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Well, Summer's Ended and we're back for more progging fun'n'games'n'news!

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email your news to news@silhobbit.com or txt us on 07748 722224

SouthCoast proggers Galahad have just received the first batch of the special tour edition CD's Empires Never Last. These will be available at the bands forthcoming gigs. There will also be available from the bands website for about £10. Also for sale at the moment is the great new live DVD Resonance for £16 or £12, along with some Resonance T-shirts.

Galahad play the following dates:

Saturday 11 November - Rotherham, UK
Tuesday 14 November - Riff's, Swindon
Thursday 16 November - Zeche Carl, Essen, Germany
Friday 17 November - De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Holland
Sunday 19 November - The Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium
Monday 20 November - Bergkeller, Reichenbach, Germany
Tuesday 21 November - Cafe Central, Jugend Kulrur Cafe, Weinheim, Germany
Sunday 26 November - Mr Kyps, Poole

Magic Pie

Norwegian Proggers Magic Pie are currently recording their new album.

A couple of weeks ago they tried out one of the longer songs at a festival in Norway - this performance was captured on amateur video and three parts of it have now been posted on the bands MySpace site. So if you want a taster of what's in store for us all, hop on over to www.myspace.com/magiepiehome

Italian proggers Mind Key release their first DVD 'Habemus Poland - Live In Katowice' on Metal Mind Promotions on 27th November. The DVD contains the bands complete show, recorded in May at the Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice (the same gig as the recently released Pendragon and Galahad DVD's), plus an interview with the band, band biography, photo gallery, some extra footage from the recent tour with Pendragon and a powerful version of Deep Purple's Stormbringer. Tracklist will show the best songs recorded so far plus some new, yet unreleased, tracks. Habemus Poland will be also issued in limited digipack edition DVD + CD.

See the bands website at www.mindkey.it

Bass Communion

The CD/DVDA version of Bass Communion's Loss album is now available from Headphone Dust Mail Order.

The 2 disc set contains the 40 minute piece in both stereo and 5.1 mixes, and is packaged in a beautiful thick card gatefold sleeve, with an additional 8 page booklet containing the images from the original vinyl release.

Blackfield have announced that they will be touring early in 2007 to promote their forthcoming second album, which is due in January. Support on the tour comes from Silhobbit favourites Pure Reason Revolution. So far dates confirmed are:

Friday 16th February - Mean Fiddler, London
Saturday 17th February - Plato, Helmond, Holland
Sunday 18th February - Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium
Tuesday 20th February - Knust, Hamburg, Germany
Wednesday 21st February - Kato, Berlin, Germany
Thursday 22nd February - Proxima Club, Warsaw, Poland
Saturday 24th February - Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland
Sunday 25th February - Alcatraz, Milan, Italy
Monday 26th February - Matrix, Bochum, Germany
Tuesday`27th February - Café de la Danse, Paris, France
Wednesday 28th February - De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Holland
Saturday 3rd March - Fuzz Club, Athens, Greece
Sunday 4th March - Mylos Club, Salonica, Greece

US tour dates are still being confirmed.

Thanks to  Johnny Music for these

Genesis

In a press conference hosted by top Genesis fan David Baddiel (what?), Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Daryl Steurmer and Chester Thompson announced that they were looking forward to their first tour together in 15 years. Genesis may have a few pop hits under their belts, but they are still sorely missed and Silhobbit.com welcome them all back. Steve Hackett lives close to Twickenham stadium and so July 7th could see him joining the band for a Wind n Wuthering special.

The band also announced that their back catalogue would get a, technically speaking, 'Tit-job', and be re-released as SACD/DVD Double Disc Sets in re-mastered 5.1 Surround Sound & Stereo Mixes. The schedule for releasing the rereleased releases is:

March 2007: A Trick Of The Tail, Wind & Wuthering, …And Then There Were Three…, Duke, Abacab
June/July 2007: Genesis, Invisible Touch, We Can't Dance, Calling All Stations
Later: Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

The confirmed tour dates are as follows:

Monday 11 June - Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland
Thursday 14 June - Messecenter, Herning, Denmark
Friday 15 June - AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany
Sunday 17 June - Stade de Suisse, Berne, Switzerland
Monday 18 June - Gugglestadium, Linz, Austria
Wednesday 20 June - Puskas Ferenc Stadium, Budapest, Hungary
Thursday 21 June - Slaski Stadium, Katowice, Poland
Saturday 23 June - AWD Arena, Hannover, Germany
Tuesday 26 June - LTU Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
Friday 29 June - Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany
Saturday 30 June - Parc Des Princes, Paris, France

Sunday 1 July - Amsterdam Arena, Holland
Tuesday 3 July - Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany
Wednesday 4 July - Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany
Thursday 5 July - Commerzbankarena, Frankfurt, Germany
Saturday 7 July - Twickenham Stadium, London
Sunday 8 July -  Old Trafford,Manchester
Tuesday 10 July -  Olympiastadion,Munich, Germany
Thursday 12 July -  Louis II Stadium, Monaco
Saturday 14 July -  Telecomcerto at Colosseo,Rome, Italy

Silhobbit expects a few more European (non-German!) dates to be announced soon, as well as a North American tour.

Advance tickets are now available for Jadis's gig at the Talking Heads in Southampton on Friday November 24th. They are priced at £10 and you can get them from www.jadis-net.co.uk/ccshop1.html

Jadis will also be playing at Plato in Helmond, Holland on the 25th.

