Leader Of Down Feat. Final Recordings From Motörhead Guitarist Würzel To Release "Cascade Into Chaos"

Featuring guest appearances by even more Motörhead alumni including Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil Campbell along with Cliff Evans (Tank), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), and Lee Richards (Ex Godsmack)!

Los Angeles - The brainchild of Grammy nominated former Motörhead guitarist Würzel and bass player Tim Atkinson who after forming the band Leader of Down in 2008 busied themselves in a London rehearsal studio writing dozens of tracks in preparation for recording an album. They then recruited drummer, Steve Clarke (Ex Fastway) to join the ranks and continue preparing for the debut album “Cascade Into Chaos” (scheduled for release on Cleopatra Records September 2018).

The name Leader of Down came from Würzel mishearing the lyrics to the Status Quo track “Down, Down”. Würzel found this extremely funny as he had been singing the wrong words “Down Down, Leader of Down” for over 30 years.

“Cascade into Chaos” is named after a phrase that Würzel and Tim liked during the initial songwriting sessions, it seemed a very obvious choice and was the only title that the two of them ever really discussed.

The band started recording the initial tracks for the album which included a reworking of Würzel’s solo release from the 80's “People Say I'm Crazy”. These initial sessions also included a track that was always intended for Lemmy to sing on, as Würzel said “We think it would suit him”. This track eventually became “Paradise Turned Into Dust” with Lemmy finishing his recording at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles in 2015 shortly before his own passing, at a very emotional session with Tim Atkinson and Steve Clarke. Unmistakably Lemmy Kilmister with his unique voice on “Laugh At The Devil”.

Although there are several guest vocalists on the album such as Whitfield Crane, the line up of Leader of Down is completed by vocalist Matt Baker and guitarist Alex Ward who have slipped seamlessly into the line up.

After Würzel's tragic death in 2011 the band continued to finish the album and enlisted the help of some friends to honour the great man. With guest appearances from Lemmy, Phil Campbell (who joined Motörhead on the same day as Würzel in 1984), Fast Eddie Clarke who has also sadly passed away beginning of 2018, Whitfield Crane from Ugly Kid Joe, Lee Richards (Ex Godsmack), Bruce Foxton from The Jam, and Cliff Evans from Tank.

Says Tim Atkinson, “It is a very bittersweet feeling now that the album is being released. It feels very strange without Würzel being here, and I know he would be thrilled with the final result. It was a real pleasure writing with Würzel, as we instinctively knew what both of us were thinking when we put our ideas forward. We always wanted Lemmy to sing on 'Paradise turned into Dust', and it was a very emotional session in Los Angeles when Lemmy completed the track and I just wish that Würz had been there to see it. It was amazing that so many friends helped us to finish the album with guest appearances and I can only thank them from the bottom of my heart. To hear Phil playing with Würzel again was absolutely fantastic”.

The album features 10 blockbusting tracks, all mixed by Motörhead Grammy winning producer Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California.

The album is of course a tribute to Würzel and the other fallen Motörhead heroes but it is also just the beginning for Leader of Down who after a successful appearance at Hard Rock Hell are embarking on a tour with Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons in November 2018, and will be very busy next year with live shows already planned. Leader of Down have signed a worldwide deal with Los Angeles based label Cleopatra Records.

As Lemmy once shouted from the stage at Hammersmith Odeon, shortly after Würzel and Phil Campbell joined, “Well, are we back?” We can safely say that Würzel is back, we just wish that he was with us for the ride.



Track listing 
1. Paradise Turned Into Dust ( Lemmy vocals, additional bass  Tim Atkinson)
2. Cascade Into Chaos
3. People Say I’m Crazy
4. Serial Killjoy (Bruce Foxton on additional bass with Tim Atkinson)
5. Children of Disease (Whitfield Crane vocals, Lee Richards and Richards/ Crane) backing vocals, Phil Campbell 2nd guitar solo)
6. Snakebite (Fast Eddie Clarke all guitars and vocals)
7. Punch and Geordie
8. Feel Good  (Cliff Evans first guitar solo)
9. The Killing Rain (The last song Würzel ever recorded)
10. Laugh at the Devil  (Lemmy vocals and all guitars by Fast Eddie Clarke)

To purchase:
Buy the CD: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/leader-of-down-cascade-into-chaos-cd/
Buy the vinyl: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/leader-of-down-cascade-into-chaos-lp/

For more information:
www.LeaderOfDown.com
www.facebook.com/leaderofdownofficial

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



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Guitarist Tone Masseve To Release Debut Album "Amp L'étude" Feat. Jethro Tull Drum Legend Doane Perry

“Playing with Tone was one of the most illuminating musical experiences of my career. Yes, he's that good.” - Graham Parker

NYC - The singing sustain of multiple razor edged electric guitars, the monster rock backbeat of Jethro Tull drummer Doane Perry and The Moonlight Sonata? Yes, This mash-up is the concept behind Tone Masseve's album “Amp L'étude.” Classical pieces? Yes, but these are not the dry, conventional versions we've all heard before. The album vividly brings these compositions to life with a new and powerful sound.

