Swiss Music Ensemble Sonar to Release New Live Album with Legendary Guest Guitarist

Recorded live at Moods Jazz Club, Zürich

Swiss music ensemble Sonar will be releasing their new live album “Live At Moods” with guest soloist/texturalist David Torn on November 16, 2018 on 7d Media. It was recorded live at Moods Jazz Club in Zürich, Switzerland, on May 24th 2018.

Fusing a rigorous minimal concept with the power of a rock band and the sensitivity of a jazz combo, Sonar have quickly gained international reputation for creating a unique blend of music. With their slow-build approach to dramaturgy and avoidance of conventional forms, they focus on collective group efforts and a deeper kind of interaction amongst their members Stephan Thelen (guitar), Bernhard Wagner (guitar), Christian Kuntner (electric bass) and Manuel Pasquinelli (drums). Sonar's music is complex but still visceral, hypnotic but still dynamic. The ground feels as though it's continuously shifting beneath your feet in opposing directions as multiple motifs and rhythms flit about your head, circulating in different orbits.

Sonar was formed in late 2010 and has been on tour in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, France, Romania, Liechtenstein and Austria. In 2012, they released their first CD A Flaw of Nature on Nik Bärtsch's Ronin Rhythm Records label. Cuneiform Records released their second full-length CD Static Motion in 2014. Their third album Black Light was recorded and mixed by Peter Gabriel and Tool producer David Bottrill and released by Cuneiform in 2015 on CD and vinyl.

For their 4th full-length studio album Vortex, Sonar invited producer, guitarist and film-composer David Torn to work with them. During the recording, the chemistry between Sonar and David Torn worked so well that Torn was invited to play on every track. David Torn is regarded by many as one of the most influential electronic guitarists of our time. He's worked with many well-known musicians including David Bowie, Madonna (also co-writing), Tim Berne, Jan Garbarek, The Pineapple Thief, Jeff Beck (Grammy-winning production of “Jeff”), Kit Taylor, Mick Karn, David Sylvian, Craig Taborn, Tony Levin, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bill Bruford, Don Cherry, John Legend, Laurie Anderson, k.d. lang, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Matt Mitchell, Tori Amos, Kaki King, Donna Lewis etc.

The stylistic blending of Sonar's precisely structured, polyrhythmic rock music and David Torn's freely improvised, raw and emotional guitar interjections - a trademark of Vortex - is now continued in a live context on the six tracks of the Live at Moods album. There are three pieces from Vortex (“Waves and Particles”, “Red Shift” and “Lookface!”), a piece from Static Motion called “Twofold Covering” (the title of the track refers to the fact that the main bass riff of the piece is exactly the same as the guitar riff, just played half as fast and two octaves lower), a completely improvised David Torn solo piece called “For Lost Sailors” and “Tromsø”, a piece that Sonar played without David Torn. “Tromsø” is one of the first pieces that Sonar rehearsed together and it is the first track on the band's first album A Flaw of Nature. As a composition, it is a very minimal and austere piece that consists of only six small fragments in 9/8, but it remains one of Sonar's most dramatic and dynamic pieces.

Watch Sonar's video for “Twofold Covering”:

Tracklist:

01 TWOFOLD COVERING 12:37
02 WAVES & PARTICLES 7:43
03 RED SHIFT 10:03
04 TROMSØ (SONAR) 10:23
05 FOR LOST SAILORS (DAVID TORN) 10:18
06 LOOKFACE! 5:22

Recorded live at Moods Jazz Club, Zürich, May 24, 2018

David Torn: Electric Guitar & Live Looping
Stephan Thelen: Tritone Guitar
Bernhard Wagner: Tritone Guitar
Christian Kuntner: Tritone Bass
Manuel Pasquinelli: Drums

Edited & Mixed by Stephen Thelen except “For Lost Sailors” Edited & Mixed by David Torn

All tracks written by Stephan Thelen except:
“For Lost Sailors” written by David Torn
“Lookface!” written by Stephan Thelen, Bernhard Wagner, Christian Kuntner, Manuel Pasquinelli & David Torn

