (Solid Rockhouse Records) to international acclaim. Praised for its stylistic variety and masterful performances, the album features guest artist, Ireland's Pat McManus, on fiddle for two tracks. “Blue Horizon” also includes two songs written by Aynsley Powell (Andy Powell's son) and one by former Wishbone Ash guitarist Roger Filgate.

According to Powell, the album's diversity reflects the culmination of several factors. “The band basically lives together year-round, so we have a very strong level of communication that translates in our performances and recordings,” he says. “We've come to an era where the industry has to pigeonhole a band as Classic Rock, Prog Rock, Heritage Rock and so on. The truth is that we have always kept our options open and always relied on the musicianship of the players to lead the way. It's fun to be stylistically diverse and this has, in its way, contributed to our longevity.”

While they're making pilgrimages to various parts of the globe, Wishbone Ash will undertake some live recording projects, as well: one a vinyl-only limited release direct from Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, London; another to be recorded over a three-day residency at Le Triton in Paris for a DVD release.

Powell also plans to publish his autobiography this fall. “It's quite an undertaking to put 45 years of being a touring musician in this one band into book form,” he says.

Formed in 1969, Wishbone Ash has to its credit 24 original studio recordings, 10 live albums and four live DVDs along with a DVD rockumentary (“This is Wishbone Ash”). The band is led by founding member Andy Powell on guitar and vocals, trading licks with Finland’s guitar wizard Muddy Manninen. Bassist Bob Skeat, an 18-year veteran of the band and in-demand studio musician, sets the pace with Joe Crabtree, one of the best of Britain’s new breed of drummers whose performance credits include Pendragon and David Cross of King Crimson.

Lynyrd Skynyrd cites Wishbone Ash as a primary influence on their style along with Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden and, more recently, heavyweights like Opeth. All have been transformed by the original, legendary twin-guitar approach of Wishbone Ash. There is no other rock band in history that has done more with the twin guitar concept than The Ash.

Longtime fans and new converts will find that Wishbone Ash offers an undeniable concert experience.

Roger Hodgson, Formerly of Supertramp 

Royal Albert Hall April 29th, 2016

Roger Hodgson, the legendary songwriter and singer, formerly of Supertramp, returns for another magical evening at the Royal Albert Hall on 29 April 2016, 8pm.  Tickets go on sale on Friday 27 February, 9am and are available from the venue box offices, select authorised ticket agencies and the tour 24 hr Hotline 0844 338 0000 or on line at BookingsDirect.com (subject to fees).

Hodgson said, “There are many wonderful venues in the world but there’s only one Albert Hall.  I’m delighted to be returning to my home country to play for everyone next year.”

Roger Hodgson co-founded Supertramp in 1969 and was the band’s innovator and driving force through what fans call the “golden years” of Supertramp. He helped define a generation of progressive rock and was the composer and singer of most of Supertramp’s universally enduring anthems - “Breakfast in America,” “Give a Little Bit,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “The Logical Song,” “Dreamer,” “It’s Raining Again,”“School,” “Fool’s Overture,” “Child of Vision,” “Hide in Your Shell,” – songs that became the soundtrack for so many lives; classic hits that helped the band sell well over 60 million albums.

Hodgson, who won the Ivor Novello Award for The Logical Song in 1980, is one of the most gifted composers, lyricists and performers of our time. Hodgson is the soulful musical genius who put the ‘Super’ in Supertramp and is still bringing those songs to life onstage around the world for those who love them.  As Rolling Stone said, “All these years I thought I was a Supertramp fan when actually I was and am a Roger Hodgson fan. What a show! ‘WOW' is all I can say.” 

THE BRITISH ROCK LEGENDS THAT ARE THE PRETTY THINGS HAVE THEIR CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED, FIFTY-YEAR CAREER RETROSPECTIVE

MULTI-DISC BOX SET BOUQUETS FROM A CLOUDY SKY RELEASED TODAY!

VISIT THE FOLLOWING PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION, RARE VIDEO FOOTAGE AND PHIL MAY AND DICK TAYLOR OF THE BAND ‘UNBOXING’ THE SET!

http://www.madfishmusic.com/artists/the-pretty-things/

Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky

The Complete Pretty Things Collection

 LAVISH BOXSET FOR  FEBRUARY 2015 RELEASE!