Support both nights comes from Steve Thorne, who will also be playing 2nd guitar for Jadis, and making the tea and sandwiches.

The band are also working on their seventh album and will be previewing some of the material next year, as well as putting stuff up on their website (and maybe their MySpace page too)

Mick and Clive

We've had hundreds of emails with suggestions for our Turkeys which hatched last week.

Several of you thought that the names Mick and Clive were suitable, so their names have been Chosen!

Galahad donated £3 to buy turkey Mick food and shelter.

Nick May (ex Enid)'s new band Whimwise follow up their recent cover mount CDs with a support for old Boss Groundhog himself, Tony 'TS' McPhee, on Sunday December 10th at The Joiners in Southampton.

Landmarq will be headlining at the Herringthorpe Leisure Centre in Rotherham, for the Co-Op, on Saturday 20th January 2007.

Support will be Adam Wakeman's new band Headspace, which features ex-Landmarq vocalist Damian Wilson, and an unnamed third act.

Spock's Beard will be giving their new eponymous album it's World Premier on the Guilty Pleasures with Gruno show at www.StudioGruno.com . The band will be present in the studio and chat live with fans and listeners, which is surely one and the same. They will also be giving a special in-studio performance, and other surprise musicians and guests are scheduled to appear.

The show airs at 7pm (PST) on Monday November 6th.

You can listen to "Guilty Pleasures with Gruno" on any computer via an internet connection. Go to www.StudioGruno.com , then click on "Guilty" (fourth skull from the left). Join the audio stream during any broadcast by clicking "Listen." Join the interactive chat by clicking "Chat," then "Chat Now" from the "Guilty" page.

You can hear Skeletons at the Feast from the new album on the Silhobbit Hallowe'en podcast, available on our Downloads page.

Well, just as it started to look rosy down in Croydon, top venue The Cartoon has announced that in the face of overwhelming competition from other nightspots in the centre of town, it'll be pulling the curtains down and closing it's doors for the final time at the end of November.

Obviously this has adversely affected the Ardency / Crimson Sky gig there in January, though promoters The CompanyCroydon are endeavouring to find a new venue for the gig.

However, there will be at least one more prog gig there, and The CompanyCroydon present Credo at The Cartoon, Croydon on Sunday 19th November. Credo will be supported by the wonderful Jo McCafferty and The Resonance Association. And all this for just a sixer! That's £6.00 to most of you.

Bristolians Crimson Sky will be featured in a report on the music scene in and around the Bristol area. The feature will be aired on Radio One's Steve LaMacq In New Music We Trust show on Monday 6th November and again Jo Whiley's version of the show on the Wednesday 8th November, between 9pm and 10pm (GMT)

You can get the latest Crimson Sky news at www.mleamon.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk or at www.myspace.com/crimsonskybristol. They also have a forum here

German Prog-folk band Tea For Two have just released their new album Twisted. The album features ten tracks in a variety of different styles, including flamenco, folk, prog rock, blues ska, solo piano, solo guitar, all with that typical Tea For Two sound.

Here's the track list: Spanish Night, Soundscape, Out In The Sun, Last Drink, Autumn, Hold On, My Own Way, Scar Folk, Why?, Come What May.

You can listen to some of the songs at www.myspace.com/t42de
 

Black Widow

There has been a Black Widow film found by Clive Jones. It is a concert film which includes the whole "Sacrifice" album and the whole 1970 Black Magic show. It will be available as a DVD by Mystic Records next year. Clive tells to be "thrilled by the quality and performance".

Clive has also been interviewed for Redemption TV - the interview might be aired around Christmas time and some parts of this unreleased concert film might be used!

Clive is composing NEW Black Widow material with Geoff Griffith (bass). The site www.myspace.com/blackwidowleicester will soon tell more details.

Pasi would like to take this opportunity to thank Silhobbit for its valuable support. He would like to inform about his own www.myspace.com/pasifinland site. All Silhobbit friends are very welcome to visit the site and Pasi has a blog there which includes a direct link to a funny little song where Pasi is on keyboards (well, Keith Emerson was not available). These Black Widow news are also posted there!

Credo at the Co-op

Sweaty Swindon proggers, Credo, make their headline debut at the CRS in Rotherham this weekend. On Saturday 4th November, to be exact.

Oliver Wakeman opens the show, and is followed by Anemo and headliners Credo. Entry is FREE if you have a ticket stub from any CRS show this year. And I mean ANY, even that "Gentleman's Evening" they had back in May. Phoar, what a night that was, eh Martin?

Credo Mark loves Silhobbit, and we love him too, despite his grubby habit of accosting innocent editors in salubrious (so the spell checker says) bogs. He also tells us that the Pendragon / Neo gig at Riff's last weekend gave him a stonking boner!

Credo are also playing at the Robin 2 in Bilston on November 26, the Riga Music Bar in Southend on December 1 and back at Riff's in Swindon on December 8

John Dexter Jones Recommends

This month: Bliszko

"I'm bloody tellin' ya that I should take a long hard look at that there BLISZKO band as soon as you can. Apart fom Jon Davies liking the Arsenal (could be worse , could be a manc) I reckon they're a right interesting lot. Course they're WELSH which means they have a natural flair for all things musical (LIKE ME) but Prog??? I dunno about that If you wanna check em out they's in Cardiff with us on the 24th of November. Right I'm off robbing my neighbourhood of sweets and money with my boys...they've both got masks but they're not going to be teaching anyone"

Jump and Bliszko play at the Buffalo Bar in Cardiff on Friday 24th November

Threshold

The new Threshold album has a working title of 'Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams', and the song titles are: Slipstream, This Is Your Life, Elusive, Disappear, Fighting For Breath, Hollow, Safe To Fly, One Degree Down, Landing Lights.