Cover photograph by Tim Berne, Band photo by Joel Gilardini

Special Thanks to Nicole Grau, Trey Gunn, Anil Prasad & The Moods Team

David Torn appears courtesy of ECM Records

Here's what the press has said about Sonar:

“Sonar, Swiss masters of multi-rhythm tritone minimalism, continue their career-long quest for a state of grace with Vortex, an album made with American impressionist guitar slinger David Torn, a combination of opposites that compliments one another marvellously on a scintillating journey into the abyss.” (Roger Trenwith, The Progressive Aspect)

“Torn's blasts, arches, and suspensions decisively enrich the sound of the quartet. Their mutual fascination for sonic textures is contagious, and I found myself exploring every minute of this well-weaved tapestry of polyrhythmic rock lustiness and groovy backgrounds. Vortex is a masterstroke that treats sound with prestige.” (Felipe Freitag, JazzTrail)

“One listen to even just a minute or two from Vortex and it becomes crystal clear that, in the 21st century, few groups have emerged as incomparable, innovative and imaginative as Sonar.” (John Kelman, All About Jazz)

“The combination of two seemingly disparate and distinct musical styles can often be an abject failure, or surprisingly may occasionally create an unexpected delight. In the case of Sonar’s Vortex, the band's polyrhythmic math rock style has been mixed and melded with David Torn’s exquisite tones and expressive, improvised guitar interjections to create something that is rarely unappealing, but is frequently magnificent.” (Owen Davies, dprp.net)

“Sonar is life at ground level; Torn is the weather. Their interaction feels at once organic and bifurcated. The aptly named title track could be a 10-minute sonic simulation of a tornado moving through a town...Torn add(s) a sunset-like brilliance to the already translucent beauty of Sonar's tuneful math.” (Britt Robson, The Jazz Times)

“Torn explodes chords into millisecond shards and sustains single notes through eons of emotion in rhythmically complex multipart compositions that sound unlike anything else in rock.” (Richard Gehr, Relix)

“Why else did I, one day, play this mesmeric album continuously, seven or eight times straight through? Is it rock or is it jazz – and, who cares? It”s brilliant.” (Michael Tucker, Jazz Journal)

 “An anti-hero's masterpiece ... a revolutionary shot across the bow ... Sonar has defied the norm by crafting something singular and magical.” (Jeff Miers, Static Motion review, The Buffalo News)

To purchase Sonar With David Torn Live At Moods:
In Europe: sonar-band.bandcamp.com
Rest of the World: https://sonar7d.bandcamp.com/


Live videos available at: 

For more information:
www.sonar-band.ch
www.facebook.com/sonarband

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Swiss Music Ensemble Sonar to Release New Live Album with Legendary Guest Guitarist

Recorded live at Moods Jazz Club, Zürich

Swiss music ensemble Sonar will be releasing their new live album “Live At Moods” with guest soloist/texturalist David Torn on November 16, 2018 on 7d Media. It was recorded live at Moods Jazz Club in Zürich, Switzerland, on May 24th 2018.

Fusing a rigorous minimal concept with the power of a rock band and the sensitivity of a jazz combo, Sonar have quickly gained international reputation for creating a unique blend of music. With their slow-build approach to dramaturgy and avoidance of conventional forms, they focus on collective group efforts and a deeper kind of interaction amongst their members Stephan Thelen (guitar), Bernhard Wagner (guitar), Christian Kuntner (electric bass) and Manuel Pasquinelli (drums). Sonar's music is complex but still visceral, hypnotic but still dynamic. The ground feels as though it's continuously shifting beneath your feet in opposing directions as multiple motifs and rhythms flit about your head, circulating in different orbits.

