This winters crazy transfer window got even crazier today when Alan Reed announced that the other members of Scottish proggers Pallas had unanimously decided to sack me.
Alan, who had just returned from a successful tour of South America with Caamora posted a statement, entitled Just A Memory... on his Facebook page about the bands decision.
I, for one, will be sad to see him go as Pallas, for me, needs Alan in the band. Their dalliance with former singer Euan Lowson over the past couple of years have just been a nostalgia trip for some.
This move must throw doubt on the bands forthcoming XXV album, as well as their appearance at the Progeny festival on May 9th.
More information on this, and who will be able to fill Alan's shoes, as we get it...
UPDATE
Pallas bass player Graeme Murray has just posted a statement on the Pallas official Facebook Page explaining the bands side of the story. In his statement he says that the band and Alan had drifted apart. He goes on to reassure fans that the XXV album and gig will go ahead as planned.
Brummie proggers IOEarth continue on their upward climb by being announced on the Sunday of this years inaugrual Winter's End Festival.
The band, who's fantastic debut album is currently available as a special edition with limited DVD from their web shop, will be joined on the Sunday by young local singer-songwriter Lou Richardson.
The finalised Winter's End Festival line up is as follows:
Saturday
Magenta
Moon Safari
RC2
Lee Abraham and Band
Andonova
James Hollingsworth
Sunday
Galahad / Touchstone
IOEarth
Crimson Sky
Sanguine Hum
Lou Richardson
The festival will be held at The Space in Stroud over the weekend of the 13th/14th March. Tickets are £18 a day or just £32 for the weekend from www.winters-end.co.uk.
IOEarth will also be appearing at The Peel on Saturday 6th February, supported by fellow Winter's End act Crimson Sky
You can hear IO Earth's track Take Me on the Proggy Style Radio Show tonight, from 10pm on www.progrock.com. The show will be available as a podcast from tomorrow.
Pendragon, fresh from winning 4 coveted CRS awards on Saturday, have announced their first dates this year. The band will be playing the following dates:
Friday 2nd April - Finisterrae Festival, La Coruna, Spain
Friday 30th April - Rosfest, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Friday 7th May - The Subscription Rooms, Stroud
Sunday 16th May - The Robin 2, Bilston
Tuesday 18th May - Spirit of 66, Verviers, Beligium
Wednesday 19th May - Bergkeller, Reichenbach, Germany
Thursday 20th May - Colo-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
Friday 21st May - Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland
Friday 28th May - The Ferry, Glasgow
Sunday 30th May - The Musician, Leicester
Saturday 24th July - High Voltage Festival, Victoria Park, London
Nick Barrett and the band have been working away on the follow up to 2008's award winning album Pure.
IQ and Pendragon share the spoils at the CRS awards ceremony
Saturday night saw the annual Classic Rock Society Awards take place at a sold out Montgomery Hall in Wath. The awards saw prog stalwarts IQ and Pendragon come away with four awards apeice; IQ winning Best Male Vocalist, Best John Jowitt, Best Album and Best Band, while Pendragon walked away with Best Keyboard Player, Best Drummer, Best Guitarist and Best CRS Gig.
Other awards went to Christina Magenta (Best Female Vocalist), Breathing Space ("Questioning Eyes" - Best Track), DeeExpus (Best New Band) and Troy Donockley (Roots Musician of The Year).
The awards are voted for by members of the CRS, so to ensure that you have your say next year, pop along to www.classicrocksociety.co.uk and join for just £36, which will give you discounts to their gigs and a years subscription to their bi-monthly magazine.
The awards ceremony was kicked off with a set from the enchanting Anne Marie Helder and rounded off in style with a stunning gig by IQ.