Limited to 2000 copies

For over fifty years, The Pretty Things have proudly, unapologetically and righteously scorched their own, unique trail through contemporary music. A half-century (plus) of the raunchiest white-boy rhythm and blues, of punch-ups, dazzling highs and epic struggles, of innovation and exultation, lauded by their peers, vilified by authority, a crucial influence on successive generations of acts, The Pretty Things make it to the mid twenty teens with mojo intact and edge unblunted.

It is with great pleasure that the career of this epochal British rock ’n’ roll band is justly celebrated by way of Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky, a lavish multi-media Box Set that contains the following:

•                   ELEVEN STUDIO ALBUMS ON CD – housed in gatefold digi-sleeves, including FORTY-TWO bonus tracks

•                   TWO BONUS CDs with FORTY-FIVE previously unreleased demos, alternate versions, live recordings and outtakes

•                   TWO DVDs with new documentary Midnight to Six 1965-1970, by acclaimed producers REELIN’ IN THE YEARS, plus SF Sorrow Live At Abbey Road, The Pretty Things On Film, plus promo videos and interviews

•                   10-INCH VINYL REPLICA ‘ACETATE’, featuring Defecting Grey full length demo and Turn My Head (studio version), plus 2 previously unreleased tracks

•                   LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED 100-PAGE HARDBACK BOOK, featuring a comprehensive band history penned by Mike Stax (editor of Ugly Things magazine), with rare photos and memorabilia

•                   FAMILY TREE & TESTIMONIAL POSTERS – tracing the band from Little Boy Blue & The Blue Boys and The Rolling Stones to the present day, and featuring hand-written messages from Pretty Things past and present

•                   COURT CASE HISTORY – excerpts from confidential legal files from the band’s ground-breaking battles to retrieve their rights and songs

•                   BRAND NEW ART PRINT BY PHIL MAY – the original of which will be randomly placed in one lucky set!

BOUQUETS FROM A CLOUDY SKY will be released on Monday, February 23^rd 2015 on the Madfish label (www.madfishmusic.com). 

Available to pre-order now at www.theprettythings.com / www.theprettythings.net

JOHN MAYALL’S BLUESBREAKERS LIVE IN 1967 - 

ALBUM RELEASED 20TH APRIL 2015

John Mayall’s Bluebreakers – Live in 1967, an ultra rare collection of, never-before-heard, live recordings featuring John Mayall, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, will be released on 20th April, on Forty Below Records.

In 1967, before there was a Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.  The four musicians were only together for three months, which makes it even more remarkable that a staunch fan from Holland was able to sneak a one channel reel-to-reel tape recorder into five London clubs and capture this exciting glimpse into musical history.

For almost fifty years these tapes have remained unheard until Mayall recently got them and began restoring them with the technical assistance of Eric Corne of Forty Below Records.  Corne adds “While the source recording was very rough and the final result is certainly not hi-fidelity, it does succeed in allowing us to hear how spectacular these performances are.”

The significant discovery of these live recordings will surely thrill Mayall fans around the world but, moreover, it has enabled the creation of an historical document, which captures a very special moment in the evolution of British Blues music.

Ian Anderson sums up Jethro Tull

22 Feb 2015

From the OFFICIAL Facebook page of one of classic rock's most interesting bands, Jethro Tull. The author, Ian Anderson. Original band member. So important the statement / post, we here at classicrockradio.co.uk wanted to preserve it for the record books. A little lengthy which is in part the reason why it's posted on our website, and not just Facebook. Every typed word valuable. An excellent summary of what the band was, and what happens from here, in the year 2015. So without further ado...

From the desk of Ian Anderson



Official 2015 Promo Picture - Ian Anderson


 Autograph: From the Gary Brown aka Uncle G Autograph Collection


The repertoire of Jethro Tull has been a huge part of my life over the last forty-seven years so it is great fun to find a new way to present some of my best-known songs in a different and fitting context.


As a tribute to the original 18th Century agriculturalist whose name our agent “borrowed” back in February 1968, I have imagined a scenario where the pioneering pursuit of improved crop-growing and farming methodology might apply to the world of today and tomorrow. (Yawn, yawn but who else is going to feed the planet?)

When this notion first occurred to me last Summer, I had no inkling that, when I examined all of my song material – especially the lyrics, there would be so many perfect fits in regard to song subject and references.

The life story of the original Tull (in as much as we have recorded historical detail of it) has so many interesting and workable parallels. Wind Up, Heavy Horses, Aqualung, Back to the family, Farm On The Freeway and Songs From The Wood amongst others were natural inclusions. A few others were bent into shape with a slight re-write of lyrics and five new songs round off the intended setlist.