Sonar was formed in late 2010 and has been on tour in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, France, Romania, Liechtenstein and Austria. In 2012, they released their first CD A Flaw of Nature on Nik Bärtsch's Ronin Rhythm Records label. Cuneiform Records released their second full-length CD Static Motion in 2014. Their third album Black Light was recorded and mixed by Peter Gabriel and Tool producer David Bottrill and released by Cuneiform in 2015 on CD and vinyl.

For their 4th full-length studio album Vortex, Sonar invited producer, guitarist and film-composer David Torn to work with them. During the recording, the chemistry between Sonar and David Torn worked so well that Torn was invited to play on every track. David Torn is regarded by many as one of the most influential electronic guitarists of our time. He's worked with many well-known musicians including David Bowie, Madonna (also co-writing), Tim Berne, Jan Garbarek, The Pineapple Thief, Jeff Beck (Grammy-winning production of “Jeff”), Kit Taylor, Mick Karn, David Sylvian, Craig Taborn, Tony Levin, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bill Bruford, Don Cherry, John Legend, Laurie Anderson, k.d. lang, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Matt Mitchell, Tori Amos, Kaki King, Donna Lewis etc.

The stylistic blending of Sonar's precisely structured, polyrhythmic rock music and David Torn's freely improvised, raw and emotional guitar interjections - a trademark of Vortex - is now continued in a live context on the six tracks of the Live at Moods album. There are three pieces from Vortex (“Waves and Particles”, “Red Shift” and “Lookface!”), a piece from Static Motion called “Twofold Covering” (the title of the track refers to the fact that the main bass riff of the piece is exactly the same as the guitar riff, just played half as fast and two octaves lower), a completely improvised David Torn solo piece called “For Lost Sailors” and “Tromsø”, a piece that Sonar played without David Torn. “Tromsø” is one of the first pieces that Sonar rehearsed together and it is the first track on the band's first album A Flaw of Nature. As a composition, it is a very minimal and austere piece that consists of only six small fragments in 9/8, but it remains one of Sonar's most dramatic and dynamic pieces.

Watch Sonar's video for “Twofold Covering”:

Tracklist:

01 TWOFOLD COVERING 12:37
02 WAVES & PARTICLES 7:43
03 RED SHIFT 10:03
04 TROMSØ (SONAR) 10:23
05 FOR LOST SAILORS (DAVID TORN) 10:18
06 LOOKFACE! 5:22

Recorded live at Moods Jazz Club, Zürich, May 24, 2018

David Torn: Electric Guitar & Live Looping
Stephan Thelen: Tritone Guitar
Bernhard Wagner: Tritone Guitar
Christian Kuntner: Tritone Bass
Manuel Pasquinelli: Drums

Edited & Mixed by Stephen Thelen except “For Lost Sailors” Edited & Mixed by David Torn

All tracks written by Stephan Thelen except:
“For Lost Sailors” written by David Torn
“Lookface!” written by Stephan Thelen, Bernhard Wagner, Christian Kuntner, Manuel Pasquinelli & David Torn

Cover photograph by Tim Berne, Band photo by Joel Gilardini

Special Thanks to Nicole Grau, Trey Gunn, Anil Prasad & The Moods Team

David Torn appears courtesy of ECM Records

Here's what the press has said about Sonar:

“Sonar, Swiss masters of multi-rhythm tritone minimalism, continue their career-long quest for a state of grace with Vortex, an album made with American impressionist guitar slinger David Torn, a combination of opposites that compliments one another marvellously on a scintillating journey into the abyss.” (Roger Trenwith, The Progressive Aspect)

“Torn's blasts, arches, and suspensions decisively enrich the sound of the quartet. Their mutual fascination for sonic textures is contagious, and I found myself exploring every minute of this well-weaved tapestry of polyrhythmic rock lustiness and groovy backgrounds. Vortex is a masterstroke that treats sound with prestige.” (Felipe Freitag, JazzTrail)

“One listen to even just a minute or two from Vortex and it becomes crystal clear that, in the 21st century, few groups have emerged as incomparable, innovative and imaginative as Sonar.” (John Kelman, All About Jazz)