Forthcoming CRS supported gigs are:
Saturday 13th February - The Watch with John Hackett and Nick Magnus - Wesley Centre, Maltby
Saturday 6th March - Shadowland & IO Earth - Wesley Centre, Maltby
Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th March - Winter's End Festival - The Space, Stroud
Saturday 20th March - Manning - Wesley Centre, Maltby
Saturday 17th April - Touchstone & The Aurora Project, The Luminaire, Kilburn, London
Saturday 8th/Sunday 9th May - Progeny 3 - The Assembley, Leamington
Saturday 22nd May - Jump - Wesley Centre, Maltby
Saturday 29th May - Twelfth Night - Montgomery Hall, Wath-upon-Dearne
Jadis prepare to hit the streets with lurve ambassadors Shadowland
Top pub proggers Jadis are shaking off the indulgences of three Christmasses and gearing up for their co-headline tour with the other half of the old Lurve Ambassadors, Shadowland. The bands will be embarking on a short tour in February, playing the following dates:
Saturday 20th February - De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Sunday 21st February - Spirit 66, Verviers, Belgium
Monday 22nd February - Bergkeller, Reichenbach, Germany
Saturday 27th February - The Peel, London
Sunday 28th February - Mr Kyps, Poole
The Jadis line up for the gigs will be Gary Chandler (guitar/vocals), Steve Christey (drums), Giulio Risi (keyboards) and Andy Marlow (bass). Tickets for the Mr Kyps gig are available from the bands new look website at www.jadismusic.com.
At the moment, the band have no plans to record a new studio album, but are looking to release Medium Rare (Part Two) featuring a few new songs, some re-recordings, and live, demo, unreleased and acoustic versions of other stuff.
The Reasoning introduce album number three "Adverse Camber"
The Reasoning have announced that their third album will be entitled Adverse Camber.
The band have spent the last couple of months trapped in the studio writing songs, and will start recording them in February. They hope to get the album out in time for their April tour.
Galahad to joint-headline Winter's End Sunday night
Stu Galahad (right), frontman of coastproggers Galahad, celebrated his 46th birthday on Monday by announcing that his band, Galahad, will be headlining the Sunday Night of this years Winter's End festival, along with co-headliners Touchstone.
This means that the revised line-up for the festival now looks like this:
Saturday
Magenta
Moon Safari
RC2
Lee Abraham and Band
Andonova
James Hollingsworth
Sunday
Galahad / Touchstone
tba
Crimson Sky
Sanguine Hum
The final band will be announced soon
Tickets, which are £18 a day or just £32 for the weekend, went on sale yesterday from www.winters-end.co.uk.
Galahad themselves are celebrating an amazing 25 years as a band and will be playing a few other dates this year, with the highlight possibly being their special night at Mr Kyps in Poole, on Saturday 10th July!
Also Eden sign singer Harding from non-league covers band!
Also Eden, the proggers from Gloucestershire, have announced that their new front man is Rich Harding. Bristol based Rich who you may be familiar with from fronting Marillion tribute bands such as Misplaced Neighbourhood, Lords of the Backstage and Skyline Drifters, will be helping the band as the work on a new EP due in May.
More information can be found on the Also Eden website at www.alsoeden.com
The Prog Rock transfer window is well and truly open now as Mostly Autumn's beautiful singer Heather Findlay has decided to leave the band and start on her solo career. See the statements on the Mostly Autumn website for more information and reaction from Bryan Josh. Heather's farewell gig will be at the Assembly Rooms in Leamington on April 2nd.
As a replacement for Heather, Mostly Autumn have signed up n'coming singer Olivia Sparnenn from feeder band Breathing Space for an undisclosed fee, who will join after her farewell gig at the Robin 2 on April 4th.
In other transfer news, Also Eden continue their search for a vocalist to replace Huw Lloyd-Jones
Other recent transfers include drummer Alistair Woodman joining Crimson Sky and Norwegians Gazpacho replacing drummer Robert Risberget Johansen with Lars Erik Asp after he got a dream move to Italy. Wales' own The Reasoning recently made a treble swoop by adding Maria Owen, Jake Bradford and Tony Turrell to their line-up while Nottingham band Coralspin signed Clive Wellings from Reading rockers Swallow in October.
Silhobbit expect to be able to announce some more big name moves in the next few weeks!
Much to the anticipation of the music press and fans worldwide, Mask - featuring Sonja Kristina (Curved Air) and Marvin Ayres - are releasing their second album Technopia on r.a.r.e (Repertoire) in January 2010 and will be performing in the UK and Europe in April/May 2010. This is Mask's first release since their UK Top 20 Club hit single 'Waking The Dream'.
