Pendragon announce "Mega Daze UK" and "Mega Daze Europe" for 2011

Following the success of their first "Mega Daze" weekender, back in 2008, that coincided with the launch of Pure, Pendragon have just announced Mega Daze UK and Mega Daze Europe next year to coincide with the release of Passion, their ninth studio album.

The UK event will again take place on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th March at Riff's Bar, just outside Swindon, whilst the European one will be held on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd April, at the world famous De Boerderij in Zoetermeer, Netherlands.

All attendees will receive a copy of the Passion Special Edition (which features the CD & documentry DVD), an exclusive "Mega-Daze" T-shirt, "Mega-Daze" laminate + Pendragon Lanyard.

Tickets for the Riffs event will be available from the Pendragon Website on October 13th for £55, while tockets for the Boerderij weekend will be available from their website soon, for 70 euro.

A full tour is expected to be announced in the near future, which will include a concert at the Teatr Śląski in Katowice, Poland, where they'll be supported by Touchstone on the 20th April.

Nolan jetting out to Chile to play Miner Tribute show

Position of Stage

Sir Clive told Silhobbit that the Caamora show had always had good reations in South America, and was honoured to be asked to play the show to the miners, and their families. "We'll be offering reduced price tickets to the show for the miners, and their families, obviously"

"We may even find a new singer for Arena out there" he joked.

"I had thought that the concert wouldn't be until nearer Christmas, after the Arena tour, so this will be a rather rushed attempt. I have pleaded with some of the rescue committee to delay it, and they have said that they'll look into something involving lining the shaft with metal to prolong the mission. After all, it's all about the anticipation!"

Artists Impression

You can follow one of the Chilean miners on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/chilean_miner

Arena tour dates:

"Fearless" Francis Dunnery take to the road this month

Francis Dunnery will be taking his popular album Fearless out around the UK (not Ireland) later this month. The former It Bites front man will be joined on tour by drummer Tony Beard (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Hall and Oates, Johnny Winter), bass player Jamie Bishop (Anna Rose, John Eichleay, Stratospheerius), keyboard player David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Sting) and backing vocalist Dorie Jackson (Chris Difford, William Topley).

"This is a pretty intense band" comments Dunnery. "The Fearless CD stretches from beautiful textures to extremely aggressive fusion rock music, so I need a band who can stretch that far and remain authentic. You can't teach people this stuff, you either 'is' or you 'isn't'."

Released back in 1994, Fearless put former It Bites front man Dunnery firmly on the international map as a solo artist. Despite proving one of his most enduring albums, Dunnery has never actually performed it live until now.

"I'm really excited about performing this tour," he adds. "It has been nearly seventeen years since I recorded the album and for some reason I never got the chance to play the songs in front of an audience with a full band. We will be playing the album in its entirety, as well as a few surprises thrown in for good measure".

Singer/songwriter John Gilmour Smith will be opening for the band at every show.

"Birthday Boy" Westworth runs out of painkillers and IQ on the same day

Mark (right with brother George)

It all stops here! Well, it's been an honour to have become a small part of the history of IQ, however I've made a decision to follow my head rather than my heart and will be leaving the band at the end of the year. Having to juggle family life, a full time job and finding time to play all this prog nonsense has been more than a handful of late. Anyway, I shall leave with some great memories and will definitely miss the camaraderie and frequent lunacy of the band and crew, and the loyal fans. Creating music will always be my passion, so hopefully I'll find an outlet to release something in the not-too-distant future. All the best, Mark x

Mark will be playing the last four dates on the bands "The Wake 25th Anniversary" tour, with the gig at the O2 Islington Academy in London, being his final date wth the band.

It's sure to be an emotional night!

Pure Reason Revolution to release "Hammer & Anvil" in October

Pure Reason Revolution will be releasing their third album Hammer & Anvil on October 18th. The band, who have just played theKoko in London, will be playing a three date micro-tour of Europe, previewing the album.