Some of the material will be accompanied by brief performance inserts of our “virtual guests” on the big HD video screen. Instead of spoken introductions to the songs in the show, there will be the use of that operatic device, the “recitative”, where the links are made by short sung vocal segments in a usually-simple musical backdrop, making it a little easier and more entertaining for non-English-speaking audiences.

Putting this material in a quasi-operatic setting might annoy some. The use of the term “rock opera” may annoy yet others. I rather hate it myself but can't think of a universally-understood alternative. And, as we use some of the theatrical devices of opera, it can be defended. At a pinch! Forgive, forgive.

Tours for 2015 in the UK and USA are set in stone. Latin America, Russia are also in the intended schedule for the last four months of 2015 and many further dates are proposed in 2016.

And, of course, there will be a good few shows to come when different set lists can bring various other songs back from the repertoire in the venues and festivals where we can't do the full video production.

A word or two (OK – make it 730) about band members: I am rather bemused by the fan gossip surrounding who might be, or should be, at my side in concert. All of the musicians in the current band have performed as members of Jethro Tull during the last decade. They are fine musicians, wonderful people and my closest friends. I have seen some of them naked and all of them in their scanty panties.

There have been, arguably, 26 members of Jethro Tull over the years; a big extended family of musicians. A family who are usually delighted to see each other again after a period of absence but sometimes with the proviso that after a warm and welcoming cup of tea, they won't stay for lunch. You know how it is.

Of course, all Tull fans have their favourite line-up from a particular period. And, of course, Martin Barre features in most of them having been the stalwart Tull guitarist from 1969 to 2011. That he now fronts his own band and, as he says, enjoying the best musical time of his life, is a great and fitting place for him to be in his life right now. I wish my dear, twanging pal nothing less the than the best of fortune and happiness. For one, I had urged him to do more of his own band and solo work many years ago and so, even a little late in the game, he is making up for it now. Check out his website http://www.martinbarre.com for details of concerts and records.

Many other past band members went on to considerable success, sometimes even outside the musical world. Guitarist Mick and bassist Glenn from the first line-up formed their own bands and enjoyed periods of achievement (with a little help from Terry Ellis and Chris Wright of Chrysalis records...).

Others, like Jeffrey Hammond and John Evan left Tull to follow completely new paths in life. Some, like Barrie Barlow and Peter Vettese became record producers and studio owners.

Sadly, there have been some losses along the way. Glenn Cornick, John Glascock and Mark Craney passed following longstanding illness. A few plucky survivors have endured health ordeals and are still alive and reasonably well but no longer able to play today.

In some ways, it is like wishing for your favourite England football team of the last forty years to reconvene for the 2018 World Cup. David Beckham, Gazza, Gary Lineker et al. Good fun to fantasize but let's have in the Tull line-up Robert Plant on vocals and Ian Paice on drums while we are at it.

Being told by well-meaning friends that your girlfriend of forty-five years ago is the true love that you should have married for life, does not sit well with anyone. Or, if you split with a loved one, that somehow you owe it to the world to get back together when the relationship is no longer fulfilling to both parties, for whatever reason.

I treasure my musical relationships with all of the Tull musical family. I would have been nowhere without them. Each one of them has brought great joy and musical success to me in their different and unique ways. But forgive us if we don't actually want to wake up in bed next to each other in the present day. I am sure they will feel the same, especially after a veggie curry the night before.

Jethro Tull (the music band) goes on. In both the legacy of recorded repertoire and in live performance today. Happily, I remain reasonably fit and very committed to enjoying a few more years of recording and performing in concert.

But forgive me if I would like you to remember my name before I go. That is why – and call it vanity, if you will – I use my own real name in concert billing these days. That I should play my music under whatever name I choose is the same right that I would afford to you. Or Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens). Farrokh Bulsara, (Freddie Mercury), Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) etc.

Mr Gordon Sting can be himself. So can Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel. Like Peter, at any rate, I still love and get on with my past band-mates. I have played on stage or on record with many of them over the years and hope that I continue to do so as opportunities arise.

For now, I still have my repertoire. Forty-seven years of making music as writer, performer and record producer with some 300-odd songs to show for it. Some of them are actually not too bad, I still think, after all these years. A few stinkers but we all miss some easy goals (back to the football analogy).