Mac, in the middle of vocal sessions at Bray Studios, said: 'If I thought it would be this good I'd have joined Threshold sooner! I've got a good feeling about this album. I think things are going to snowball for us next year, I thought so even before I heard the demos. I'm having a brilliant time!'

Threshold's last album 'Subsurface' picked up 15 Album Of The Month awards across the globe. Earlier this year the band moved to Nuclear Blast Records to join a highly successful roster of bands including In Flames, Nightwish and Blind Guardian.

Recording and mixing of 'Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams' is expected to be complete in November, with a release planned for early in 2007.

The rare 1993 Mercy Train album 'Presence' featuring Threshold's Karl Groom and Richard West is now available to buy from iTunes.

The alternative rock outfit formed in the early 90's based around vocalist Richard Burge (ex Shout The Dream), and also included bassist Peter Gee (Pendragon) and drummer Nick Harradence (Shadowland). Mercy Train played a number of live UK shows throughout 1992 and 1993 before releasing their debut 'Presence' in 1993, featuring 12 tracks composed and produced by Burge, Groom and West. This is the first time the album has been available to buy in over a decade.

Mercy Train briefly reformed in 1996 to write and demo a number of songs for a second album, but the final project was never completed. Meanwhile Groom and West returned to Thin Ice Studios to record the third Threshold album 'Extinct Instinct' which was subsequently released the following year. Vocalist Richard Burge is understood to be currently working on new material.

Pineapple Thief

We got an update from Yeovil band The Pineapple Thief. They say

"New Album: It's finally here at last! We are busy at Pineapple Thief Towers preparing to send out hundreds of pre-ordered CDs. A big thank you to all of those who have ordered yours in advance. Your support is hugely appreciated. If you haven't ordered yours yet then it's not too late. Visit our store to get yours now...

New T-Shirt: We also have a new t-shirt to celebrate the launch of the new album. Prices are £10 each or £9 when purchased with the new album. Order your t-shirt here. Album and t-shirt bundles can be purchased here. We also have a new band t-shirt that we will be premiering at our launch gig in Bristol. These will be available to purchase on the night or via our web shop from next week.

Badges: That's right folks. You know when you have made it when you have band badges. We have a limited number of each design. Check them out here.

Album launch party: Don't forget that our album launch party is this Saturday (4th November 2006). We are playing at the Fiddlers in Bristol which is one of the top gig venues in the south west. The set list will contain songs from the new album plus a selection of favourites. Albums and other merchandise will be on sale on the night. Support will be from the superb local based singer/songwriter Aaron Slater. Tickets are a bargain £5 and available from Ticketweb. You can also pay on the door (subject to availability). Call the box office on 08700 600 100 or purchase online here. Details and directions on the Venue can be found here.

TPT on the radio: The Pineapple Thief will be making an exclusive live appearance on BBC Radio Somerset Sound on Friday 3rd November. The time will be approximately 9am (UK time). There will be an interview plus some acoustic renditions of tracks from Little Man. If you live in the Somerset area then you can tune in on 1566AM. You can also listen online at: www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/local_radio/. There is a "listen again" feature for anyone who can't tune in to the live performance.

That's it from us now. We hope you enjoy the new album and we look forward to seeing you on November 4th! The Pineapple Thief

www.pineapplethief.com www.myspace.com/thepineapplethief "

There's loads of new CD's at the wonderful SonicBond . Firstly, their artist of the week is Bostonian contemporary prog band Fluttr Effect  (right or left ), who recently signed to new label 10t. The band has an exciting, contemporary sound, and, unusually for prog, 3 female members, including singer Kara Trott. SonicBond recommends their 2006 album Marking Time  at £9.99. Also on 10t, and recommended by SonicBonds bank of expert, is the new album Movement and Detail by instrumental duo Bolt, also £9.99.

They also have more CD's from the Think Tank Media stable, including Erik Norlander, Erik's band The Rocket Scientists and the Queen of prog metal Lana Lane.
SonicBond have also taken more Polish bands under their hairy wings, such as popular neo-prog band Satellite, Nearfest 2007 band Indukti, as well as After, Believe, Sandstone and Riverside .

Also added is ex Enid guitarist Nick May's Silhobbit-podcast featured Whimwise as well

Genesis

Ex-proggers Genesis have announced that they will be giving out details of their reunion tour at a peress conference to be held on Tuesday 7th November. The European Tour, as exclusively announced in Silhobbit's Hallowe'en podcast, will go under the name The Turn It On Again Tour

Not much to say about this, but we've been given a sneak peak of what could yet become the cover of the next album by Brazilian superstars Ashtar. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Jazz vocalist Pamela MacCarthy, just back from a two-week engagement in Los Angeles, will be appearing at the Half Tone jazz club in Tachigawa on Friday November 3.

Pamela will be joined by Keisaku Takahashi on piano to deliver a mix of jazz & blues, accompanying herself on guitar on some numbers.

