Chiltern proggers Jump have been busy over the Festive Period, and have made their entire back catalogue available thru www.saladbrothers.com.
And just to prove that they are not Xmas Porkers, they are about to release a new EP called The New Jump EP, and from what they've told me, it's a cracker and no mistake. It will feature the tracks Staring at the Rain, When You Fall and Kingston Corner Blues.
Speaking of Kingston, the boys will be playing there "again", along with Panic Room on Saturday 31st January. Hopefully this time, both bands will manage to finish their sets.
They will also be squeezing out a new album during the year, featuring what they're already calling "the new 'most asked for at the merchandise table but not yet recorded'" song, Down Three Times.
Silhobbit have struck up a deal with the band, and if you go along to one of their forthcoming gigs, front man John Dexter Jones will personally buy you a bear*. You can catch the band at:
Saturday 31 January - The Peel, London (with Panic Room)
Saturday 7 February - Town Hall, Cheltenham
Saturday 21 February - Montgomery Hall, Wath on Derne
Saturday 14 March - Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
Friday 27 March - Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury Home of Prog
Saturday 30 May - Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury Home of Prog
*Deal not contractually binding and may lead to expulsion from the venue.
The Peel in Kingston Upon Thames in London aims to cement it's place as the Capitals premier prog palace with a cracking set of gigs in the early part of 2009.
Confirmed so far are:
Saturday 10th January 2009 - Tinyfish plus guests [£8.00 advance, doors 7.30pm]
Friday 16th January 2009 - Mick Pointer's The Script Tour [£16.00 advance, doors 7.30pm]
Saturday 17th January 2009 - Mick Pointer's The Script Tour [£16.00 advance, doors 7.30pm]
Saturday 31st January 2009 - Panic Room & Jump [£10.00 advance]
Saturday 7th February 2009 - Pineapple Thief & Narration [£8.00 advance]
Also coming up, Magenta and Pallas and many, many more!
French prog fans and promoters ProgLaVie, who promote gigs in Paris and its environs, are promoting a couple of prog gigs in Paris in the coming months.
First up is the return of Mick Pointer's Script for a Jester's Tour which lands at the Scene Bastille on the 10th February.
Then, on the 29th March, Viking proggers Gazpacho will invade the l'Alhambra, as part of their Tick Tock Tour, along with clog proggers Quantum Fantay
Dutch siren Anneke van Giersbergen is taking her band, Agua de Annique out on the road in February and March. The first couple of gigs will be special acoustic shows, in Amsterdam and Groningen, Netherlands, where, as well as discussing her songs, she will also be joined on stage by, amongst others, Within Temptation's Sharon den Adel.
Agua de Annique will also be releasing an acoustic album, PureAir, featuring some new tracks alongside acoustic versions of tracks from 2008's Air' with collaborations with Sharon den Adel, Danny Cavanagh from Anathema, John Wetton and Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon.
Anneke has also launched her own YouTube channel, where she will be showcasing her videos.
Writing for the next Porcupine Tree studio record is well underway, with the band recently spending 2 weeks secluded in the English countryside working on new tracks. Recording of these pieces and a new 35 minute Steven Wilson song cycle is due to start in February, and tour plans are being put in place from September onwards following release of the new album. A London show is already announced for 9th October at Hammersmith Apollo, and there will be many more dates confirmed over the coming weeks, so please check the tour dates page for updates. You can also join the PT ticketing club to ensure that wherever possible you will be offered the best tickets for the shows (plus you get a free live CD). For information on how to join and details, click here.
Steve Wilson on tour with Aviv Geffen
Steve Wilson will take a "busman's holiday" to play guitar for his friend Aviv Geffen on his first solo tour of Europe in January (whilst also taking the opportunity to do some local press and promotion for Insurgentes along the way). The dates are:
16th Jan - Rotunda Club, Krakow, Poland
17th Jan - Postbanhof, Berlin, Germany
18th Jan - Knust, Hamburg, Germany
20th Jan - Luxor, Koln, Germany
21st Jan - Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
22nd Jan - Ampere, Munich, Germany
24th Jan - Cafe de la Danse, Paris, France
27th Jan - Proud Galleries, London, UK
The band will be the full Blackfield line up (with Tomer Z, Seffy Efrati, and Eran Mittelman), but note that while there's sure to be a few Blackfield songs performed, most of the songs will be from Aviv's forthcoming debut English language solo album (produced by Trevor Horn).
