The progressive music community is buzzing with the release of a new live double CD by prog-rock legends Nektar called 'Fortyfied'. Celebrating their 40th Anniversary, Nektar's contribution over the past 40 years has quite rightly earned them their place in any 'Progressive Rock Hall of Fame'. But the band is much more than a 'Prog Legend', the Nektar brand of innovative composition, performance and visuals is simply unique. Recorded on their 2008 tour of Europe, 'Fortyfied' is released on the band's own label Treaclemusic and features many beloved Nektar classics such as "Tab In The Ocean", "Recycled pt.1", "Man In The Moon" and part two of the group's classic "Remember The Future".
The Nektar story is a remarkable one. A British rock band that found stardom and major success in Germany and the USA, yet failed to make the significant breakthrough in their own country. With three gold albums under their belt ("Remember The Future", "Down To Earth" and "Recycled"), Nektar produced some of the most original work of the seventies and eighties. In virtuoso guitarist Roye Albrighton Nektar had a charismatic front man who had shared a stage with Jimi Hendrix, in Allan "Taff" Freeman a unique keyboard player, in Derek "Mo" Moore a bass playing powerhouse and in Ron Howden a fluidity rarely found in a drummer. Fifth member Mick Brockett was not a musician, but was responsible for one of the most stunning light and visual shows ever to grace the rock stage. Nektar's history appeared to have been written when they finally split in the eighties. Despite attempts to re-kindle the flame, the Nektar light, it seemed was out...until that is, the year 2000. The new millenium saw the long awaited reunion tour of the classic line-up, to rave reviews and fantastic receptions. The light we thought was out, had in fact been kept aglow - by loyal fans across the globe! "It's pretty timeless music," says Roye Albrighton, "and what I'm hearing from most of the new, younger fans that are now coming to our shows, is that it's like going back in time. They are starting to really discover music again, which, of course, is a great relief to us and some of the older bands from our time."
An American tour in September 2004 saw Taff Freeman depart the band for personal reasons and his successor, Hammond virtuoso Tom Hughes, instantly earning a place in the hearts of the Nektar faithful. With continued concert dates, along with the remastering of the remainder of the Nektar back catalogue on CD, this legendary band has become once more a proud force to be reckoned with in the world of progressive music. In 2007 Nektar truly took over their own management, procured their official website as their own, entirely under their control and went on a 22-date tour of Germany. Joining Roye and Ron was Peter Pichl on 5-string bass and Klaus Henatsch on keyboards, these two new members from the rock 'n roll city of Hanover, Germany, seemed to gel from the outset and now, along with the release of the critically acclaimed CD 'Book of Days' in 2008 and the new live DBL CD 'Fortyfied', Nektar looks set to make its mark once again.
Much to the elation of US Nektar fans, the band is scheduled to play three special engagements in America:
May 1, 2009 (Friday) - Philadelphia, PA - Keswick Theater
May 2, 2009 (Saturday) - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
May 3, 2009 (Sunday) - Rosfest (end of Rosfest special acoustic/electric show)
May 4, 2009 (Monday) - New York, NY - Concert Hall NYC
As far as future plans for Nektar: "To make more music, and to experiment more in different ways...an orchestrated version of 'Journey' is not unlikely, but we'll see," says Roye. "I am also working on a new solo album, but this will take some time to finish, Nektar is taking up a lot of my time at the moment." An acoustic Nektar tour is also in the works.
NektarMusic.com
Paul McCartney - Live Webcast
One iconic brand. One legendary music festival. Three days of amazing music from an all-star line-up of performers! There’s just one question:Are you ready for the 2009 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival?
From April 17-19, AT&T Music will rock computer screens from coast-to-coast with a daily live stream of a variety of artists performing at Coachella 2009. The complete performance lineup for the live webcast will soon be available at music.att.net and will include Paul McCartney, The Killers, The Cure, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, M.I.A and many, many more. Select archived performances also will be made available on AT&T Music, on AT&T U-verseSM TV and through CV on AT&T* wireless devices following the festival.
Rock legend Paul McCartney will be the headlining act on Friday, April 17. AT&T will exclusively stream 45 minutes of his performance live at AT&T Music and on select wireless handsets of AT&T customers via MobiTV and MobiVJ. AT&T wireless customers with a compatible handset can get a link to download MobiTV on their mobile phones by texting “TV” to 386 (standard text and data messaging charges apply). Or, customers can visit AT&T MEdia Mall from their handsets or online at www.att.com/mediamall to download MobiTV or MobiVJ. All fans can watch the video online at music.att.net.
“We strive to bring consumers innovative opportunities to experience their favorite music festivals when they want, where they want and how they want,” said Dan York, executive vice president of content and programming, AT&T Converged Services. “Through our agreement with Coachella, we’re delivering on our promise to connect consumers with their world, everywhere they live and work.”
Festival goers can visit the “Cool Down and Charge Up with AT&T” tent where they can interact with new technology and applications, recharge their cell phones, have photos taken by AT&T Mobile photo squids and preview and purchase the most popular ringtones, Answer Tones™ and full tracks through MEdia Mall.