Half Tone
2F, 1-2-5 Nishiki-cho
Tachikawa, Tokyo

For more info and a map, access this or see here for a printable flyer:

Hallowe'en Podcast Special

There are ghosts and witches at work this time of year. Silhobbit's Gay Gordon invites a real witch to put a spell on IQs Martin Orford, and then chats to the "German Voice of Prog" Heike Muller ( www.myspace.com/heikie )who reveals the new Genesis tour details and offers lots of dark secrets from the princess of prog! Don't worry if it is past Hallowe'en because the songs are worthy of a listen all year around.

Tracks played this time are: It Bites - Vampires, IQ - Red Dust Shadow / You Never Will, Genesis - Blood on the Rooftops, Pallas - Ghost Dancers, Rush - Ghost of a Chance, Spock's Beard - Skeletons at the Feast, Fish - Plague of Ghosts

Subscribe at Podcast Alley or by adding the link below into your podcatching program or just download the mp3 from the Podcasts page. What could be easier!

In a move that will cause ripples of shockwaves around the prog and pop worlds alike today, Frost* superman Jem Godfrey has decided to put his Frost* supergroup back on the top shelf of the freezer.

Jem says "It is with great regret that I have to announce that Frost* are calling it a day for now.

Increasing time, financial and commitment levels have decreed that I'm no longer able to give Frost* the attention it was starting to require and, as such, I have made the decision to suspend the project indefinitely. With my professional music career entering a new and significantly more demanding phase, the imminent arrival of my second child and the hours in the day being limited to just 24 on this planet, Frost* has had to be the sacrificial lamb or else I’ll die much earlier than I’m planning to.

The remaining 4 gigs will still go ahead as planned. "

For more details on this, check the Frost* forum at http://www.frost-music.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=237

Don't Forget : Season's End

IQ's Peter Nicholls emailed us on Friday to tell us to remind you all that British Summer Time, or Daylight Saving Time as foreigners call it, ends on Sunday at 3am. "Don't be caught in The Darkest Hour on Sunday" says Pete, "Remember at the right time, go back to Zero Hour. Don't be like Fish, the Clock doesn't Move Sideways, you silly Scotsman. It goes Back!"

So how can you spend your bonus hour? Pete has some suggestions for you:

• Spend a lazy hour in bed
• Get up early and do that bit of DIY you've been putting off
• Wash the car and peel the potatoes
• Take it early, and spend an extra hour clubbing
• Get up before your lazy neighbours and throw all the cat excrement from your garden into theirs!
• Give your missus an extra one, maybe up the backdoor!

Fish

Fish's gig in Lisbon on November 11th will be webcast by Portal Lisboa Jovem (LxJovem.pt). The webcast will start at 21:15 (GMT) and finish at the end of the gig. The concert will be broadcast in audio/video in accessible scalable technology so that all users can watch with the quality corresponding to their internet connection speed.

More details at LxJovem (in Portugese)

In a recent news article, we printed the incorrect MySpace address for Spanish proggers RC2. Their real addresses is www.myspace.com/rc2prog . This is the address to go to to purchase your special collectors edition of their CD & DVD Live In Barcelona. The special combination costs just 15 Euro, while you can also buy the standard version of the album, as well as their recommended "Prog & Proud" t-shirts!

The DVD contains the following live tracks:
1. Nada
2. Sombras
3. Fría
4. Gira la Tierra
5. Soledad
6. Se Pierde el Sol

+ Plus the video clip for Joroprog and a slide show

The band play the Sala Apolo in Barcelona, Spain on Saturday 4 November.

Steve Thorne

Southampton progger Steve Thorne sent us this update on his forthcoming Emotional Creatures Pt 2 album

"The album is sort of half finished, 5 more tracks to mix. This one's got a lot going on, like a full String section on two tracks. I've paired up Tony Levin with Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree on a track and that's my current favourite right now. The rest of the drumming is Nick D'Virgilio who has played some incredible stuff."

Steve is looking forward to playing at the Marillion Convention in Holland next year, and is "well excited" about supporting It Bites on their It Bites Back tour in November!

Crimson Sky

Martin from Bristol Proggers Crimson Sky emailed us to say that the band were very excited to be playing in next years Frome Prog Fest 2007 along with Magenta, The Pineapple Thief and The Electric Soup.

The Festival will be held at the Cheese & Grain in Frome on Sunday May 13th.

Times and running orders and ticket prices are still to be confirmed.

Singer Nancy (right) recently thanked those people who had left such great feedback on the bands website and MySpace pages, and also to all the people who have visited her web site at www.nancyjackson.co.uk

The first two come at the recommendation of Wee Alan from Aberdeenshire, who has pointed us in the direction of Pallas and Frost* doing their "version" of Deep Purple's Black Night at their recent gig in Frankfurt. Click on http://youtube.com/watch?v=TMJn0cNXWeU to see this. He also recommends this ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=Daw3-O0Ru08 ) vid of those Pallas boys covering DP's Highway Star at ROSFest this year

And another top-notch link came in from Dave who gave us Twelfth Night (with Andy Sears) doing The Ceiling Speaks at The Marquee. See that here : http://youtube.com/watch?v=R2FQfpH2vco

Don't forget, we need your help with this, so email your suggestions to silhobbit@silhobbit.com

In a recent news article, we stated that Ardency and Crimson Sky would be playing at The Cartoon on Saturday 27 January 2008. This is obviously incorrect. The correct details are as follows:

The CompanyCroydon present Ardency and Crimson Sky at The Cartoon, Croydon on Saturday 27 January 2007

Sorry for any incontinence caused.