Steve's brother climbs Mount Everest
Meanwhile, while Steve has been working hard in his studio, his younger brother Roger has been on his own adventure, scaling Mount Everest, which many people believe to be the highest mountain in the known world!
German band Art of Infinity are featured on The Art Of Sysyphus Vol. 47, the free CD fgiven away by German Prog mag Eclipsed - the magazine that our very own Heike works for.
Their track is an edit of Utopia, the original's 19 minutes having been trimmed down to just over 7 minutes.
The Art Of Sysyphus Vol. 47 also features tracks by Yes, Marillion, Martin Orford, Shamall, It Bites and IQ.
Art of Infinity's album Endless Future is available online thru iTunes and the increasingly impressive eMusic.com.
Charlie recommends clicking on the eMusic link at the top o this page and signing up for the free trial, which will give you 25 free downloads. You can cancel after these downloads and it ani't cost you anything. Don't be fooled by the credit card bit. If you cancel you won't be charged. So you can get this album for free...
Cider proggers Crimson Sky (new singer Holly Thody right) have only gone and blimming well got themselves a new and yet improved website. The site, at web.me.com.crimsonsky went live earlier this week and features a gallery, a blog and a podcast.
It is still "under construction" and will grow over the coming weeks, just like that turkey you have your greedy eyes on.
You can catch the band live this weekend when they play at The Griffin in Frome on Saturday 22nd, and also at Mr Wolf's in Bristol on Saturday 15th December. That's the idea way to chill out after a hectic day Christmas shopping.
Obsessive prog rock fan Ryan Jenkins told friends Mike and Prog Paul that he had dumped imaginary girlfriend Tracy Hitchings after he imagined a brief affair with prog babe and Touchstone chanteuse Elkie Seviour after seeing the band perform on their recent tour supporting It Bites.
"I imagine she has lovely clean hands" Ryan told his mates, over a lager top and a packet of Wotsits in his mum's basement, "I wouldn't dream of going back to Tracy. She has dirty nails"
He also imagined that Ms Hitchings was distraught to hear the news, when in actual fact she couldn't give a toss. When we contacted Elkie, she said "Ha ha Love it!".
Whimwise write: We are looking for an additional keyboard player, as other commitments are making it difficult for the existing players we have, to cover all shows.
Please don't be put off by the apparent complexity of our material. We're quite happy to work with players who want to take a much simpler approach too. The arrangements have been designed to be very flexible, to allow for this.
With regard to the actual musical approach - parts can be provided scored out as sheet music at any level of complexity or simplicity, with areas put aside for improvisation if you wished, or you could just come up with your own parts and lines etc as you saw fit - if you prefered to work that way, or even fully improvise. It would be completely up to you .
The next gig is at the end of November, we could really do with someone to help out by then. Even if it was just standing in on a session basis ?
Though obviously someone willing to commit more seriously would be ideal.
If you are interested, apply via the Whimwise MySpace page and message them from there.
We here at Silhobbit take the subject of cleanliness seriously, and have been encouraging bands such as Marillion, Pendragon and Touchstone to follow suit.
Recently, Coastproggers Galahad also signed up on our progressive dotted line.
Lee "Liquid Soap only" Abraham, bass player with the band, and successful solo artist wrote us:
We at Galahad HQ are encouraging all to keep those hands clean. We are currently writing new material and ensuring that our hands are washed before every writing session. Lee is putting the finishing touches to his new solo album and has installed a hand basin in his studio and asking all guests on the album to thoroughly "scrub up" before recording. So far users of the basin have been John Mitchell, Simon Godfrey, long time drummer collaborator Gerald Mulligan and Galahad's own Dean Baker. Steve Thorne is also lined up to come round and contribute, after he has washed those hands of his!