Tone said, “In my childhood I was exposed to many different musical styles and genres. Although I am really a blues player, I also love the music of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Chopin and Debussy. I wanted to play their classical pieces with a rock sound and attitude.” He used the feedback, bends, shakes, falls and dives of his guitar heroes; Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, early Eric Clapton, Robert Fripp, Brian May, Joe Satriani and George Harrison to do just that.

Tone's dynamic playing combined with Doane's great rock feel, give this music of the masters an entirely new presentation. Some of the sound and production techniques of this record are drawn from famous rock tracks such as; “Whiter Shade of Pale,” “The Hill of the Skull,” “God Save the Queen,” “Wind on Water,” “She's so Heavy” & “Girl,” and, “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be).”

Every now and then a brilliant and fully developed artist arrives on the scene. Such is the case of Tone Masseve's enigmatic emergence out of the shadows. His sonic identity, unique voice and concept and his blending of seemingly disparate styles simply amazed and surprised me. Tone's inspired and highly original take on some of the most hallowed and iconic classical music ever composed is eloquently orchestrated, passionately and precisely executed and a wholly satisfying aural experience! I believe any of the great composers represented would be honored and thrilled to hear their music so creatively reimagined and lovingly brought to life within such a modern and innovative context. 

One of the most powerful elements in his music is the thick, sonorous and clear voice which he elicits from his “Guitorchestra”. Speaking as one who participated in this exciting project, I found the rich harmonic blend and counterpoint combined with the strength and subtlety of his parts, compelling and utterly inspiring to play off of ... and was astonished to think so much of this was coming through the head, hands and heart of a single musician. And I never even met him. I don't know how he did it but that is one of the delightful musical riddles which does not need solving. 

Joyful, biting, menacing, muscular, melancholy and euphoric are apt descriptions which are summoned to mind when I listen to his music. All of those elements provided a powerful catalyst for my own contributions. I am honored to have worked with this gifted artist and to have been a part of such an original musical adventure … and I would like to think the mysterious and hugely talented Tone Masseve will not remain unknown for much longer.

Doane Perry

Tone started playing the guitar at age 6 and performing live at age 15. By the time he was 18 he was doing session work in NYC. Legendary Graham Parker saw him playing with a band called Robazz Bowtime, and asked him to play a few gigs. Graham said, “I didn't play with Tone for a great deal of time, but it was one of the most illuminating musical experiences of my career. Yes, he's that good.”

The recording started in 1995 and took more than 20 years to complete. The guitar parts alone took more than two years to record. In 1997, while still working on Amp L'étude, tragically, Tone got pneumonia and died.

In 2016 a wonderful and talented group of musicians came together to finish his long lost album. The first was Doane Perry who added his hard hitting rock drumming to six tracks. Doane was the drummer for the legendary, Grammy winning rock band, Jethro Tull, for twenty-seven years. He also played with Lou Reed, Todd Rundgren and many, many others.

Next was Garry Kvistad who is a Grammy award winning master percussionist. He is a member of the four man percussion group Nexus. The New York Times called Nexus “the high priests of the percussion world.” Steve Reich said, “They are probably the most acclaimed percussion group on earth.” Garry added orchestral percussion; tympani, large gong, orchestral bass drum, glockenspiel, orchestral chimes, and symphonic crash cymbals to two of the pieces

Then members of the vocal group Prana added their voices to a couple of tracks. They gave one piece, “Maria, (She's so) Ave” a decidedly Liverpudlian sound. Finally Maria Todaro was brought in to conduct the choir for “O Fortuna.” Maria is not only an internationally renowned opera singer, stage director, and conductor, but also the general director of The International Festival of the Voice. For this recording, with her deep understanding of the voice as an expressive instrument, she evoked an impassioned performance from the choir.