Hope to see you along the way in the months to come. If not, then I think as fondly of you as I hope you do of me.

Goodness me! It's almost noon. And one of my former band members (name withheld) is coming for Sunday lunch today. No, really: it's true! Time to chill the red wine and put the powdered gravy in the microwave.

Ian Anderson


Source: Official Jethro Tull Facebook Page -- https://www.facebook.com/officialjethrotull


* GB *

Def Leppard upcoming major 48 date US/CAN tour with Styx & Tesla - tickets on sale now

Classic Rock Radio listeners in the USA and Canada will have cause to celebrate and make the rest of us elsehwere pretty darn jealous!,  Def Leppard will be on tour with Styx and Tesla. What a line-up! 

Tickets on sale starting today at 10 AM (local time) for DEF LEPPARD’S massive North American tour w/ STYX and TESLA.   The Live Nation-promoted tour hitting nearly 50 cities across the U.S. and Canada will kick off on June 23 in Tampa, Fla.   VIP and Meet & Greet Packages on sale now 

Dates

June 23 - Tampa, FL (Midflorida Credit Union)- BUY NOW

June 25 - West Palm Beach, FL (Cruzan Amphitheatre - BUY NOW

June 27 - Birmingham, AL (Oak Mountain Amphitheatre) - BUY NOW

June 28 - Atlanta, GA (Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood) - ON SALE Feb 21st

June 30 - Charlotte, NC (PNC Music Pavilion) - ON SALE Feb 21st

July 2 - Bristow, VA (Jiffy Lube Live) - On Sale March 6th

July 3 - Virginia Beach, VA (Farm Bureau Live) - BUY NOW

July 5 - Uncasville, CT (Mohegan Sun Arena) - ON SALE Feb 21st

July 7 - Gilford, NH (Bank of NH Pavilion at Meadowbrook) - BUY NOW

July 9 - Mansfield, MA (Xfinity Center) - ON SALE Feb 21st

July 11 - Bethel, NY (Bethel Woods Center for the Arts) - ON SALE Feb 21st

July 12 - Darien Center, NY (Darien Lake Performing Arts Center) - BUY NOW

July 14 - Toronto, ON (Molson Canadian Amphitheatre) - ON SALE Feb 21st

July 15 - Youngstown, OH (Covelli Centre)* - BUY NOW

July 17 - Clarkston, MI (DTE Energy Music Theatre) - BUY NOW

July 21 - Mt. Pleasant, MI (Soaring Eagle Resort & Casino)* - BUY NOW

July 23 - Wantagh, NY (Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre) - ON SALE Feb 28th

July 24 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) - BUY NOW

July 25 - Holmdel, NJ (PNC Bank Arts Center) - ON SALE Feb 28th

Aug 7 - Sturgis, SD (Buffalo Chip Campground)** - TBA

Aug 8 - Sioux Falls, SD (Sioux Falls Arena) - BUY NOW

Aug 10 - Oklahoma City, OK (Chesapeake Energy Arena)* - BUY NOW

Aug 11 - Kansas City, MO (Starlight Theatre) - BUY NOW

Aug 14 - Sedalia, MO (Missouri State Fair) - TBA

Aug 15 - Des Moines, IA (Iowa State Fair) - TBA

Aug 17 - Cincinnati, OH (Riverbend Music Center) - BUY NOW

Aug 18 - Nashville, TN (Bridgestone Arena) - BUY NOW

Aug 21 - Dallas, TX (Gexa Energy Pavilion) - BUY NOW

Aug 22 - Woodlands, TX (Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion) - ON SALE Feb 21st

Aug 23 - Austin, TX (Austin360 Amphitheater) - BUY NOW

Aug 27 - St. Paul, MN (Minnesota State Fair) - TBA

Aug 28 - Grand Forks, ND (Alerus Center) - BUY NOW

Aug 30 - Noblesville, IN (Klipsch Music Center) - BUY NOW

Sept 1 - Allentown, PA (Allentown Fair) - BUY NOW

Sept 3 - Louisville, KY (KFC Yum! Center) - BUY NOW

Sept 4 - Maryland Heights, MO (Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre) - ON SALE Feb 21st

Sept 5 - Tinley Park, IL (First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre) - BUY NOW