“The combination of two seemingly disparate and distinct musical styles can often be an abject failure, or surprisingly may occasionally create an unexpected delight. In the case of Sonar’s Vortex, the band's polyrhythmic math rock style has been mixed and melded with David Torn’s exquisite tones and expressive, improvised guitar interjections to create something that is rarely unappealing, but is frequently magnificent.” (Owen Davies, dprp.net)

“Sonar is life at ground level; Torn is the weather. Their interaction feels at once organic and bifurcated. The aptly named title track could be a 10-minute sonic simulation of a tornado moving through a town...Torn add(s) a sunset-like brilliance to the already translucent beauty of Sonar's tuneful math.” (Britt Robson, The Jazz Times)

“Torn explodes chords into millisecond shards and sustains single notes through eons of emotion in rhythmically complex multipart compositions that sound unlike anything else in rock.” (Richard Gehr, Relix)

“Why else did I, one day, play this mesmeric album continuously, seven or eight times straight through? Is it rock or is it jazz – and, who cares? It”s brilliant.” (Michael Tucker, Jazz Journal)

 “An anti-hero's masterpiece ... a revolutionary shot across the bow ... Sonar has defied the norm by crafting something singular and magical.” (Jeff Miers, Static Motion review, The Buffalo News)

To purchase Sonar With David Torn Live At Moods:
In Europe: sonar-band.bandcamp.com
Rest of the World: https://sonar7d.bandcamp.com/


Live videos available at: 

For more information:
www.sonar-band.ch
www.facebook.com/sonarband

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Swiss Music Ensemble Sonar to Release New Live Album with Legendary Guest Guitarist

Recorded live at Moods Jazz Club, Zürich

Swiss music ensemble Sonar will be releasing their new live album “Live At Moods” with guest soloist/texturalist David Torn on November 16, 2018 on 7d Media. It was recorded live at Moods Jazz Club in Zürich, Switzerland, on May 24th 2018.

Fusing a rigorous minimal concept with the power of a rock band and the sensitivity of a jazz combo, Sonar have quickly gained international reputation for creating a unique blend of music. With their slow-build approach to dramaturgy and avoidance of conventional forms, they focus on collective group efforts and a deeper kind of interaction amongst their members Stephan Thelen (guitar), Bernhard Wagner (guitar), Christian Kuntner (electric bass) and Manuel Pasquinelli (drums). Sonar's music is complex but still visceral, hypnotic but still dynamic. The ground feels as though it's continuously shifting beneath your feet in opposing directions as multiple motifs and rhythms flit about your head, circulating in different orbits.

Sonar was formed in late 2010 and has been on tour in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, France, Romania, Liechtenstein and Austria. In 2012, they released their first CD A Flaw of Nature on Nik Bärtsch's Ronin Rhythm Records label. Cuneiform Records released their second full-length CD Static Motion in 2014. Their third album Black Light was recorded and mixed by Peter Gabriel and Tool producer David Bottrill and released by Cuneiform in 2015 on CD and vinyl.

For their 4th full-length studio album Vortex, Sonar invited producer, guitarist and film-composer David Torn to work with them. During the recording, the chemistry between Sonar and David Torn worked so well that Torn was invited to play on every track. David Torn is regarded by many as one of the most influential electronic guitarists of our time. He's worked with many well-known musicians including David Bowie, Madonna (also co-writing), Tim Berne, Jan Garbarek, The Pineapple Thief, Jeff Beck (Grammy-winning production of “Jeff”), Kit Taylor, Mick Karn, David Sylvian, Craig Taborn, Tony Levin, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bill Bruford, Don Cherry, John Legend, Laurie Anderson, k.d. lang, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Matt Mitchell, Tori Amos, Kaki King, Donna Lewis etc.