Tuesday 28th September - Gebaeude9, Cologne, Germany
Wednesday 29th September - L'international, Paris, France (free entry)
Thursday 30th September - Bitterzoet, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The band will also be playing The Scala in Kings Cross, London on 9th December, where they'll be supported by Clean Bandit and another band.

Gazpacho to tour to promote Missa Atropos album release

Gazpacho, Norways greatest ProgRock Band, have just released their sixth damn fine album, Missa Atropos and will be touring Europe in 2011 to promote it.

The tour will take in the UK as well as Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The tour dates are:
Saturday 22nd January - Maschinenhaus, Berlin, Germany
Sunday 23rd January - Röhre, Stuttgart, Germany
Monday 24th January - Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland
Wednesday 26th January - Colos Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
Thursday 27th January - Metropool, Hengelo, Netherlands
Saturday 29th January - The Assembly, Leamington Spa
Sunday 30th January - The Peel, Kingston
Tuesday 1st February - Live Music Hall, Köln, Germany
Wednesday 2nd February - Fabrik, Hamburg, Germany
Friday 4th Febuary - Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium
Saturday 5th February - De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Sunday 6th February - W2, Den Bosch, Netherlands
(Afternoon show - starts 3pm)

New Power-Prog trio Bang Tower (ft former Brand X bass legend Percy Jones) to release album

One of the most highly anticipated CD releases of 2010 is about to see the light much to the elation of the music press and fans across the globe.

Bang Tower is a progressive musical alliance featuring legendary bassist Percy Jones, who is best known for his work with Brand X, a band that also featured Genesis legend Phil Collins. Along with Jones, the power-prog trio also includes Grammy winning guitarist/engineer/producer Neil Citron. Walter Garces, who also performs with '60s psychedelic marvels The Electric Prunes, rounds off the trio with his skillful drumming.

Work on their maiden voyage Casting Shadows, produced by Neil Citron (who also engineered, mixed and mastered) and Jon Pomplin (Declassified Records), was recently completed and the album is slated for release by Declassified Records on September 28, 2010.

With Percy's unmistakable fretless bass sound percolating next to Walter's harmonic cannons and implements of percussive wonder, an edgy yet incredibly dreamy, otherworldly texture becomes prominent throughout the mix. Neil's unique guitar work takes full advantage of this partnership by blending gorgeous chordal interludes, amazing melodic passages interlaced with scathingly insane soloing.

The key element in this "trio of masters" music can be best described with one word; rapport. Though Jones, Garces and Citron are all virtuosos in their own right, it's quite evident that these players are enthusiastically enjoying the crafting of this music whether together in a top studio like Entourage in LA, or remotely via their own studios, Casting Shadows promises to be a most auspicious first-outing for a band simply known as... "Bang Tower".

"The basic idea was to play music we wanted to play, and have a good time doing it," says Walter Garces. "It's a group effort musically," adds Percy Jones. "I probably had a bit more input on the initial tracks and Neil had a bit more on the real time recordings, but it averages out to be about the same really. Walter was involved since the beginning."

Bang Tower's 'Casting Shadows' will be available on September 28, 2010 through CD Baby, Declassified Records and the band's official website.

The Reasoning autumn tour and live DVD details

Welsh proggers The Reasoning will be playing a series of special gigs in November. The gigs will feature two sets by the band, an acoustic one followed by a fully electronified set.

The "Acoustic Adversity" tour can be seen at the following venues:
Friday 5th November - O2 ABC 2, Glasgow
Saturday 6th November - Legends, Newcastle
Sunday 7th November - The Robin 2, Bilston
Friday 12th November - The Fleece, Bristol
Sunday 14th November - Y Theatre, Leicester

The band are also planning to release their performance from the High Voltage Festival on DVD, along with a full array of extras.

DFFSPGM band Delain return to the UK next year

Dutch Female Fronted Symphonic Prog Goth Metal band Delain follow up this years successful UK festival appearances by playing four shows over here next year.

The shows, in support of the bands second album, April Rain will be:
Friday April 29th – Academy 3, Manchester
Saturday April 30th – O2 Islington Academy, London
Sunday May 1st – Cathouse, Glasgow
Monday May 2nd – The Assembly, Leamington

If you are new to this band, check out the video below for the song Stay Forever taken from April Rain, which features plenty of hair and cleavage. And that's just from the boys in the band!

