Northeast Music Guide

ARMONITE SIGN WITH CLEOPATRA RECORDS New Album And The Stars Above released 25th May Armonite, the instrumental rock collective led by composer Paolo Fosso and violinist Jacopo Bigi, signed with LA-based indie label Cleopatra Records for the release of their new album, “And the Stars Above”. Armonite's instrumental music is perfectly in line with the spirit of the label, especially now that Cleopatra has expanded into the movie industry. With the film division Cleopatra Entertainment, the company has distributed, developed, and produced several films most of which have a strong horror and/or music component, including The Devil's Domain (starring Michael Madsen), The Black Room (starring Lin Shaye), Halloween Pussy Trap Kill! Kill! (featuring the voice of Dave Mustaine from Megadeth), The 27 Club (featuring Todd Rundgren), England Is Mine (Steven Morrissey bio-pic), A Street Cat Named Bob. “Working with Cleopatra has been great”, says Fosso, “They're sk...

Review: Wilson and Wakeman/Wakeman and Wilson..depends which one you ask! At Arts Centre Washington 01/02/2018 I didn’t know what to expect from this show and I wasn’t the only one, judging from other audience members at half time.  Adam Wakeman, the versatile keyboard player oft hidden behind a curtain at Black Sabbath gigs or onstage with Ozzy Osbourne as keyboard player and rhythm guitarist has a pretty epic musical career already. He’s worked with Annie Lennox, written with Ozzy, Atomic Kitten and been involved in prog projects with and without his dad Rick.  Damian Wilson, as well as working with Adam Wakeman in Headspace has been involved on over 70 studio albums both as a solo artist and collaborator. You can read my interview with Adam and Damian here . There was therefore a host of material to choose from for the setlist. There were three setlists on the stage and none of them were adhered to. It being the first night and some time since the pair had m...

INTERVIEW: Ahead of their UK Tour, Adam Wakeman and Damian Wilson talk to Mark Rawlings and Joanne Oliver  I decided to draft in my old school friend, Mark Rawlings as he had a penchant for the clever side of rock. I remember him being the first person I knew with an electric violin. Mark is now an astrophycist. Thank you Mark for your excellent questions.. MR : Having grown up in and around the music business, what are your thoughts on how it's changed over the years? Is it more "business" and less "music" these days? AW : Sadly, that's a sign of the times. When I was younger you'd get an album deal and advance payment. Nowadays you have to raise the money, be proactive with marketing, social media  and be a business manager as well as crafting your art as a musician. That said, I think it was a much bigger step since my dads days in the 70's. Personally, I like being more in control of what's going on and where every penny is...

Legendary prog-rockers CAMEL to play Tyne Theatre & Opera House in September 2018 Performing the whole of their 1976 album Moonmadness plus other classic tracks Following the recent announcement that legendary prog-rock band Camel will bring their acclaimed live show to London’s Royal Albert Hall in September 2018, the band are happy to reveal that this will be preceded by an extensive run of UK tour dates, including Newcastle’s Tyne Theatre & Opera House on Saturday 8th September. During what will be a very special run of shows – performed by Andrew Latimer (guitar, flute, vocals), Colin Bass (bass guitar, vocals), Denis Clement (drums), Peter Jones (keyboards, vocals) – the band will be playing the entirety of their 1976 album Moonmadness plus plenty of other classic tracks.  Upon release Moonmadness left its mark on the UK Top 20 albums chart, going on to become certified silver. In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story ...

Jethro Tull Announce 50th Anniversary Tour Newcastle City Hall Thursday 5 April 2018 It was on the 2nd of February 1968 at the world-famous Marquee Club in Wardour Street that Jethro Tull first performed under that name. The group would go on to become one of the most successful and enduring bands of their era, selling over 60 million albums worldwide and entering the cultural collective consciousness along the way. To celebrate this golden anniversary, Ian Anderson will present 50 years of Jethro Tull coming to Newcastle City Hall on Thu 5 Apr 2018. The debut album, This Was, was released later that same year.  Founder, frontman and flautist, Ian Anderson, is rightly credited with introducing the flute to rock as a front line instrument, not to mention the codpiece!  Jethro Tull are one of the biggest selling Progressive Rock artists of all time and their immense and diverse catalogue of work encompasses folk, blues, classical and heavy rock.  The an...

Prog rock pioneer Steve Hackett has announced the release Premonitions  - The Charisma Recordings 1975-1983 A comprehensive reissue project that includes his first 6 albums on the Charisma label, includes a wealth of previously unavailable recordings as well as remixes by Steven Wilson.  ‘Premonitions’ is released on 16th October by Universal Music Catalogue/Virgin.  Premonitions comes in a Super Deluxe box set featuring a total of 135 songs on 10 CDs and 4 DVDs (5.1 mixes), plus an extensive booklet; included in this version are 67 previously unreleased recordings between old and new tracks, live and remixes.   Tour Trailer “I'm pleased that Steven Wilson has done several new mixes in both surround and stereo” - Hackett has declared – “The box set will also contain a number of live shows from the era. I've enjoyed being involved with this comprehensive trip down memory lane. There's also a substantial booklet containing a lot of background ...

GENESIS REVISITED SOLD OUT HAMMERSMITH SHOW TO BE RELEASED ON CD & DVD TO COINCIDE WITH OCTOBER UK TOUR   See Steve Hackett at Newcastle City Hall     It takes a legend to bring a myth back to life. A unique treat for music fans worldwide, Steve Hackett’s critically acclaimed live production ‘Genesis Revisited’ has so far triumphed in Europe, Japan and North America alike and is still going strong; on May 10 th it celebrated its success at a sold out London’s Hammersmith Apollo with an ecstatic audience. Genesis Revisited – Live at Hammersmith - a unique performance with guests including Nik Kershaw, John Wetton, Jakko Jakszyk and Steve Rothery - will be released on October 21 st.   The 3CD+2DVD (with 5.1) box set, coincides with the return of Hackett’s Genesis Revisited Tour to the UK for a second round due to popular demand.   The pioneering guitarist comments:  "The 5.1 DVD with stereo CD out on 21st October includin...