The live broadband video stream utilizes AT&T Intelligent Content DistributionSM – a network-based Content Delivery Network (CDN) service that replicates information across the Internet. For more information, visit www.att.com/icds.
AT&T Music was launched in December 2008 to help deliver a more integrated consumer experience and expose music content to the approximately 11 million users of the ATT.net Internet portal. The portal offers exclusive access to the latest news, weather, Yahoo search capabilities, sports and entertainment content. For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com.
Labels: Classic Rock, Rock 'n' Roll,
Paul McCartney
Flipper Set To Release New Albums
Flipper, the seminal punk and original grunge band from San Francisco, simply refuses to die. Despite death, debilitating injury, and departures of former members, the band plays on.
The most recent set back was the departure of Krist Novoselic, who joined the band in December of 2006 for a tour of the UK. At that time, he replaced Bruno DeSmartass who left the band a few months earlier. Novoselic spent about two years with Flipper, playing shows and recording an album of new material as well as a live album. He ultimately gave notice, after deciding the tour grind was no longer in the cards for him.
So once again, Flipper had to take a step back and regroup. This time around the band enlisted Rachel Thoele, formerly of Frightwig, Mudwomen and Van Gough’s Daughter. Along with the three original members, Bruce Loose, Steve Depace, and Ted Falconi, the band is once again road ready.
The two new albums are being released on May 19th. Jack Endino co-produced both albums. The studio offering is entitled Love and the live album is called Fight.
On Mar 17, 2009, at 9:04 AM, Steve DePace wrote:
“Krist, I got a call from Jack last night and he approves of the final result after mastering. Said it sounds great! You like?”
On Mar 17, 2009, at 9:13 AM, Krist Novoselic wrote:
“I don't like it - I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! It sounds awesome!!!!”
Flipper’s back catalog is also being made available for the first time in many years, as the band celebrates its 30 year anniversary.
Tours of Australia, Europe and the US are planned for this year.
myspace.com/flipper
War Tapes - New Album Sneak Peek & Gift Song!
Hello War Tapes fans!
You're invited to celebrate with us at the War Tapes' CD RELEASE PARTY on May 27 @ Club Moscow at Boardner's in Hollywood!
The band is working hard to make sure this will be one night you will NEVER forget. Stay tuned for details.
We're also happy to announce that War Tapes have been picked up for management by Marc Pollack, who manages marquee acts including Filter, and has worked with such other artists as Kelly Clarkson, Korn, Snoop Dogg and Stone Temple Pilots. Needless to say, we are very very excited to have Marc join our family!
In other news, be sure to check out War Tapes' revamped MySpace page each week for a newly posted sample song from the upcoming album "The Continental Divide." Now up is the world premier of "Night Unfolds!" Also, grab the newly remixed and remastered version of "Dreaming of You."
In other, other news, the band called their rooftop performance at South by Southwest a “life changing experience.” (Yes, that’s right – they played on the roof of American Apparel in Austin, TX, just like The Beatles, but not in England. And they weren’t kicked off by cops.)
That’s it for now! We’ll check back soon with more news, photos, links, downloads, candy, treasures, news, candy, news, and more news very soon!
Happy spring, fellow fans!
- The Sarathan Team -
Witness War Tapes at these shows:
Apr 7 2009 10:00P
WASTED SPACE @ HARD ROCK CASINO/HOTEL
Las Vegas, Nevada
May 2 2009 11:00P
DOWNTOWN 81
Downtown LA, California
May 27 2009 8:00P
CD RELEASE PARTY!
CLUB MOSCOW - 18+
Hollywood, California
You're invited to celebrate with us at the War Tapes' CD RELEASE PARTY on May 27 @ Club Moscow at Boardner's in Hollywood!
The band is working hard to make sure this will be one night you will NEVER forget. Stay tuned for details.
We're also happy to announce that War Tapes have been picked up for management by Marc Pollack, who manages marquee acts including Filter, and has worked with such other artists as Kelly Clarkson, Korn, Snoop Dogg and Stone Temple Pilots. Needless to say, we are very very excited to have Marc join our family!
In other news, be sure to check out War Tapes' revamped MySpace page each week for a newly posted sample song from the upcoming album "The Continental Divide." Now up is the world premier of "Night Unfolds!" Also, grab the newly remixed and remastered version of "Dreaming of You."
In other, other news, the band called their rooftop performance at South by Southwest a “life changing experience.” (Yes, that’s right – they played on the roof of American Apparel in Austin, TX, just like The Beatles, but not in England. And they weren’t kicked off by cops.)
That’s it for now! We’ll check back soon with more news, photos, links, downloads, candy, treasures, news, candy, news, and more news very soon!
Happy spring, fellow fans!
- The Sarathan Team -
Witness War Tapes at these shows:
Apr 7 2009 10:00P
WASTED SPACE @ HARD ROCK CASINO/HOTEL
Las Vegas, Nevada
May 2 2009 11:00P
DOWNTOWN 81
Downtown LA, California
May 27 2009 8:00P
CD RELEASE PARTY!