Check out the bands other videos at their newly created YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/delainofficial.

Meanwhile, Dutch fans (and others possessing passports and the like) can see the band play at The Tivoli in Utrecht on October 29th, where they'll be ably supported by Silhobbit faves Stream Of Passion and Kingfisher Sky.

For more on the band, check out their official website at site.delain.nl/ or their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/delainmusic. Get up-to-date info by following them on Twitter as well.

Did Holly Golightly, or was she pushed?

The Prog World was today said to be in "a state of shock" as Crimson Sky vocalist Holly Anne Thody sensationally quit the band just hours before they were due to support Credo at their gig in Swindon on Friday night.

The band were forced, in a Pope-approved method, to pull out at the last moment.

A statement on the Crimson Sky website said:
Crimson Sky and Holly Anne Thody, have parted company.
This is due mainly to musical differences, regarding direction of the band.
Holly has brought a lot to Crimson Sky and has played an important part as to where the band are now.
The band wish her well in all her future musical endeavours.
Meanwhile Crimson Sky will continue, and are currently looking for a replacement female vocalist.

Rumours that Holly is now the favourite to replace drum god Mike Portnoy in Dream Theater appear to be wide of the mark, and apparently made up on the spot by me.

Holly Anne Thody feels happy and released from a very negative situation.. :)

Polish proggers SSB reveal the cover of their forthcoming album "Blue Trance"

SBB, a legend of Polish music scene, revealed the front cover of their new studio album Blue Trance. The artwork was done by Agnieszka Daniłowicz.

The band, comprised of the phenomenal composer Józef Skrzek, the excellent guitarist Apostolis Anthimos, and the flawless drummer Gabor Nemeth, plans to release the new material this Autumn via Metal Mind Productions. They are currently working in RecRublica Studios in Lubrza, again with Sebastian Witkowski, who produced their previous album “Iron Curtain” (2009). The trio offer a perfect blend of the sincerity of blues and the freedom of jazz. Their music is mature and rich in emotions.

Metal Mind Productions set the release day for 1st November in Europe and 7th December in USA (via MVD). More info to follow soon.

Italian proggers Mytho release debut album

Young Italian proggers Mytho have just released their debut album In The Abstract. The band recently played at the Ex Prog festival in Mogliano Veneto near Venice, Italy, which also featured bands such as Marillion, The Watch and Moongarden.

The album features a guest appearance from former Asia frontman John Payne, who sings on the track New Gemini Rising

www.mythoband.com

To read the press release, see below:

Black Country's Glenn Hughes embarks on UK solo tour

Glenn Hughes, known to millions in rock world as the "The Voice of Rock", follows the success of new rock supergroup Black Country Communion with a nationwide UK solo tour that starts on Thursday September 23rd at the Manchester Academy 3.

The UK tour dates as follows:
Thursday 23rd September - Manchester Academy
Friday 24th September - Holmfirth Picturedrome
Satuirday 25th September - Glasgow ABC
Monday 27th September - Gateshead Sage
Tuesday 28th September - Wolverhampton Robin 2
Wednesday 29th September - Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Friday 1st October - Falmouth Princess Pavilions
Saturday 2nd October - Exeter Phoenix
Sunday 3rd October - Cardiff Millennium Hall
Tuesday 5th October - London Islington Academy
Wednesday 6th October - Reading Sub 89
Thursday 7th October - Leamington Spa Assembly
Tuesday 12th October - Bristol Fleece
Wednesday 13th October - Southampton Brook

Black Country Communion’s eponymous debut album is released on Monday September 20th and is currently #1 on the Amazon UK Pre-Order Chart and #5 in Amazon UK’s Bestsellers Chart.

Italian legends Phaedra release new album "PTAh"

Phaedra, the Italian band fron Trento, finally release their debut album PTAh. The band, who were formed in 1993, started off as a progressive rock covers band, playing Geneis, Yes and Rush covers amongst others, before starting to write their own tunes, and releasing a self-produced demo CD,

In 2000, the band changed line-up and started working on this release. They first played it live in 2002, and has been honed live over the subsequent years, until the band reached the point where they thought they've got it to perfection.