Sept 16 - Auburn, WA (White River Amphitheater) - ON SALE Feb 21st

Sept 17 - Ridgefield, WA (Northwest Amphitheater) - ON SALE Feb 21st

Sept 19 - Mountain View, CA (Shoreline Amphitheater) - BUY NOW

Sept 22 - Chula Vista, CA (Sleep Train Amphitheatre) - BUY NOW

Sept 23 - Phoenix, AZ (Ak-Chin Pavilion) - BUY NOW

Sept 25 - Albuquerque, NM (Isleta Amphitheatre) - BUY NOW

Sept 26 - Denver, CO (Pepsi Center) - BUY NOW

Sept 28 - West Valley City, UT (USANA Amphitheater) - BUY NOW

Sept 30 - Spokane, WA (Spokane Arena) - ON SALE Feb 27th

Oct 2 - Bozeman, MT (Brick Breeden Fieldhouse) - ON SALE Feb 27th

Oct 4 - Bismarck, ND (Bismarck Civic Center) - BUY NOW

* - Def Leppard & Tesla Only

** - Def Leppard Only

Winter In Eden - Court Of Conscience - *REVIEW*

Winter In Eden - Court Of Conscience - *REVIEW*

Classic Rock Radio Dot CO Dot UK

16 Feb 2015

Spotlight: Winter In Eden - Court Of Conscience (2014)

When a band is a half world away, it takes some time to get word to me. It's that way when living in a ten mile square town near the fourth largest city in the United States. I'm cool with it. Old enough to remember U.S. Postal Air Mail, and the introducing of zip codes. A few days, a couple weeks, better than months, for a physical CD because I hate MP3's. And besides, the band Winter In Eden hails from the same country as the best 24/7 classic rock station on the web...meaning classicrockradio.co.uk (of course). And with me being the American Correspondent, here again comes the wait. Well worth it in this case. A band I never heard of calling themselves Winter In Eden, and their semi-brand new release called Court Of Conscience.

For those who are not aware, Winter Of Eden is a twenty first century progressive rock band. This is not their first release. A couple EPs and full studios under their belt. Their first release coming out six years ago. Surprised to see how much I enjoy metal-prog, that it took me this long to hear of this band. Now I can play catch up. Something I would only want to do if I truly enjoyed what I so far heard. Which is true, I do like their Court Of Conscience studio release. Solid from start to finish. Every time I play the CD, I always end up hearing something in the background, or just a part of a song I didn't remember hearing before. All this means good things.

Music by the band, with lyrics by their female singer Vicky Johnson. A voice that reminds me of the Wilson Sisters (Ann and Nancy). Has a strong presence, yet angelic when the time warrants. I always dug female singers, as much as the males. A horrible voice and sophomoric words can ruin good music. Over-rides it just like it never existed. Not the case here. Admittedly I'm not really a lyrics person. Too much like poetry I'd rather forget. Vicky Johnson's words make you want to actually open the booklet that comes with the physical CD, and read along to her singing. In which I did more than one time.

The guys in the band do an excellent job. For progressive rock, there are many catchy segments. Off the bat, the music in the song 'Toxicate' caught my attention as did another track called 'The Script' as well. Perfect combinations of music and voice throughout the whole album. The special guest musicians adding to already perfect tracks.

Rating: Using the one to five star rating system where one star means total avoidance, to 5 stars which means it's cool to spend the hard earned cash on it, Uncle G gives Winter In Eden - Court Of Conscience...4.75 Stars! I love the artwork that graces the CD as well. Credited to Blacklake, The Netherlands.

Overall, very hard-rocking prog! The younger ones might label it Symphonic/Gothic Metal. Just so you know.

OH...I subtracted a quarter star. Maybe turn the keyboards up in the mix just a little bit more. Good work from Steve Johnson (and the rest of the band as well...just saying). Shouldn't be a strain to hear when engaged. Not a complaint, but more so a suggestion. One time a rather attractive female State Trooper caught me on an inter-state highway going 90 miles per hour coming home from a Black Sabbath concert. She subtracted over a hundred dollars from my wallet. Looking at it that way, only being a quarter star away from total perfection...pretty damn good.

Winter In Eden is

Vicky Johnson - Vocals / Steve Johnson - Keyboards / Samual Cull - Guitars / Ian Heddle - Bass / Steve Hauxwell - Drums

Official Website: www.winterineden.com

Video: From Court Of Conscience, this is Winter In Eden and a track called; With Intent

  

Gary Brown
US Correspondent for classicrockradio.co.uk
Twitter @ GBrown0816