On YouTube there are twelve 30 second sample videos, one for each of the twelve pieces from “Amp L'étude. “The videos feature the characters from the front cover of the album: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Wu-VN7bmX2249K3hIJy8HgFZTfJC208

In closing Tone had this to impart, “Music has no boundaries. If you play it with all of your heart it doesn’t matter what style it is, the feeling will come through.”

To purchase Tone Masseve's “Amp L'étude”: 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT6C4S5?ref=cp_d_n_u
store.cdbaby.com/cd/tonemasseve

For more information:
Website: www.tonemasseve.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Tone-Masseve-291339831409659/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TMasseve
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonemasseve/

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

Guitarist Tone Masseve To Release Debut Album "Amp L'étude" Feat. Jethro Tull Drum Legend Doane Perry

“Playing with Tone was one of the most illuminating musical experiences of my career. Yes, he's that good.” - Graham Parker

NYC - The singing sustain of multiple razor edged electric guitars, the monster rock backbeat of Jethro Tull drummer Doane Perry and The Moonlight Sonata? Yes, This mash-up is the concept behind Tone Masseve's album “Amp L'étude.” Classical pieces? Yes, but these are not the dry, conventional versions we've all heard before. The album vividly brings these compositions to life with a new and powerful sound.

Tone said, “In my childhood I was exposed to many different musical styles and genres. Although I am really a blues player, I also love the music of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Chopin and Debussy. I wanted to play their classical pieces with a rock sound and attitude.” He used the feedback, bends, shakes, falls and dives of his guitar heroes; Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, early Eric Clapton, Robert Fripp, Brian May, Joe Satriani and George Harrison to do just that.

Tone's dynamic playing combined with Doane's great rock feel, give this music of the masters an entirely new presentation. Some of the sound and production techniques of this record are drawn from famous rock tracks such as; “Whiter Shade of Pale,” “The Hill of the Skull,” “God Save the Queen,” “Wind on Water,” “She's so Heavy” & “Girl,” and, “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be).”

Every now and then a brilliant and fully developed artist arrives on the scene. Such is the case of Tone Masseve's enigmatic emergence out of the shadows. His sonic identity, unique voice and concept and his blending of seemingly disparate styles simply amazed and surprised me. Tone's inspired and highly original take on some of the most hallowed and iconic classical music ever composed is eloquently orchestrated, passionately and precisely executed and a wholly satisfying aural experience! I believe any of the great composers represented would be honored and thrilled to hear their music so creatively reimagined and lovingly brought to life within such a modern and innovative context. 

One of the most powerful elements in his music is the thick, sonorous and clear voice which he elicits from his “Guitorchestra”. Speaking as one who participated in this exciting project, I found the rich harmonic blend and counterpoint combined with the strength and subtlety of his parts, compelling and utterly inspiring to play off of ... and was astonished to think so much of this was coming through the head, hands and heart of a single musician. And I never even met him. I don't know how he did it but that is one of the delightful musical riddles which does not need solving. 

Joyful, biting, menacing, muscular, melancholy and euphoric are apt descriptions which are summoned to mind when I listen to his music. All of those elements provided a powerful catalyst for my own contributions. I am honored to have worked with this gifted artist and to have been a part of such an original musical adventure … and I would like to think the mysterious and hugely talented Tone Masseve will not remain unknown for much longer.

Doane Perry

Tone started playing the guitar at age 6 and performing live at age 15. By the time he was 18 he was doing session work in NYC. Legendary Graham Parker saw him playing with a band called Robazz Bowtime, and asked him to play a few gigs. Graham said, “I didn't play with Tone for a great deal of time, but it was one of the most illuminating musical experiences of my career. Yes, he's that good.”

The recording started in 1995 and took more than 20 years to complete. The guitar parts alone took more than two years to record. In 1997, while still working on Amp L'étude, tragically, Tone got pneumonia and died.

In 2016 a wonderful and talented group of musicians came together to finish his long lost album. The first was Doane Perry who added his hard hitting rock drumming to six tracks. Doane was the drummer for the legendary, Grammy winning rock band, Jethro Tull, for twenty-seven years. He also played with Lou Reed, Todd Rundgren and many, many others.

Next was Garry Kvistad who is a Grammy award winning master percussionist. He is a member of the four man percussion group Nexus. The New York Times called Nexus “the high priests of the percussion world.” Steve Reich said, “They are probably the most acclaimed percussion group on earth.” Garry added orchestral percussion; tympani, large gong, orchestral bass drum, glockenspiel, orchestral chimes, and symphonic crash cymbals to two of the pieces

Then members of the vocal group Prana added their voices to a couple of tracks. They gave one piece, “Maria, (She's so) Ave” a decidedly Liverpudlian sound. Finally Maria Todaro was brought in to conduct the choir for “O Fortuna.” Maria is not only an internationally renowned opera singer, stage director, and conductor, but also the general director of The International Festival of the Voice. For this recording, with her deep understanding of the voice as an expressive instrument, she evoked an impassioned performance from the choir.