The Idle Noise album (now officially release thru polish label Oskar) continues to be shipped and sold with hand washing instructions and features the song Who You Are a song all about the perils of unhygenic hands.
If you are also committed to our Keep Prog Hands Clean campaign, then drop us a line at
Navigator are a new prog rock band from Surrey, formed around the multitalented Alan Webb. The band draws on influences such as 70's prog rock, power metal, death metal, and also philosophy, science fiction and history.
The bands debut EP, Transcendental Union, has now been completed and can be heard on their MySpace/navigatorproject page.
Crimson Sky will be playing their first dates with the new band line up, this month.
The band, with new kids Chris Cadey on the keys and Holly Thody singing, will be playing a free gig at The Fleece in Bristol on November 4th. The band, supporting Bohemian Embassy, will be onstage at 8:30;
Then on Saturday 22nd November Crimson Sky will be playing at the Griffin, Milk Street in Frome. This is another free gig, and they'll be playing at 9pm
Inbetween these two dates, they'll be performing on a live webcast, which you can see at www.artiststudiosbristol.com at 6pm
Silhobbit editor Charlie O'Mara was sensationally suspended by the mega prog news corporation on Monday, Silhobbit can exclusively reveal.
The star, formerly known as "The Voice Of Prog" was stripped of his position after making lewd and suggestive remarks towards a prog star's daughter during the Proggy Style Radio Show last week.
Following a record 5 complaints, corporation bosses felt that they had no choice but to suspend the controversial O'Mara until further notice.
Jadis frontman and master baker/window cleaner Gary Ghandler has decided to sue a high ranking Harley Street surgeon after corrective plastic surgery, went horribly wrong,
Ghandler told a Silhobbit reporter that he felt it necessary to put his famous face under the knife and needle after years of prog rock had taken it's toll.
However, as you can see from our sneak peek, horrific side effects have left him almost virtually recognisable.
It better news for the guy, there are plans to reissue his 1973 solo album Outlook. This early psychedelic masterpiece has been cruelly overlooked by the mainstream prog crowd, mainly due to it's faintly homo-erotic lyrics and right-wing imagery.
Until now, this album has only been available as a Russian bootleg CD, with the original vinyl album passing hands for over £3 on ebay.
Look out for it on Jadis Music around Christmas. The ideal present for your Gran.
Brit proggers Whimwise, fronted by proper English gentleman Sir Nicholas of May, have just returned from their German mini tour, and have asked us to send a big Dankeschon to all of you what turned up, especially those of you what braved the rain'n'mud combo at the Eich Kult Festival, where the band overcame hordes of death metallers baying for Slayer by reinterpreting a couple of key moments complete with volunteered death metal barking and grunting.
They then played a blinder in Birmingham while supporting legends Stackridge.
You too can catch Whimwise as well, when they play a couple of gigs in the coming week. On Friday 24th October, they'll be playing with Thieves Kitchen at the Chipping Warden Hall, in Culworth Road, Chipping Warden, near Banbury, in an event organised and financed by the bands, for the fans. So turn up and make it worth their while!
After that, on Thursday 30th October, they'll be sipping tea and playing songs and stuff at The Beehive in Swindon. This'll be the first time they've played at the venue, so pop along and see them lose their cherry!
Progstars around the world have joined in with the United Nations' Global Handwashing Day we can exclusively reveal tonight.
Marillion have been sending their stars around Europe this week to help get the message across. Yesterday Steve Rothery was in Paris, France talking to young French school children - the most at risk - while Ian Mosley spent today in Madrid, Spain, lecturing about the importance of cleanliness to the Policía Municipal.
Pendragon's Nick Barrett has also been doing his bit, recounting, onstage at their sold out gig in Munich tonight, how he nearly lost a finger whilst manoeuvring a bike with dangerously muddy hands! "Remember kids... 'Dirty Digits Deal Death'" was his shocking message.