Our correspondant Pasi tells us:

"The gig PRESENCE played at Afraka Festival last summer was filmed by a fan (one camera only was used). There are four excerpts to be downloaded at www.sophyabaccini.com/videoafraka.html"

Thanks again, Pasi

Mellotron Overdrive

The new official Mellotron Overdrive website is finally up and running and can be found at www.mellotronoverdrive.co.uk

The site has the latest Mellotron Overdrive news, rare demo mp3s, gig dates a forum, and more. They say that they'll be running some "very cool competitions" over the coming months on the site.

The band have recently been signed to emerging label Weightlight Records, and will be putting out a limited edition debut The Inquasionable EP next January. They also have a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/mellotronoverdrive 

Something strange is happening for BLACK WIDOW. First, their former guitarist John Culley (also ex-CRESSIDA) suddenly contacted Clive Jones after 33 years! Now Redemption TV is doing a documentary called "Black Magic In Rock" (it should be aired around Christmas). Kip Trevor (vocals, pictured here in 1970) has been interviewed and this week Redemption crew will do an interview of Clive Jones (sax/flute).

It has been reported that a new Black Widow project (the first one for 33 years) is going on fine!

Thanks again to Pasi for this news.

ADVERTISMENT

Recently truncated Welsh proggers Bliszko have just stepped in at the last minute to play at The Hornblower in Newport on Friday 27th October (that's this Friday, hence the 'last minute' comment). The pub is Gooner Jons' local, so you know what that means. Yeah, he'll be late.

The band'll be recording their first release, a three track single, featuring Capuchin, Slip and Hometime, during November and December at the Longwave Studios.

Find out more about them at www.myspace.com/bliszko and at www.bliszko.com too!

They also have the following gigs on the horizon

Thursday 23 November - The Windsor Club, Neath
Friday 24 November - Buffalo Bar, Cardiff (with Jump)

The Cartoon, Croydon

The Cartoon in Croydon is fast turning into a progressive rock hotbed of prog! After a wonderful turn-out last Friday for the Darwin's Radio, Sphere³ and The Resonance Association gig, CompanyCroydon presents Silhobbit favourites Ardency and Crimson Sky at The Cartoon on Saturday 27 January 2008.

The fun starts at 8 and it's only £6 to get in!

If you're unsure, we've just reviewed Ardency's Dear Human CD here and we reviewed Crimson Sky's Only Love EP back here

Pendragon

Pendragon old-boys John 'Barney' Barnfield, Rik Carter and Julian Baker will be joining the current line-up on the bands 3 date European tour in November, as well as at the Jewel 21st Anniversary gigs. These other gigs won't be Jewel gigs, but expect a higher-than-average smattering of the older tunes!

Saturday 28 November - Riff's Bar, Hook, Swindon (with Neo)
Tuesday 31 October - Theatr Wyspinaskiego, Katowice, Poland (with Neo)
Thursday 9 November - Salle Doumer, Lille, France (with Machiavel)
Friday 10 November - Plato, Helmond, Holland
Saturday 11 November - pROCKfest, Bunde, Germany (with The Watch and Flamborough Head)

Chiltern proggers Touchstone are getting excited about their forthcoming gig in Rotherham. Originally they were supposed to be supporting Kino, but, in a bizarre twist, they will now be supporting the recently reformed It Bites. Long time It Bites fan Paul Moorghen from the band was literally gob-smacked when he heard the news, and went around all his mates at 3 am telling them the news. Their recently released Mad Hatters EP got a great review here, and we can't wait to chatch them live.

The band are also playing the following shows:

Friday 10 November - The Waterfront, Tamworth
Friday 24 November - The Point, Cardiff (with Magenta)
Saturday 2 December - Oakwood Centre, Rotherham (with It Bites)
Sunday 20 January - The Alban Arena, St Albans
Saturday 17 March - The Riga, Southend (with The Reasoning)

Panic Room, the band formed from the embers of the progging Karnataka, have been beavering away hard in the studio, and are now mixing their debut. Jon (left, with Anne-Marie and Tiddles) from the band tells us they they hope to some tracks up on their MySpace page soon, and their own website, at www.panicroom.org.uk, will be coming soon.

The Pineapple Thief

Yeovil based Pineapple Thief will be officially releasing their new album Little Man on November 27, but there may be a few copies kicking round already, so chance your arm at www.pineapplethief.com .

The band will also be headlining at the Fiddlers Club in Bristol, on Saturday 4 November, where they'll be selling and signing copies of the new album, and also hope to have some exclusive merchandise on offer there too. Tickets are only £5, from the bands website, TicketMaster or even on the door (they recommend you email them first at info@pineapplethief.com )

Also check out the bands MySpace page at www.myspace.com/thepineapplethief

Silhobbit's world famous podcasts were mentioned in an article in Britains leading current affairs weekly magazine, New Statesman. Reporter Rachel Cooke, speculating on the demise of the Marillion t-shirt, discovered us while exploring podcasts on the iTunes store.

If anyone is interested, the article can be read here, or at the New Statesman site, though you do have to pay some extortionate fee for the privilege!

Interestingly, since the artice was published, the quality of our spam email has gone up. No more cheap herbal Viagra for us, now it's all genuine Rolex, Jaeger, Chanel etc. We'll be getting the vegetarian caviar in later!