The stylistic blending of Sonar's precisely structured, polyrhythmic rock music and David Torn's freely improvised, raw and emotional guitar interjections - a trademark of Vortex - is now continued in a live context on the six tracks of the Live at Moods album. There are three pieces from Vortex (“Waves and Particles”, “Red Shift” and “Lookface!”), a piece from Static Motion called “Twofold Covering” (the title of the track refers to the fact that the main bass riff of the piece is exactly the same as the guitar riff, just played half as fast and two octaves lower), a completely improvised David Torn solo piece called “For Lost Sailors” and “Tromsø”, a piece that Sonar played without David Torn. “Tromsø” is one of the first pieces that Sonar rehearsed together and it is the first track on the band's first album A Flaw of Nature. As a composition, it is a very minimal and austere piece that consists of only six small fragments in 9/8, but it remains one of Sonar's most dramatic and dynamic pieces.

Watch Sonar's video for “Twofold Covering”:

Tracklist:

01 TWOFOLD COVERING 12:37
02 WAVES & PARTICLES 7:43
03 RED SHIFT 10:03
04 TROMSØ (SONAR) 10:23
05 FOR LOST SAILORS (DAVID TORN) 10:18
06 LOOKFACE! 5:22

Recorded live at Moods Jazz Club, Zürich, May 24, 2018

David Torn: Electric Guitar & Live Looping
Stephan Thelen: Tritone Guitar
Bernhard Wagner: Tritone Guitar
Christian Kuntner: Tritone Bass
Manuel Pasquinelli: Drums

Edited & Mixed by Stephen Thelen except “For Lost Sailors” Edited & Mixed by David Torn

All tracks written by Stephan Thelen except:
“For Lost Sailors” written by David Torn
“Lookface!” written by Stephan Thelen, Bernhard Wagner, Christian Kuntner, Manuel Pasquinelli & David Torn

Cover photograph by Tim Berne, Band photo by Joel Gilardini

Special Thanks to Nicole Grau, Trey Gunn, Anil Prasad & The Moods Team

David Torn appears courtesy of ECM Records

Here's what the press has said about Sonar:

“Sonar, Swiss masters of multi-rhythm tritone minimalism, continue their career-long quest for a state of grace with Vortex, an album made with American impressionist guitar slinger David Torn, a combination of opposites that compliments one another marvellously on a scintillating journey into the abyss.” (Roger Trenwith, The Progressive Aspect)

“Torn's blasts, arches, and suspensions decisively enrich the sound of the quartet. Their mutual fascination for sonic textures is contagious, and I found myself exploring every minute of this well-weaved tapestry of polyrhythmic rock lustiness and groovy backgrounds. Vortex is a masterstroke that treats sound with prestige.” (Felipe Freitag, JazzTrail)

“One listen to even just a minute or two from Vortex and it becomes crystal clear that, in the 21st century, few groups have emerged as incomparable, innovative and imaginative as Sonar.” (John Kelman, All About Jazz)

“The combination of two seemingly disparate and distinct musical styles can often be an abject failure, or surprisingly may occasionally create an unexpected delight. In the case of Sonar’s Vortex, the band's polyrhythmic math rock style has been mixed and melded with David Torn’s exquisite tones and expressive, improvised guitar interjections to create something that is rarely unappealing, but is frequently magnificent.” (Owen Davies, dprp.net)

“Sonar is life at ground level; Torn is the weather. Their interaction feels at once organic and bifurcated. The aptly named title track could be a 10-minute sonic simulation of a tornado moving through a town...Torn add(s) a sunset-like brilliance to the already translucent beauty of Sonar's tuneful math.” (Britt Robson, The Jazz Times)

“Torn explodes chords into millisecond shards and sustains single notes through eons of emotion in rhythmically complex multipart compositions that sound unlike anything else in rock.” (Richard Gehr, Relix)

“Why else did I, one day, play this mesmeric album continuously, seven or eight times straight through? Is it rock or is it jazz – and, who cares? It”s brilliant.” (Michael Tucker, Jazz Journal)

 “An anti-hero's masterpiece ... a revolutionary shot across the bow ... Sonar has defied the norm by crafting something singular and magical.” (Jeff Miers, Static Motion review, The Buffalo News)