More info can be found on the band on their website and their MySpace pages, and on the official press release below:

YouTube of the Week - Opeth "Dirge For November (live)"

I'll make no bones about it. Sweden's Opeth are one of my favourite bands currently doing the rounds, and I've been lucky to catch them a few times over the last couple of years. However, I missed their 20th Anniversary Show at the Royal Albert Hall in April as I was too broke to get a ticket!

So I was over the moon when I heard that the whole shebang had been recorded, and is going to be released on a double DVD this month.

As a teaser, the bands label, Road Runner have posted the track Dirge For November up on their site and YouTube. For me, this is the clip of the week, make no mistake.

The DVD is out on September 20th and is available in a variety of packages, including the limited edition vinyl box set, which contains the DVD, the concert audio on 4 LP's, a numbered lithograph and a 20 page LP-sized booklet.

Remember the address to nominate clips is

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Mike Portnoy in "I've quit Dream Theater" shocker!

In a move that bound to send shockwaves reverberating around the Progressive Rock world, Dream Theater founding member Mike Portnoy has decided that he should leave the band.

The dynamic drummer, who has recently played with Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold amongst others, broke the news on his Facebook page this morning. He cited the bands refusal to take a break from the "endless write/record/tour cycle" they've been on, and the realisation that he had "more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater".

You can check out Mikes statement at www.facebook.com/mikeportnoyofficial

Proggers Here & Now's gear stolen, but shows go on!

On Thursday 26 August, Here & Now were about to head off to rehearsals for their upcoming gigs when they found that their van – containing bass amp, guitar amp and drum kit – had been stolen overnight from where it was parked in a quiet street. Instead of rehearsing that day, they spent the day organising the use of a van, replacement backline and kit for their gigs. The police were called but so far there has been no progress in locating the missing van or equipment. Keith Tha Bass is remarkably philosophical about it: “At least it didn’t happen on the day of the Hawkfest gig. Then we’d really have been f******.”

Thanks to the generosity of other bands playing at Hawkfest and Southsea, borrowing a backline and drum kit was quickly arranged and the two gigs went ahead as planned, with the band rating their performance at Hawkfest as the best one yet with the current line-up.

Here & Now

Here & Now started in the mid-70s and quickly became synonymous with the UK free festival scene. They’ve had a long association with Gong, being part of the Planet Gong incarnation in 1977 with Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth, with various members flitting between the bands over the years, and released a number of albums including “Give and Take”, “All Over The Show” and “Fantasy Shift”.

The 2010 line-up brings GWYO ZE PIX (Synths/vox), SLIM VERHOEF (gtrs, devices) and NIK NIMBUS (drums/perc) into the fold - along with KEITH THA MISSILE (bass/vox) establishing a new dynamic and new directions... so far this year they have performed at 3 festivals (HawkFest, BOMfest and Progeny 3) and five other gigs, and are writing for a new album and arranging an autumn tour at the moment. This setback won’t hold them back for long.

Read more: www.myspace.com/herenowplanetgong

Echo Us third album "Tomorrow Will Tell The Story" released on September 14th

Echo Us' Tomorrow Will Tell The Story brings the themes of 2009's The Tide Decides to new conclusion while encompassing a natural sonic evolution for the Pacific NW based concept project. Tomorrow fuses rich tapestries of atmosphere wrapped around sparse lead vocals and intricate field-recorded beats, brought forth by a symphonic underscore and vocalizations from an alien world. Lyrically the album fuses light and dark into a single omni-jective source using sources channeled by automatic writing.

Echo Us again features the talents of Ethan Matthews (multi instruments) and Raelyn Olson (harp) but also adds the lush vocals Grammy-nominated vocalist Henta. www.echous.net has put together as much information about "Tomorrow..." as possible including cover art and an album promo trailer.