On YouTube there are twelve 30 second sample videos, one for each of the twelve pieces from “Amp L'étude. “The videos feature the characters from the front cover of the album: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Wu-VN7bmX2249K3hIJy8HgFZTfJC208

In closing Tone had this to impart, “Music has no boundaries. If you play it with all of your heart it doesn’t matter what style it is, the feeling will come through.”

To purchase Tone Masseve's “Amp L'étude”: 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT6C4S5?ref=cp_d_n_u
store.cdbaby.com/cd/tonemasseve

For more information:
Website: www.tonemasseve.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Tone-Masseve-291339831409659/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TMasseve
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonemasseve/

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

Guitarist Ramin Partovi To Release His Breakout Album Feat. Scott Henderson, Simon Phillips, Carl Verheyen, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Stern

Featuring all-star line-up!!!

Los Angeles - Aviator and Hollywood guitar player Ramin Partovi is about to release his breakout album “27 Faces Of A Broken Heart” with a completely new concept. The album features an all-star line-up with Scott Henderson, Simon Phillips, Carl Verheyen, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Stern and several others. The double CD is a unique idea where several well known musicians demonstate peak performances on the same song structure and all align to portrait a united message.

Ramin Partovi early on in his life gravitated towards his love for music, learning guitar and other instruments and founding/playing in several original bands. To meet means end be pursued a pilot career, collected over 10000 hours in the air on large jet aircraft, became a commercial Boeing 737 Captain and recently developed an interest and passion for aerobatic flying. His heart and real passion however was and will always be in music. He studied guitar and music business at Musicians Institute Hollywood and currently resides in Los Angeles.

“Ramin's record is a concept album with an entirely new idea: twenty six guitarists playing on the same song progression. Each one provides a different approach and musical direction with a huge range of styles. Some heavy hitters for sure!” - Carl Verheyen



The music reflects several emotions, such as heartbreak and pain. Says Ramin, “The idea connecting to my musician friends and musical heroes was to having them connect to a time of broken heartedness (something most of us have been through) and now tell THEIR story in their unique musical way and showing the listeners 'another face' of a broken heart bringing the message home that one is not alone in these kind of times and that many people have been through this and eventually overcame it as time passed. We are all unique yet all connected at the same time in our journey. That's why I wanted to show different faces and yet connect them and wrap them together in a unique way.

“In the song '27' I connect with and reflect on a time 2007 where I've been very heart broken. After 9 months of a very turbulent relationship it felt as if she ripped my beating heart out alive, stepped on it with long high heels and started twitching. I moved 1550 miles away and it took me 1 and a half years to digest this emotionally. The song reflects on the moods, my pain and struggle at this time, the emotional wounds and the overcoming of this demon over the following years. Have you ever been in front of an art painting and thought 'yeh, its kind of nice but it doesn't really speak to me' and then someone explained you a few things about the artist, what he had in mind when he created the work and what he was trying to say with it, and suddenly the painting lit up and shone in a complete new light for you and you saw it with completely different eyes and loved it? I attempted to paint a picture like that with this song using music instead of a brush.”

Watch the promotional video:

Ramin recently received an endorsement by Little Walter Amps. Says Ramin, “I'm very humbled to have selected my dream amp and then having the CEO standing behind you like that.” Ramin is planning to work on new material by the end of the year. As usual it's probably going to be something completely different. In the meanwhile Ramin will be flying commercial Airline Jets this summer and  looking for musical inspiration while visiting several countries.

In closing Ramin has this to impart, “I called my friends and heroes, asked them to reconnect to a time when they found themselves in a similar situation and to tell their story with their instrument for you, on the same canvas. See what they have to say! My message for you is that no matter how hard it hits you in life, give it enough time and with a little help from your friends and inspiration from your heroes you will be fine. May this be a healing force for people going through a similar experience and remind them that they are not alone and that time will heal their wounds.”

To purchase Ramin Partovi “27 Faces Of A Broken Heart” DBL CD:
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/raminpartovi2#
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/27-ervin-toucets-version-feat-simon-phillips-jimmy/1359235870?i=1359236319

@Ramin.Partovi instagram: instagram.com/Ramin.Partovi

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

Guitarist Ramin Partovi To Release His Breakout Album Feat. Scott Henderson, Simon Phillips, Carl Verheyen, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Stern

Featuring all-star line-up!!!

