Melodic rockers ASIA change their line-up: drummer Chris Slade has left the band, replacement comes with Jay Schellen. Schellen had already contributed to the recordings of the last album "Silent Nation" and is known to progressive rock fans as collaborator of Chris Squire's and Billy Sherwood's Conspiracy band project. He is celebrating his live debut with Asia on a tour of Great Britain in November. Following the tour the band will enter the studio in order to record the successor of "Silent Nation". The album with the working title "Architect of Time" should be out in the first half year of 2006. www.asiaworld.org
At the end of September InsideOut Music will take over the distribution of the complete repertoire of the British reissue specialists of ECLECTIC DISCS. At the moment Eclectic's catalogue consists of about 40 albums released in high quality design, e.g. records by AUDIENCE, BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, CARAVAN, EAST OF EDEN, GILES, GILES & FRIPP, KHAN, MANDALABAND, and NEKTAR. The catalogue is permanently expanded. New releases, including a sumptuously designed 5 CD box by Barclay James Harvest, is announced for October and November. www.eclecticdiscs.com
New Artrockers RIVERSIDE have almost completed the work on their second longplayer "Second Life Syndrome". During concerts in Belgium and the Netherlands they will already play material from this record which will probably be out on 31st October. On November 19th the Polish band will be headliner of the "Eclipsed" festival at the Aschaffenburg venue Colos Saal. www.riverside.art.pl
You have heard singer JB as new SPIRITUAL BEGGARS frontman on the predecessor of their latest album "Demons". Unfortunately, in this new line-up the band had relatively made rare live appearances lately. One of those rare live gigs is immortalized on the DVD "Live Fire". It will be out at the end of October and documents a Beggars concert from the year 2003 in the London Club "Mean Fiddler" club. www.spiritualbeggars.com
Just in time to coincide with the second part of their "Octane" tour at the beginning of October the "new" SPOCK'S BEARD will have their first live live album out. The double album "Live in 2005 - Gluttons For Punishment" contains, apart from pieces of both albums with Nick D'Virgilio on the mike, "Octane" (2005) and "Feel Euphoria" (2003), highlights of the meanwhile legendary era with multi talented NEAL MORSE as well: classics such as "Harm's Way", "At The End Of The Day", and "The Light" are interpreted by original drummer D'Virgilio with such an ardour as if he had never done anything else. Another highlight is the "drummers' duel" between tour drummer Jimmy Keegan and Nick D'Virgilio. Since Keegan's collaboration this is a permanent part of every concert and it seems it will be really reach a similar cult status such as the crazy duets of Collins and Thompson of past Genesis concerts. www.spocksbeard.com
STREAM OF PASSION is the name of a new band project with gothic touch featuring an international line-up. The project was initiated by Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen from the Netherlands. Around Mexican female singer Marcela Bovio, known from Ayreon's latest album "The Human Equation", he gathered American lead guitarist Lori Linstruth, Mexican piano player Alejandro MillАn, Lucassen's countrymen Johan van Stratum (bass) and Davy Mickers (drums) as well as Lucassen himself on guitar. The debut album "Embrace The Storm" will not be out in September as originally planned but only at the end of October. www.streamofpassion.com
PETE TOWNSHEND will re-release big parts of his back catalogue on InsideOut's Reissue-Label Revisited Records in Europe. The series will start with the work compilation "Anthology" in October. +++ The new GURU GURU studio album "In the Guru Lounge" will be the forerunner of a series of eight reissues of the legendary Krautrockers around drumming dervish and "Elektrolurch" Mani Neumeier. "In The Guru Lounge", "Mani und seine Freunde", and "Moshi Moshi" will be out on October 17th. +++ Since the Seventies the much too often ignored FRANK MARINO is cultivating his partly psychedelic guitar rock which is characterized by long improvisations - and he does this on a level comparable to virtuoso artists such as Gallagher, Hendrix, or Stevie Ray Vaughan. In September a series of reissues with albums by Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush will start. +++ In November Revisited Records continues its KRAAN series with "Flyday", "Dancing In The Shade", and "Live 2001". www.guru-guru.com www.kraan.de www.mahoganyrush.com www.petetownshend.co.uk
------------ NEW RELEASES ------------
KINGS'S X: "Ogre Tones", RELEASE: September 26th SIEGES EVEN: "The Art Of Navigating By The Stars", RELEASE: September 26th SPOCK'S BEARD: "Live in 2005 - Gluttons For Punishment" (double CD), RELEASE: September 5th THE TEA PARTY: "Seven Circles", RELEASE: September 26th
------------- STILL CURRENT -------------
CARPTREE: "Man Made Machine", RELEASE: August 29th STRING CHEESE INCIDENT: "One Step Closer", RELEASE: August 29th
-------------- IN PREPARATION --------------
STEVE HOWE: "Homebrew 3", RELEASE: October 10th NEAL MORSE: "?" (yes, that's the title of this album), RELEASE: October 24th PALLAS: "The Dreams Of Men", RELEASE: October 24th RIVERSIDE: "Second Life Syndrome", RELEASE: October 31st SPIRITUAL BEGGARS: "Live Fire" (DVD), RELEASE: October 31st STREAM OF PASSION: "Embrace The Storm", RELEASE: October 24th
-------- RE-ISSUE --------
GURU GURU: "In The Guru Lounge", new studio album, RELEASE: October 17th GURU GURU: "Mani und seine Freunde", RELEASE: October 17th GURU GURU: "Moshi Moshi ", RELEASE: October 17th FRANK MARINO & MAHOGANY RUSH: "Full Circle", RELEASE: September 19th FRANK MARINO & MAHOGANY RUSH: "Eye Of The Storm", RELEASE: September 19th KRAAN: "Flyday", RELEASE: November KRAAN: "Dancing In The Shade", RELEASE: November KRAAN: "Live 2001", RELEASE: November PETE TOWNSHEND: "Anthology", RELEASE: October