Mask are actress/singer Sonja Kristina (Curved Air) and modern classical composer/producer/Cellist Marvin Ayres. Both established innovators in music and performance. Marvin Ayres's album Cellosphere (Mille Plateaux) established him as a groundbreaking composer/producer.
Sonja Kristina has been touring with the reformed Curved Air in support of the band's recent CD release Reborn (featuring two of Marvin's productions) and incorporating music from the first three classic Warner Bros Curved Air Top 20 albums, Air Conditioning, Second Album and Phantasmagoria.
In the summer of 2010 Marvin Ayres will be performing/touring his latest composition Harmogram using 3D sound design, in association with Martyn Ware (Heaven 17/Human League), at major international festivals.
Accompanied by their band, this will be a rare opportunity for audiences to enjoy Mask's Technopia tour on their first European dates since 2005, playing London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm and Moscow along with other towns in the UK, France, Germany and Italy.
Imagine a post apocalyptic futurustic barren terrain, in which the Mask protaganists Jack and Virginia (from Mask's 1st album Heavy Petal) are ghostly lovers who reunite to revisit their darkly passionate relationship from the last volatile years of their past lives. Combining a musical sensibility of Bjork/Elbow/Sigur Ros/Bat For Lashes/Massive Attack, with the macabre darkness of Tim Burton, this theatrical and dramatic performance of Mask's music laced with stunning visual (Quadratura) and sonic effects will bring to life the land and love that is...'Technopia'
Stoke proggers Final Conflict will be rereleasing their 1997 album Stand Up through Metal Mind Productions early this year. The album has been remastered and will feature three bonus tracks. The bonus tracks include a re-recorded version of A Moment In Time and a new acoustic track Losing It All.
The band are also in the studio working on their sixth album, The Return Of The Artizan
The bands DVD Another Moment In Time – Live in Poland is still "doing well” and available in 3 formats: DVD, limited DVD+CD edition and a limited CD digipak. More details at the bands website or MySpace page.
Welsh proggers Magenta have been confirmed as the Saturday Night headline act at the all-new and improved Winter's End festival, to be held at The Space in Stroud over the weekend of March 13-14.
Also on the Saturday bill are Moon Safari, RC2 and big bad boy Lee Abraham.
Tickets, which are £18 a day or just £32 for the weekend, go on sale on Monday 18th January from www.winters-end.co.uk.
The bands singer, Christina (left) is currently on her way to South America where she will perform with Clive Nolan's Caamora along with Pallas' Alan Reed, Pendragon's Scott Higham and Mark Westwood.
This week's video comes courtesy of no-man, the collaboration between Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness. The vid below, wherever there is light, was filmed at the Bush Hall concert in 2008, and is taken from the bands mixtaped double-DVD which is reviewed here.
Keyboarder Rob Reed faced humiliation recently when the man behind the band Magenta LOST his £800 laptop after the bands double headliner gig with Touchstone at The Peel just before Christmas.
Luckily for the plucky Welshman, the little technological marvel was "found" by non other than Touchstone's cheeky bassist, Moo, who is coincedentially well known for his fondness of practical jokery!
The laptop was safely returned to Rob by the honest bassist who accepted a £10 luncheon voucher as a reward.
Incredibly, the following night, forgetful Rob Reed left behind a £150 D.I. Box that had been borrowed from fellow bandmate Chris Fry when they failed to clear away their equipment after supporting It Bites in Reading.
If Rob Reed has left behind anything at your venue or house please email us at
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Congratulations to Bristol proggers Crimson Sky who have finally found themselves a new drummer in Alistair Woodman
The press release from the band says: "Ali has been playing the drums since he was 10 and has played everything from classical percussion to drums in big bands, brass bands and of course rock bands!
Crimson Sky are really looking forward to working with Ali and are now poised and ready for 2010..."
In 2010, Crimson Sky will be playing at The Peel in London in February, and at the new Winter's End festival in Stroud in March.