Los Angeles - Aviator and Hollywood guitar player Ramin Partovi is about to release his breakout album “27 Faces Of A Broken Heart” with a completely new concept. The album features an all-star line-up with Scott Henderson, Simon Phillips, Carl Verheyen, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Stern and several others. The double CD is a unique idea where several well known musicians demonstate peak performances on the same song structure and all align to portrait a united message.

Ramin Partovi early on in his life gravitated towards his love for music, learning guitar and other instruments and founding/playing in several original bands. To meet means end be pursued a pilot career, collected over 10000 hours in the air on large jet aircraft, became a commercial Boeing 737 Captain and recently developed an interest and passion for aerobatic flying. His heart and real passion however was and will always be in music. He studied guitar and music business at Musicians Institute Hollywood and currently resides in Los Angeles.

“Ramin's record is a concept album with an entirely new idea: twenty six guitarists playing on the same song progression. Each one provides a different approach and musical direction with a huge range of styles. Some heavy hitters for sure!” - Carl Verheyen



The music reflects several emotions, such as heartbreak and pain. Says Ramin, “The idea connecting to my musician friends and musical heroes was to having them connect to a time of broken heartedness (something most of us have been through) and now tell THEIR story in their unique musical way and showing the listeners 'another face' of a broken heart bringing the message home that one is not alone in these kind of times and that many people have been through this and eventually overcame it as time passed. We are all unique yet all connected at the same time in our journey. That's why I wanted to show different faces and yet connect them and wrap them together in a unique way.

“In the song '27' I connect with and reflect on a time 2007 where I've been very heart broken. After 9 months of a very turbulent relationship it felt as if she ripped my beating heart out alive, stepped on it with long high heels and started twitching. I moved 1550 miles away and it took me 1 and a half years to digest this emotionally. The song reflects on the moods, my pain and struggle at this time, the emotional wounds and the overcoming of this demon over the following years. Have you ever been in front of an art painting and thought 'yeh, its kind of nice but it doesn't really speak to me' and then someone explained you a few things about the artist, what he had in mind when he created the work and what he was trying to say with it, and suddenly the painting lit up and shone in a complete new light for you and you saw it with completely different eyes and loved it? I attempted to paint a picture like that with this song using music instead of a brush.”

Watch the promotional video:

Ramin recently received an endorsement by Little Walter Amps. Says Ramin, “I'm very humbled to have selected my dream amp and then having the CEO standing behind you like that.” Ramin is planning to work on new material by the end of the year. As usual it's probably going to be something completely different. In the meanwhile Ramin will be flying commercial Airline Jets this summer and  looking for musical inspiration while visiting several countries.

In closing Ramin has this to impart, “I called my friends and heroes, asked them to reconnect to a time when they found themselves in a similar situation and to tell their story with their instrument for you, on the same canvas. See what they have to say! My message for you is that no matter how hard it hits you in life, give it enough time and with a little help from your friends and inspiration from your heroes you will be fine. May this be a healing force for people going through a similar experience and remind them that they are not alone and that time will heal their wounds.”

To purchase Ramin Partovi “27 Faces Of A Broken Heart” DBL CD:
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/raminpartovi2#
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/27-ervin-toucets-version-feat-simon-phillips-jimmy/1359235870?i=1359236319

@Ramin.Partovi instagram: instagram.com/Ramin.Partovi

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

Guitarist Ramin Partovi To Release His Breakout Album Feat. Scott Henderson, Simon Phillips, Carl Verheyen, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Stern

Featuring all-star line-up!!!

Los Angeles - Aviator and Hollywood guitar player Ramin Partovi is about to release his breakout album “27 Faces Of A Broken Heart” with a completely new concept. The album features an all-star line-up with Scott Henderson, Simon Phillips, Carl Verheyen, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Stern and several others. The double CD is a unique idea where several well known musicians demonstate peak performances on the same song structure and all align to portrait a united message.

Ramin Partovi early on in his life gravitated towards his love for music, learning guitar and other instruments and founding/playing in several original bands. To meet means end be pursued a pilot career, collected over 10000 hours in the air on large jet aircraft, became a commercial Boeing 737 Captain and recently developed an interest and passion for aerobatic flying. His heart and real passion however was and will always be in music. He studied guitar and music business at Musicians Institute Hollywood and currently resides in Los Angeles.