To purchase Sonar With David Torn Live At Moods:
In Europe: sonar-band.bandcamp.com
Rest of the World: https://sonar7d.bandcamp.com/


Live videos available at: 

For more information:
www.sonar-band.ch
www.facebook.com/sonarband

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Alt-Rogue-Folk-Rock Group Yeti Love To Release New Single On June 15th

Folk duo from south set to release their latest new single, ‘Lonely Road’, is set for release on June 15^th, and you can hear it here.

https://soundcloud.com/yetilovemusic/lonely-road-radio-edit

The pair have labelled their unique combination as ‘alt-rogue-folk-rock’, which is as fitting a description as any. Based in South London, they have been playing together since 2012 and ‘Lonely Road’ is the latest fruit of their labours.

In the years since their foundation, Yeti Love have been slowly building in following an momentum thanks to their thoughtful songwriting and eye catching live show, which has earned them some fantastic coverage for their work up until this point. The buzz is building, and in ‘Lonely Road’ they have the right vehicle to continue on that journey

If you want to see the band they have lots of upcoming tour dates:

Live Dates:

May 13th - Red Lion Godalming

May 21st- Kings Head Guildford

June 4th  Shortlands Tavern London

June 6th  Matthews Yard  Croydon

June 11th  Pelton Arms Greenwich

June 19th Barge Inn Wiltshire

June 21st  The Acoustic Solstice et la fete de la musique   Batley Yorkshire

July 12th  One Summers Day Festival  Guilford 

August 29th  Airballoon Garden Party Coulsdon 

For more information on the band check them out here:

Links:

http://yetilovemusic.com/yl/

https://www.facebook.com/Yetilovemusic

https://soundcloud.com/yetilovemusic

Concert Review: The Blues Show at the Colonial Theater

The Blues Show at the Colonial Theater-Pittsfield, MA

February 15, 2014

Saturday, February 15th, the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield MA had its second edition of “The Blues Show.” In the midst of the snowstorm, there were still many in attendance and the bands were on fire. This year, Pittsfield was treated to a diverse group of blues veterans - The George Boone Blues Band, Popa Chubby, and Roomful of Blues.

The George Boone Blues Band brought a very traditional, soulful style of blues to the show. It was simple, yet this simplicity had the power to transport listeners to a smoky blues bar somewhere in the Deep South. What Mr. Boone’s voice lacked in musicality, he made up for with pure soul. Listeners of modern day, highly processed Top 40 radio might cringe when hearing his voice, but it’s that pure, untouched voice that makes his singing so special. While the set was as solid as could be, their original track “Meaning of the Blues” and cover of The Temptations “My Girl” were the standout performances.

Popa Chubby then came to the stage, opening up the set with a fiery rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe.” According to him, there was some “negative energy” in the crowd, which could only be cured by some classic Hendrix. Popa’s blazing fast fretwork was quite a change from George Boone’s slower, more cautious playing. That’s not to say that Popa Chubby can’t tone it down when the moment is right – his renditions of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Hallelujah” were surprising and beautiful additions to the set. As usual, Popa’s unique humor and energy brought the crowd to life in a way that would be difficult to follow up.

Roomful of Blues has had a roster of over 40 members in its lifetime, and Rich Lataille (alto and tenor saxophone) is the only original member remaining. Many of the band members were relatively young, which made it a little strange when they mentioned that 2014 marks their 45^thanniversary. The live band consists of 8 members, and this lent itself to a very full sounding mix. The brass section gave the band an energy that the previous acts lacked, and Phil Pemberton (vocals) brought the music alive with his excellent rock n’ roll voice. Although they couldn’t quite get the crowd going like the charismatic Popa Chubby could, Roomful of Blues still ended ‘The Blues Show’ on a good note. It will be exciting to see who the Colonial Theatre brings to next year’s blues show, but I’ve got a feeling that crowd-favorite Popa Chubby will be back for his third consecutive year.

Austin Hannaleck

2/23/14

Review Provided By Write A Music Review