Hope you all had a good Christmas, and are busily detoxing in time for New Years, like I am. To help you along, somehow, here's the final YouTube Of The Week of the year. This features the ever gorgeous Anneke van Giersbergen from Agua de Annique and the track "Wonder" from their 'In Your Room' album.
Remember the address to nominate clips is or simply "drop" the link into drop.io/silhobbit
Also Eden lose vocalist Huw after Christmas Cracker gift argument
South West proggers Also Eden have announced a parting of the ways with vocalist Huw Lloyd-Jones
A message on the band Facebook page said: "It is with sadness that we announce the departure of Huw Lloyd-Jones (vocals) from Also Eden. Huw was a founder member of the band, and his distinctive vocals have defined much of the band's sound over the last 3 years.
We hope to see Huw continuing with other musical projects and wish him every success; he remains a good friend to all of us in the band.
Also Eden will continue their song-writing with Album 3 and are now looking for a talented and experienced vocalist to help take the band forward in 2010. The band would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year and thank you for your continued support."
A spokesman for the band was unable to comment on rumours that the split was caused by a row over who had won the prize from a cracker.
New "Winter's End" prog festival announce first acts
The Winters End Festival is a new festival that is being organised by the Summer's End Festival team and the Classic Rock Society, along with the Stroud town council. The festival will be held at The Space, Stroud on the 13th and 14th March.
The rest of the line up will be released over the next couple of weeks, and tickets will go on sale in Mid January. More information at www.winters-end.co.uk
Ho, ho and ho progpickers, tis that festive time of the year, when anything goes and normally does. Bands, the length and breadth of this great nation partake of the Christmas spirit and play their suitably festive Christmas Gigs.
Pendragon and no exception to this rule, and as recently as this Saturday played their Christmad show to a packed sell out crowd at The Assembly in Leamington Spa. One of the highlights of the show was the rip-roaring cover of the Christmas classic Fairytale of New York, originally done by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl.
On this auspicious occasion, the boys of Pendragon were joined onstage by the glamourous and gorgeous Tina Magenta
Thanks to Twig for being sober enough to record this!
Remember: What happens at Christmas, STAYS at Christmas!
Remember the address to nominate clips is or simply "drop" the link into drop.io/silhobbit! It's a wonderful thing...
Hot News
Dead Heroes Club, from Derry, make their mainland debut this Saturday, 30th January, with a headline show at The Peel in Kingston-Upon_Thames.
This winters crazy transfer window got even crazier today when Alan Reed announced that the other members of Scottish proggers Pallas had 
Brummie proggers IOEarth continue on their upward climb by being announced on the Sunday of this years inaugrual Winter's End Festival.
Saturday night saw the annual Classic Rock Society Awards take place at a sold out Montgomery Hall in Wath. The awards saw prog stalwarts IQ and Pendragon come away with four awards apeice; IQ winning Best Male Vocalist, Best John Jowitt, Best Album and Best Band, while Pendragon walked away with Best Keyboard Player, Best Drummer, Best Guitarist and Best CRS Gig.
Also Eden, the proggers from Gloucestershire, have announced that their new front man is Rich Harding. Bristol based Rich who you may be familiar with from fronting Marillion tribute bands such as Misplaced Neighbourhood, Lords of the Backstage and Skyline Drifters, will be helping the band as the work on a new EP due in May.
Welsh proggers Magenta have been confirmed as the Saturday Night headline act at the all-new and improved Winter's End festival, to be held at The Space in Stroud over the weekend of March 13-14.
Keyboarder Rob Reed faced humiliation recently when the man behind the band Magenta LOST his £800 laptop after the bands double headliner gig with Touchstone at The Peel just before Christmas.
Congratulations to Bristol proggers Crimson Sky who have finally found themselves a new drummer in Alistair Woodman
South West proggers Also Eden have announced a parting of the ways with vocalist Huw Lloyd-Jones
The Winters End Festival is a new festival that is being organised by the Summer's End Festival team and the Classic Rock Society, along with the Stroud town council. The festival will be held at The Space, Stroud on the 13th and 14th March.