“Ramin's record is a concept album with an entirely new idea: twenty six guitarists playing on the same song progression. Each one provides a different approach and musical direction with a huge range of styles. Some heavy hitters for sure!” - Carl Verheyen



The music reflects several emotions, such as heartbreak and pain. Says Ramin, “The idea connecting to my musician friends and musical heroes was to having them connect to a time of broken heartedness (something most of us have been through) and now tell THEIR story in their unique musical way and showing the listeners 'another face' of a broken heart bringing the message home that one is not alone in these kind of times and that many people have been through this and eventually overcame it as time passed. We are all unique yet all connected at the same time in our journey. That's why I wanted to show different faces and yet connect them and wrap them together in a unique way.

“In the song '27' I connect with and reflect on a time 2007 where I've been very heart broken. After 9 months of a very turbulent relationship it felt as if she ripped my beating heart out alive, stepped on it with long high heels and started twitching. I moved 1550 miles away and it took me 1 and a half years to digest this emotionally. The song reflects on the moods, my pain and struggle at this time, the emotional wounds and the overcoming of this demon over the following years. Have you ever been in front of an art painting and thought 'yeh, its kind of nice but it doesn't really speak to me' and then someone explained you a few things about the artist, what he had in mind when he created the work and what he was trying to say with it, and suddenly the painting lit up and shone in a complete new light for you and you saw it with completely different eyes and loved it? I attempted to paint a picture like that with this song using music instead of a brush.”

Watch the promotional video:

Ramin recently received an endorsement by Little Walter Amps. Says Ramin, “I'm very humbled to have selected my dream amp and then having the CEO standing behind you like that.” Ramin is planning to work on new material by the end of the year. As usual it's probably going to be something completely different. In the meanwhile Ramin will be flying commercial Airline Jets this summer and  looking for musical inspiration while visiting several countries.

In closing Ramin has this to impart, “I called my friends and heroes, asked them to reconnect to a time when they found themselves in a similar situation and to tell their story with their instrument for you, on the same canvas. See what they have to say! My message for you is that no matter how hard it hits you in life, give it enough time and with a little help from your friends and inspiration from your heroes you will be fine. May this be a healing force for people going through a similar experience and remind them that they are not alone and that time will heal their wounds.”

To purchase Ramin Partovi “27 Faces Of A Broken Heart” DBL CD:
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/raminpartovi2#
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/27-ervin-toucets-version-feat-simon-phillips-jimmy/1359235870?i=1359236319

@Ramin.Partovi instagram: instagram.com/Ramin.Partovi

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

Music Legend SHUGGIE OTIS Lets His Guitar Take Center Stage On A New Fusion Rock Album INTER-FUSION!

Features drummer Carmine Appice & bassist Tony Franklin!

Los Angeles, CA - Though most known for his soulful songwriting and gentle croon as heard on blockbuster hits such as “Strawberry Letter 23” and “Inspiration Information,” Shuggie Otis has long been held as one of the most innovative and tasteful guitarists to ever pick up the 6-strings, the “heir to Hendrix” as he is often called. A guitar-playing prodigy from an early age, Shuggie performed on stage and in the studio alongside his legendary father, bluesman Johnny Otis. Now, Shuggie has a new project that showcases just how mindblowing he can be on the pearly frets of his gorgeous maroon Gibson SG, an adventurous new fusion rock project called Inter-Fusion. The album consists of mostly instrumental tracks that groove and weave, taking unexpected turns in surprising directions but all anchored by one of the finest rhythm sections imaginable featuring drummer Carmine Appice (of Vanilla Fudge and Beck, Bogert & Appice) and bass player Tony Franklin (of The Firm and Roy Harper). In addition, keyboardist Kyle Hamood (of local L.A. rockers Them Guns) steps in as both a musician and producer of the album bringing the absolute best performances possible out of each player.

Reflecting on the recording process, Appice enthuses “This was one of the wildest sessions I’ve ever done in my career!” while Franklin had high praise for Otis, saying “Shuggie loved to jam, and was very open to everyone's input. He was not afraid to experiment and try new directions and sounds. I think the music sounds very fresh and alive.” Additionally, Hamood summed up his thoughts on this unique experience saying “Watching the songs come together over such a short period of time, and the diversity that each band member brought to the overall sound and vibe was truly magical. It was an honor to work and create with such a talented group of musicians.”