In another ground-breaking first for Silhobbit.com, we will be starting a YouTube Of The Week bit. We've already shown you an old Pendragon video, and Coheed and Cambria's Final Cut video, so we're looking for YOUR input into this section! Email your suggestions to silhobbit@silhobbit.com

To kick the ball rolling, this weeks selection has been sent by Porcupine Tree fan Richard of Hemel Hempstead. Check out this version of Shesmovedon at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgxZA5dEDYc

Karda Estra

Atmospheric Swindon Proggers (that's the music being atmospheric, not Swindon) Karda Estra, led by Richard Wileman, are working on a new album to be released hopefully next year. Work has begun on three new instrumental pieces of music - Terra Nova, Atom Of Warmth and Life Drawing. The first sessions included new instrumentalist Louise Hirst on trumpet, long term vocalist Ileesha Bailey on wordless choral vocals and Helen Dearnley (right) on violin. More sessions are planned and Richard hopes that an album can be completed by next year. Wanting to try out some new experiments, expect more emphasis on rhythm than previous Karda Estra albums. Richard is also considering the possibility of one or two cover versions from the long wish-list he has built up over the years. Photos of the new sessions can be seen here: www.estra.freeserve.co.uk/recording06

The Karda Estra album In The Age Of Science And Enlightedment has been nominated in three categories - The Best Foreign Record, Best Recording and Best Artwork in the awards organised by Italian website www.progawards.it

A new track, The Alpha And The Omega, will appear on a new Cyclops Sampler compilation album due at the end of the year. The piece is around 7 minutes long and features Richard on all instruments except Ileesha on vocals, Helen on violin and Zoe on flute, alto & soprano saxophones and clarinet. See www.gft-cyclops.co.uk for more info.

Further Karda Estra information, free mp3's and new messageboard can be found at www.kardaestra.co.uk

Congratulations to Silhobbit contributor Craig Rowand who this week won a pair of tickets to see Rock Princess Nerina Pallot play a special show at the BBC studio's in Maida Vale, London on October 31st. The show will be recorded and played on the Janice Long show that evening.

Part-time Threshold roadie Trevor Raggett also won a pair of tickets too.

Don't forget the great F2 Records gig at the Robin 2 in Bilston, scene of the wonderful Summer's End festival recently.

The gig features F2 bands Magenta, Credo and Ezra (right) in what is sure to be a cracking night of Silhobbit-recommended prog!. Tickets are available from www.therobin.co.uk and are selling fast, so get your's today!

Welsh proggers Ezra will also play the following shows:

Friday November 17 - The High Tide, Porthcawl
Sunday November 26 - The Robin, Bilston (with Magenta and Credo)
Friday March 23 - Blackwood Miners Institute, Blackwood, South Wales
Saturday April 28 - Heringthorpe Leisure Centre, Rotherham

Dead Like Harry

Following the success of both the debut album, Stories From The Cellar, and the UK tour with The Strawbs, Sheffield folk-pop proggers Dead Like Harry are set to release their new album on December 17th at the Boardwalk in Sheffield.

They have been recording their new album with acclaimed producer Alan Smyth (Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Richard Hawley). Songs on the album include crowd favourites Lake Geneva and Watching Your Eyes, and show a development in Dead Like Harry's sound.

Although the album is "officially" released on December 17th an exciting pre-order offer will be available from November 1st. The first 50 pre-orders will all receive a limited edition Dead Like Harry photo signed by all the band and a chance to listen to the album before the release at the Boardwalk. Pre-ordered albums will be dispatched the week commencing 4th December.

To pre-order your album and to buy tickets for the launch party visit the shop at www.deadlikeharry.co.uk

Dead Like Harry are playing the following gigs:

Wednesday November 15 - Limelight Club, Crewe (with Strangefish)
Sunday December 17 - The Boardwalk, Sheffield
Saturday May 5 - Herringthorpe Leisure Centre, Rotherham

Work on the follow-up to Mermaid Kiss' Salt On Skin EP, possibly still entitled "Aquamarine", is coming on well, with the music written and for the most part recorded, while Evelyn Downing and Kate Belcher (right) are now laying down their vocal parts.

The album is looking like a 12 song, 60 minute classic, with the following track list:

Prelude
Walk Beneath A Different Sky
A Far Cry
Dark Cover
Shadow Girl
Nowhere To Hide
Siren Song
A Sea Change
   (a)   The Lighthouse
   (b)   The Running Tide
   (c)   In Deep
   (d)   [untitled as yet!]
Ocean Lullaby
This Quiet Earth
Crayola Skies
Qway-Lin (The City Of Clouds)

Their previous CD's - The Mermaid Kiss Album & Salt On Skin are both available through iTunes and Amazon, as well as at the wonderful www.SonicBond.com, where you can also here samples of some of the tracks.

Check out the Mermaid Kiss website at www.mermaidkiss.co.uk and at www.myspace.com/mermaidkissuk

The Uxbridge Drummer agrees with Silhobbit's controversial Charlie O'Mara's opinions regarding whether women should be allowed to wear headscarf's.

"Women must remember that blokes like to see what it underneath the scarf and must be the basic right of a man to see what is on offer" he said.

But Silhobbit's very own Gay Gordon disagreed stating that "What anyone wants to wear is down to individual choice. If IQ's Martin Orford wants to wear a dress it should be his decision and not down to readers of pathetic papers like the Daily Express and Daily Mail"

Cover Up
Women, such as Simone Kaye (left) choose to wear veils and scarves to retain their modesty, and not to appear as sex objects.