An abridged version of the album will hit digital retailers by September 14th, 2010 and be followed by an extended CD release including bonus tracks later in the year.

In it's decade long history, Echo Us has weaved a wide and unique sound web. At times considered close to Enigma, Mike Oldfield, Vangelis and other ambient pioneers, Echo Us has also been cited as creating a genre all it's own; a fusion of modern vocal electronica, progressive rock and deep ambient atmospherics. Tomorrow Will Tell The Story completes a unique musical journey, but as the title suggests- implies the beginning of another.

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Metal Mind to rerelease Hollow's "Modern Cathedral" & "Architect of the Mind" CD's

Hollow is easily one of the most underrated bands in the history of progressive power metal. Their two stunning albums – Modern Cathedral and Architect of the Mind – never received the attention they deserved, despite stellar reviews in the music press. Metal Mind Productions presents the exclusive double reissue which brings back true classics from the past, filled with music that brings “power” back to “power metal”…

The history of the band began in the early 1990’s in the university town of Umeå, Sweden. There guitarist/vocalist Andreas Stoltz teamed up with Marcus Bigren (guitar), Thomas Nilsson (bass) and Urban Vikstrom (drums) to form a unique power metal group, which they called Vaalkyrian. The name was eventually changed to Hollow and in 1995 the band released a demo called ‘Speak To Me”, which contained six tracks. This was followed in 1997 by a self-titled EP with 4 tracks, which caught the attention of MM Records - a small, independent label. This way, by the end of the year Hollow managed to release their debut LP – “Modern Cathedral”. In 1998 the album got re-issued with a new cover by Nuclear Blast.

“Modern Cathedral” was an amazing collection of progressive power metal tracks strongly influenced by such acts as Queensryche, Crimson Glory or Elegy. With their debut release Hollow have proven that the genre holds no secrets for them. Crafty compositions (like the doom-infected “In Your Arms” or the brilliant power ballad “Lies”), phenomenal guitarwork and Andreas Stoltz’s impressive vocals all made up for a truly extraordinary LP. Hollow returned in 1999 with their sophomore offering – “Architect of the Mind”. This time the music was even heavier and more powerful than on “Modern Cathedral”. With such brilliant tracks as “Rain”, “Father” or the ultra-fast “Shadow God” the group once again showcased their incredible skills. Even Stoltz’s singing got better – his vocals in mid and high register were equally mind-blowing. The album received a very warm reception in the music press and Hollow were considered a breath of fresh air on the power metal scene. Unfortunately, due to several circumstances the band ceased to exist not long after the release of “Architect of the Mind”… As of 1999, Hollow remains a solo project governed solely by Andreas Stoltz. He occasionally posts new tracks on his MySpace page, the latest being called “Descending” – a song written in memory of Crimson Glory’s late vocalist Midnight who departed in July, 2009.

This exclusive double re-release of “Modern Cathedral” and “Architect of the Mind” holds two extraordinary musical gems that after all these years shine with the same overwhelming intensity. Both albums are absolutely essential for fans of progressive power metal, delivering all the best this genre has to offer. The new digipak edition is limited to 2000 copies. Remastered using tube technology, digitally edited on a golden disc. Metal Mind Productions set the release date for 11th October in Europe and 7th December in USA (via MVD).

RPWL to become RWL as Chris Postl says "Tschüs"

It's been a fairly quiet transfer window in the Prog world this summer, with no major comings or goings, until this evening, when RPWL's German bass player Chris Postl became their ex-bass player.

Chris, who released his solo Parzivals Eye album last year, posted the following blog on his MySpace page:

Dear RPWL Fans

Due to artistic and big human differences I want to let you know that I am no longer part of the RPWL machinery.
I would like the chance to say good bye to you.

I never expected that the relationship to the members of the band reach such a low bottom and smiles can be so double-faced.
This was not an easy step. But after all those personal and musical disappointments over the last year(s) there is only a pale feeling of contempt left for how people in this band are acting.

I like to thank all friends of this music that I met over the years and hope to see you again somewhere somehow.

Regards and all the best for you
Chris

You can check out the statement at www.myspace.com/chrispostl