In a behind-the-scenes promotional video, shot by director Vicente Cordero, Shuggie likewise gushes over the project and his fellow collaborators saying in conversation with Cleopatra owner Brian Perera, “Wow! Did you know it was going to be this good? I know how good it is because I’m in the group. But you’ve seen a little bit of it, and I think you know, you feel the excitement, you hear how good these guys are. And they’re really serious, not just some jive cats!”

Check out the full video here: https://youtu.be/yXFg8zlXqHI

Inter-Fusion will be available April 20th on both CD, vinyl and on all digital platforms.



Track List:
1. Aphelion
2. Get A Grip
3. Ice Cold Daydream
4. Interlude
5. Woman
6. Sweet Surrender
7. Clear Power
8. V8

Buy the CD: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/shuggie-otis-inter-fusion-cd/
Buy the digital: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/inter-fusion/1362748941?app=itunes&at=1000lt9k

Press inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com



CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com
Facebook @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords/
Instagram @cleopatrarecords
https://www.instagram.com/cleopatrarecords/
Twitter @cleopatrarecord
https://twitter.com/cleopatrarecord
Youtube @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopQ0616Fpfrq8Gt0N-0zOQ
Soundcloud @cleopatra-recs
https://soundcloud.com/cleopatra-recs
Dailymotion @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.dailymotion.com/CleopatraRecords
Vimeo @cleopatrarecords
https://vimeo.com/cleopatrarecords
Spotify  @cleopatra_recs
https://open.spotify.com/user/cleopatra_recs
Linkedin @cleopatra-records
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleopatra-records

Music Legend SHUGGIE OTIS Lets His Guitar Take Center Stage On A New Fusion Rock Album INTER-FUSION!

Features drummer Carmine Appice & bassist Tony Franklin!

Los Angeles, CA - Though most known for his soulful songwriting and gentle croon as heard on blockbuster hits such as “Strawberry Letter 23” and “Inspiration Information,” Shuggie Otis has long been held as one of the most innovative and tasteful guitarists to ever pick up the 6-strings, the “heir to Hendrix” as he is often called. A guitar-playing prodigy from an early age, Shuggie performed on stage and in the studio alongside his legendary father, bluesman Johnny Otis. Now, Shuggie has a new project that showcases just how mindblowing he can be on the pearly frets of his gorgeous maroon Gibson SG, an adventurous new fusion rock project called Inter-Fusion. The album consists of mostly instrumental tracks that groove and weave, taking unexpected turns in surprising directions but all anchored by one of the finest rhythm sections imaginable featuring drummer Carmine Appice (of Vanilla Fudge and Beck, Bogert & Appice) and bass player Tony Franklin (of The Firm and Roy Harper). In addition, keyboardist Kyle Hamood (of local L.A. rockers Them Guns) steps in as both a musician and producer of the album bringing the absolute best performances possible out of each player.

Reflecting on the recording process, Appice enthuses “This was one of the wildest sessions I’ve ever done in my career!” while Franklin had high praise for Otis, saying “Shuggie loved to jam, and was very open to everyone's input. He was not afraid to experiment and try new directions and sounds. I think the music sounds very fresh and alive.” Additionally, Hamood summed up his thoughts on this unique experience saying “Watching the songs come together over such a short period of time, and the diversity that each band member brought to the overall sound and vibe was truly magical. It was an honor to work and create with such a talented group of musicians.”

In a behind-the-scenes promotional video, shot by director Vicente Cordero, Shuggie likewise gushes over the project and his fellow collaborators saying in conversation with Cleopatra owner Brian Perera, “Wow! Did you know it was going to be this good? I know how good it is because I’m in the group. But you’ve seen a little bit of it, and I think you know, you feel the excitement, you hear how good these guys are. And they’re really serious, not just some jive cats!”

Check out the full video here: https://youtu.be/yXFg8zlXqHI

Inter-Fusion will be available April 20th on both CD, vinyl and on all digital platforms.



Track List:
1. Aphelion
2. Get A Grip
3. Ice Cold Daydream
4. Interlude
5. Woman
6. Sweet Surrender
7. Clear Power
8. V8

Buy the CD: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/shuggie-otis-inter-fusion-cd/
Buy the digital: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/inter-fusion/1362748941?app=itunes&at=1000lt9k

Press inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com



CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com
Facebook @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords/
Instagram @cleopatrarecords
https://www.instagram.com/cleopatrarecords/
Twitter @cleopatrarecord
https://twitter.com/cleopatrarecord
Youtube @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopQ0616Fpfrq8Gt0N-0zOQ
Soundcloud @cleopatra-recs
https://soundcloud.com/cleopatra-recs
Dailymotion @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.dailymotion.com/CleopatraRecords
Vimeo @cleopatrarecords
https://vimeo.com/cleopatrarecords
Spotify  @cleopatra_recs
https://open.spotify.com/user/cleopatra_recs
Linkedin @cleopatra-records
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleopatra-records

A Masterful Collection Of Guitar Playing Virtuosos Put Together By Emmy Award-Winning Producer Brian Tarquin Set For Release March 23!