Crimson Sky

We reckon that Cider-proggers Crimson Sky could be the nextbigthing. Their superb musicianship and excellent live and studio sound has led to a growing international following. The band are playing tonight at the Old Tavern in Stapleton, Bristol, then play the following FREE gigs:

Saturday 17th November - The Bunch Of Grapes, Bristol
Friday 7th December - The Griffin, Frome

Check their webbies at www.mleamon.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk and www.myspace.com/crimsonskybristol

Coheed and Cambria

Coheed and Cambria's legendary Final Cut home made video has been put up onto YouTube for us all to see.

This has an 18 rating, so be sure to make sure that there is a responsible adult around, and ask your mum's and dads first. Remember, be careful with scissors.

Go to  youtube.com/watch to watch it!

Steven Wilson

Now available from Headphone Dust Mail Order is Bass Communion vs Muslimgauze, a reissue of Bass Communion's collaborations with the late Bryn Jones of Muslimgauze. The sessions were originally issued as a full length album and a CD EP, shortly after Bryn's untimely death in 1998, but have long been out of print.

This new reissue on Soleilmoon includes all the music from both releases, on a single disc housed in a 6-panel digipack with revised Steven Wilson sleeve notes.

Also, the Deadwing film, which has been in the top ten most watched video's on MySpace, still needs YOUR VOTE to help beat useless Brummy has-beens like Duran Duran. Do the right thing and vote for them by clicking on this Vote For Deadwing link, as often as you are allowed. You can even add them as your friend by going to www.myspace.com/deadwing. I would, as Pele said.

ACT to play Subtacto Festival

Swedish proggers ACT have been confirmed as the first foreign band to play at the Norwegian Subtacto Festival next summer. As we've already told you, ACT released their CD Silence earlier this autumn and it reached 4 in the Swedish Album charts.

The Subtacto Progfest 2007 will be held at Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway, on Saturday 4 August 2007

Moonlight

Polish experimental proggers Moonlight have rescheduled the release of their new CD Integrated Into The System Of Guilt to the 27th November on the Metal Mind Production label.

Guitarist Andrzej Kutys says: "The album is heavy and powerful but also lyrical, psychedelic and disco-like; it is full of noises as well as beautiful melodies… The songs interleave, thus  creating a musical whole. Also, you are in for a big surprise as, for the first time in the band's history, we have a guest on the album! Adam Sypula from Ctrl-Alt-Del joined Maja on vocals in one track. In our opinion, it is the best Moonlight album."

Check out Moonlight at www.moonlight.art.pl and www.myspace.com/moonlightpoland

Littlethommie writes about: Hibernation

I've stopped hibernating, because some news is urgent, more urgent than sleeping. It's about US Americans ProgRock bands Timothy Pure & Under The Sun. These guys have been hibernating for over 5 years now, and their website, www.timothypure.com, says that they are continuing their sleeping for an unknown time. After visiting them in the Rocky Mountains, I also found out that they were hibernating together with USA prog sensation Under The Sun. As they were sleeping I could get no comment of both bands why they did this.

So last May, when visiting them, I decided to have a go myself. And i must say it's a good way of living, very recommendable to all of you. But 5 months is long enough for me. There were exciting things there as well. A lot of new songs on paper and on tape, but they somehow got snowed under. So no chance in the near future that these guys release an Album.(sadly).

Also a some more spectacular found in this 12,000 Feet high Cave was very interesting. Far in the back of this cave I found a very deep sleeping Roger Wilson.

Who? Yes the brother of Steven.

So finally found him after almost 10 months of searching. Lucky for us he will be there for a long time. A note on his breast said "Don't wake me before 2010".

So lets keep him there.

Here ends this fascinating news about prog and hibernating.

Littlethommie

Crimson Sky

Congratulations to Martin Leamon and the rest of the Crimson Sky crue, including singer Nancy (left) for becoming the first band to donate some of their hard earned prog-dosh to help keep Silhobbit.com alive n kicking!

Crimson Sky play at the Old Tavern in Stapleton, Bristol this Saturday 21st October at 9pm. It's free to enter, so all you Bristolians should wander over there and show your support!

Spanish based proggers RC2 have announced a special collectors edition of their CD & DVD Live In Barcelona. The special combination costs just 15 Euro from their MySpace page ( www.myspace.com.rc2prog ) where you can also buy the standard version of the album, as well as their recommended "Prog & Proud" t-shirts!

The DVD contains the following live tracks:
1. Nada
2. Sombras
3. Fría
4. Gira la Tierra
5. Soledad
6. Se Pierde el Sol

+ Plus the video clip for Joroprog and a slide show

The band play the Sala Apolo in Barcelona, Spain on Saturday 4 November.

Kyrbgrinder, the baby of Threshold drummer Johanne Carling will be playing at the First Floor Club in Derby on Saturday 28th October, supporting Johnny Truant. Also on the bill are Symphony of Pain and Headspeed.

Polish label Metal Mind Productions, who have just released the new Pendragon and Galahad DVD's, have created a profile for themselves at YouTube. They currently have 5 videos up there, and promise to get some more soon

Visit them at www.youtube.com/user/MetalMindPoland

They also have a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/metalmindproductions

On their YouTube site, at the moment you can see:

Anathema - Fragile Dreams (live) from A Moment in Time DVD
Pendragon - As Good As Gold (live) from A Now Everybody To The Stage DVD
Galahad - Termination (live) from Resonance - Live In Poland DVD
Landmarq - Timeline (live) from Resonance - Live in Poland DVD
Darzamat - The Burning Times (promo video) from Transkarpatia CD

Well, either you were there, or you wanted to be there. And now, you can buy the commerative tee-shirt no matter what you did that weekend! Available in a variety of colours (White, white, white, white and white) and sizes (Alan Reed, Medium, Jem Godfrey, Graeme Murray, Steve Rothery) as well as Small, Medium and Large women's, they feature the award winning "Summer's End" logo on the front, with a list of the bands on the back.