CLUB MOSCOW - 18+
Hollywood, California
Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music
Fifteen years after Kurt Cobain's suicide on April 5th, 1994, comes the
authoritative story of grunge. 'Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of
Seattle Rock Music' (released April 1, 2009, via ECW Press) by Greg
Prato is the definitive story of the Pacific Northwest music scene of
the late '80s and early '90s. Never before has a book attempted to
examine the scene as a whole. Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament says,
"Finally, a book about the early years of our little scene in
Seattle. I can't wait to hear all the different perspectives from
the people that were actually there, not the so-called experts, who
didn't show up until the '90s."
Prato will sign copies of his new book at The Book Revue in
Huntington, NY on Wednesday, April 8 at 7pm (313 New York Ave), and
also at Easy Street Records & Cafe in West Seattle on Saturday, April 25 at 6pm
4559 California Ave SW). These events are free and open to public (for
more information, visit Bookrevue.com and
EasyStreetOnline.com.
Taking the form of an oral history, Prato's tome contains over 130
original interviews conducted for the book over a three-year period.
No outside interviews are included and most of the interviews are
published here for the first time. Some of the original interviews include:
Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam singer
Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam/Mother Love Bone bassist
Kim Thayil, Soundgarden guitarist
Susan Silver, Soundgarden/Alice in Chains'manager, ex-wife of Chris Cornell
Duff McKagan, Guns N' Roses bassist
Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, Alice in Chains guitarist
and drummer
Nancy Layne McCallum, mother of late Alice in Chains
singer Layne Staley
Mark Arm, Mudhoney singer
Chad Channing, Nirvana drummer
Jack Endino, producer Nirvana/Soundgarden/Mudhoney
Charles Peterson, photographer
Bruce Pavitt & Jonathan Poneman, founders Sub Pop Records
'Grunge is Dead' begins with a retrospective of the '60s and '70s
that explains the rise of the Seattle music scene. Additionally, a large
number of previously unpublished photographs appear in color and
black and white throughout the book. The result is the complete
first-hand history of grunge. 'Grunge is Dead' will allow rock fans
to discover a unique chapter in music history, through the
experiences of the people who were actually there.
Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist whose writing
has appeared in All Music Guide, Classic Rock Magazine, and Goldmine Magazine, and is the author of the books 'A Devil on One Shoulder
and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind
Melon' and 'Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story.' He has
interviewed many noted rock musicians over the years, including
members of Rush, Kiss, Jane's Addiction, The Ramones, The Red Hot
Chili Peppers, and others.
authoritative story of grunge. 'Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of
Seattle Rock Music' (released April 1, 2009, via ECW Press) by Greg
Prato is the definitive story of the Pacific Northwest music scene of
the late '80s and early '90s. Never before has a book attempted to
examine the scene as a whole. Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament says,
"Finally, a book about the early years of our little scene in
Seattle. I can't wait to hear all the different perspectives from
the people that were actually there, not the so-called experts, who
didn't show up until the '90s."
Prato will sign copies of his new book at The Book Revue in
Huntington, NY on Wednesday, April 8 at 7pm (313 New York Ave), and
also at Easy Street Records & Cafe in West Seattle on Saturday, April 25 at 6pm
4559 California Ave SW). These events are free and open to public (for
more information, visit Bookrevue.com and
EasyStreetOnline.com.
Taking the form of an oral history, Prato's tome contains over 130
original interviews conducted for the book over a three-year period.
No outside interviews are included and most of the interviews are
published here for the first time. Some of the original interviews include:
Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam singer
Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam/Mother Love Bone bassist
Kim Thayil, Soundgarden guitarist
Susan Silver, Soundgarden/Alice in Chains'manager, ex-wife of Chris Cornell
Duff McKagan, Guns N' Roses bassist
Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, Alice in Chains guitarist
and drummer
Nancy Layne McCallum, mother of late Alice in Chains
singer Layne Staley
Mark Arm, Mudhoney singer
Chad Channing, Nirvana drummer
Jack Endino, producer Nirvana/Soundgarden/Mudhoney
Charles Peterson, photographer
Bruce Pavitt & Jonathan Poneman, founders Sub Pop Records
'Grunge is Dead' begins with a retrospective of the '60s and '70s
that explains the rise of the Seattle music scene. Additionally, a large
number of previously unpublished photographs appear in color and
black and white throughout the book. The result is the complete
first-hand history of grunge. 'Grunge is Dead' will allow rock fans
to discover a unique chapter in music history, through the
experiences of the people who were actually there.
Greg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist whose writing
has appeared in All Music Guide, Classic Rock Magazine, and Goldmine Magazine, and is the author of the books 'A Devil on One Shoulder
and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind
Melon' and 'Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story.' He has
interviewed many noted rock musicians over the years, including
members of Rush, Kiss, Jane's Addiction, The Ramones, The Red Hot
Chili Peppers, and others.
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