Pendragon will be bringing the cleanliness message back home to the UK in a couple of weeks when their Pure Tour hits home. They'll be playing at the Montgomery Hall in Wathupondearne, Rotherham
The Peel in Kingstonuponthames, London on Saturday 1st November, and at The Robin in Bilston on Sunday 2nd, before playing a double nighter at The Peel in Kingstonuponthames, London on Friday 7th November and Saturday 8th November.Write Comment (0 comments)
Deep Imagination, the ambient-electronica project by Art of Infinity's Thorsten Sudler-Mainz have an animated video of their song Planetary System on YouTube, as can be seen below
The track is taken from the bands Gemstones and is also on The Live & Versions, the bonus DVD that comes with the album.
Hot News
The Peel in Kingston Upon Thames in London aims to cement it's place as the Capitals premier prog palace with a cracking set of gigs in the early part of 2009.
French prog fans and promoters ProgLaVie, who promote gigs in Paris and its environs, are promoting a couple of prog gigs in Paris in the coming months.
Dutch siren Anneke van Giersbergen is taking her band, Agua de Annique out on the road in February and March. The first couple of gigs will be special acoustic shows, in Amsterdam and Groningen, Netherlands, where, as well as discussing her songs, she will also be joined on stage by, amongst others, Within Temptation's Sharon den Adel.
Writing for the next Porcupine Tree studio record is well underway, with the band recently spending 2 weeks secluded in the English countryside working on new tracks. Recording of these pieces and a new 35 minute Steven Wilson song cycle is due to start in February, and tour plans are being put in place from September onwards following release of the new album. A London show is already announced for 9th October at Hammersmith Apollo, and there will be many more dates confirmed over the coming weeks, so please check the tour dates page for updates. You can also join the 
Twelfth Night singer Andy Sears faced a dilemma this lunchtime over whether to open a tin of sweet corn or not.
German band Art of Infinity are featured on The Art Of Sysyphus Vol. 47, the free CD fgiven away by German Prog mag Eclipsed - the magazine that our very own Heike works for.
Cider proggers Crimson Sky (new singer Holly Thody right) have only gone and blimming well got themselves a new and yet improved website. The site, at 
Obsessive prog rock fan Ryan Jenkins told friends Mike and Prog Paul that he had dumped imaginary girlfriend Tracy Hitchings after he imagined a brief affair with prog babe and Touchstone chanteuse Elkie Seviour after seeing the band perform on their recent tour supporting It Bites.
Whimwise write:
We here at Silhobbit take the subject of cleanliness seriously, and have been encouraging bands such as Marillion, Pendragon and Touchstone to follow suit.
Navigator are a new prog rock band from Surrey, formed around the multitalented Alan Webb. The band draws on influences such as 70's prog rock, power metal, death metal, and also philosophy, science fiction and history.
Crimson Sky will be playing their first dates with the new band line up, this month.
Silhobbit editor Charlie O'Mara was sensationally suspended by the mega prog news corporation on Monday, Silhobbit can exclusively reveal.
Jadis frontman and master baker/window cleaner Gary Ghandler has decided to sue a high ranking Harley Street surgeon after corrective plastic surgery, went horribly wrong,
It better news for the guy, there are plans to reissue his 1973 solo album Outlook. This early psychedelic masterpiece has been cruelly overlooked by the mainstream prog crowd, mainly due to it's faintly homo-erotic lyrics and right-wing imagery.
Brit proggers Whimwise, fronted by proper English gentleman Sir Nicholas of May, have just returned from their German mini tour, and have asked us to send a big Dankeschon to all of you what turned up, especially those of you what braved the rain'n'mud combo at the Eich Kult Festival, where the band overcame hordes of death metallers baying for Slayer by reinterpreting a couple of key moments complete with volunteered death metal barking and grunting.
Progstars around the world have joined in with the United Nations' Global Handwashing Day we can exclusively reveal tonight.