They're only on sale until the 2nd November, when all remaining stocks will be taken to a remote forest in Sweden and burned, and cost £15.50.

Get yours by clicking this link

Jump's gig at Prouds Gallery, in London on the 29th October has been cancelled, due to the venue being filled with "10,000 Mouldy Apples", probably.

On the plus side, Jump will be acoustically supporting former tash wearing Midge Ure at The Robin 2 in Bilston on Tuesday 14th November.

Work is progressing on The Reasoning's debut album, which will be mixed and produced by Marillion master knob-twiddler Dave Meegan. It is hoped that the CD will be released in February - with the bands gig at the Point in Cardiff on the 24th February being the official Lunch Party!

Album pre-orders are still taking place. You can order yours by emailing the band at this address: info@thereasoning.com with your details. Preorder cost is about £8.99 for most of you, check the details at their websnite www.thereasoning.com (new version going LIVE! in November)

A.C.T.

Swedish proggers ACT's new album Silence is still doing well in the Swedish Ginza Album charts, where it's now up to number 4, and it's number twos in the Rock charts, just below Evanescence's Open Door (right) . Their previous album, Last Epic, has also gone into the Top 15 on the Rock Charts!

It Bites

Just a quicky to say that the MySpace page at www.myspace.com/itbites is now the OFFICIAL It Bites MySpace page. So bugger off over there and join them - they only have 346 friends!

Following the rave reviews posted after their debut show supporting Buck's proggers Jump a fourteen-night ago, Clive Nolan and Polish beauty Agneiszka Swita again don their Caamora cloaks and hit the stage together in trans-european togetherness. This time, they'll be playing a 2 hour show at the Greyhound Inn in Wargrave, Reading. This will be on Saturday November 4.

As previously reported, the pair are currently working on a musical version of H Rider Haggard's novel She. They've also produced an interim EP entitleded Closer, featuring some Caamora tracks, as well as reworkings of Shanylads and Stranglers On A Train songs.

On their website, www.caamora.net you can read all about it for yourselves, and even look at some pictures, including some taken during the recording of the EP, with The Boy Edwards, John 'John' Jowitt and Mark 'Pimp my Pimp UK' Westwood all doing their things.

Don't miss it, or else you'll have to catch them supporting Galahad later on in the month. Which we'll be doing as well anyway, as should you, all of you.

Saturday 4 November - Greyound Inn, Wargrave, Reading
Tuesday 14 November - Riff's Bar, Swindon (with Galahad)
Thursday 16 November - Zentrum Altenberg, Oberhausen, Germany (with Galahad)
Friday 17 November - Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Hollandia (with Galahad)
Sunday 19 November - Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belguim (with Galahad)
Monday 20 November - Bergkeller, Reichenbach, Germania (with Galahad)
Tuesday 21 November - Cafe Central, Weinheim, Germany (with Galahad)
Saturday 25 November - La Batuta, Santiago, Chile
Sunday 26 November - Havana, Concepcion, Chile
Wednesday 29 November - Bar 7, Santiago, Chile
Friday 1 December - Teatro Bauen, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Saturday 2 Devember - Sinfoprog La Plata, La Plata, Argentina

The guys at SonicBond are currently taking pre-orders on Spock's Beard's new album, Spock's Beard, which, by all reports, is a return to the classic Neal Morse sound of the band. You can pre-order your copy, for just £12.99 by clicking here. The album is due out on November 17th.

They are also taking pre-orders on Yes drummer Alan White's new project White, which features Geoff Downes on keyboards. This is due on on November 3, and you can order your copy here.

You can also get Tim Burness's classic Finding New Ways To Love CD for just £8.99 by hitting this.

Charlie O'Mara and Gay Gordon present: Proggy Style 6

DJ's Charlie and Gordon gob on about hospital closures and stuff while playing the best progressive rock music around.

Tracks played this time are: Porcupine Tree - Trains, It Bites - Ice Melts Into Water, Riverside - Artificial Smile, Cliff Orsi - Aerial Perspective, Twelfth Night - Love Song, Yes - Roundabout.

Subscribe at Podcast Alley or by adding the link below into your podcatching program or just download the mp3 from the Podcasts page. What could be easier!

Magenta have confirmed that they will be playing at NEARFest next year. The Welsh wonders join Pure Reason Revolution, La Maschera di Cera, NeBeLNeST, Indukti and IZZ as the confirmed acts so far.

The festival takes place on June 23 & 24 2007, at the Zoellner Arts Centre, Bethlehem, PA, USA. Tickets don't go on sale until March, so there's loads of time for you to save up, and maybe donate some prog-dosh our way so we can go along too! See www.nearfest.com for more fun and games!

The band have also set up a Fan Page where registered progfolk will be able to access exclusive downloads, pictures, videos and newsletters.

Magenta's upcoming gigs are

Friday 24 November - The Point, Cardiff (with Touchstone)
Sunday 26 November - Robin 2 Biolston (with Credo & Ezra)
Saturday 28 April 2007 - Herringthorpe, Rotherham (with Ezra)