Features performances by the late Allan Holdsworth & Larry Coryell plus Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Stanley Clarke, Zakk Wylde, and more!

Los Angeles, CA - If you haven’t yet got your fill of six-string slinging, tour de force performances, then we have the collection for you! From multi-Emmy award-winning composer/producer Brian Tarquin comes Guitar Masters Collection, an extraordinary compilation of hard-to-find rarities, including tracks from the late great Allan Holdsworth, plus a rare, unheard recording by the recently departed guitar icon Larry Coryell. The album also contains cover songs “Hair” by Joe Satriani & Stanley Clarke and “I Wish” featuring former Ozzy axeman Zakk Wylde as well as Steve Vai, Chris Poland (of Megadeth), Leslie West & Hal Lindes (of Dire Straits) alongside bass masters Randy Coven and Billy Sheehan.

Guitar Player magazine editor & chief, Mike Molenda, who wrote the liner notes for this collection, states “For fearless explorers of the musical unknown, a perfect compilation of artistry is a collection of performances that pummels your unsuspecting little ass with shock waves of awe and wonder. Rather than document the obvious - or sate the expectations of the casual enthusiast - every track challenges, puzzles, thrills, inspires, and, ultimately, delights the listener.”

Don’t miss this fantastic album, available on CD and digital from Purple Pyramid Records!

“The players here, both known and unknown, are staggeringly skilled, and the tunes are new and vibrant. Brian Tarquin serves up some crunchy rock with some burning wah work. Each cut has something new and adventurous to add to our listening experience. Guitarists should be in heaven with this one, as it is definitely good to the last drop.” - Vintage Guitar Magazine

“Brian is a very good guitar player and engineer, the “Godfather of Fusion” gives him an A plus! The song that I played on, Tocar Modera, is a beautiful piece of music.” - Larry Coryell

“The hottest gun slingers around today, all adding up to an exquisite journey fueled by steel and wood...” - Hal Lindes (Dire Straits)

“Tarquin is a great producer...the tunes and performances are first rate.” - Progression Magazine

Track List:
1. Allan Holdsworth & David Hines - Skippy
2. Larry Coryell & Brian Tarquin - Tocar Modera
3. Steve Vai & Randy Coven - Funk Me Tender
4. Zakk Wylde & Randy Coven - I Wish
5. Stanley Clarke & Joe Satriani - Hair
6. Chris Poland & Brian Tarquin - Tarquinius Maximus
7. Leslie West & Randy Coven - Mother Load
8. Hal Lindes - Ricarda
9. Allan Holdsworth & David Hines - Antilla
10. Billy Sheehan, Doug Doppler & Brian Tarquin - Blue Wind

Buy the CD: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/guitar-masters-collection-cd/
Buy the digital: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/guitar-masters-collection/1354782381?app=itunes&at=1000lt9k

Press inquiries: 
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

PURPLE PYRAMID RECORDS, a division of CLEOPATRA RECORDS, INC.
Facebook @PurplePyramidRecords
https://www.facebook.com/PurplePyramidRecords/
Instagram @Purple.pyramid
https://www.instagram.com/purple.pyramid/
Twitter @PurplePyramid1
https://twitter.com/PurplePyramid1
Youtube @ Purple Pyramid
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwiCec6bS6mX3c7dpitfYRQ
Purple Pyramid Store @
https://cleorecs.com/store/product-category/record-label/purple-pyramid/

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com

A Masterful Collection Of Guitar Playing Virtuosos Put Together By Emmy Award-Winning Producer Brian Tarquin Set For Release March 23!

Features performances by the late Allan Holdsworth & Larry Coryell plus Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Stanley Clarke, Zakk Wylde, and more!

Los Angeles, CA - If you haven’t yet got your fill of six-string slinging, tour de force performances, then we have the collection for you! From multi-Emmy award-winning composer/producer Brian Tarquin comes Guitar Masters Collection, an extraordinary compilation of hard-to-find rarities, including tracks from the late great Allan Holdsworth, plus a rare, unheard recording by the recently departed guitar icon Larry Coryell. The album also contains cover songs “Hair” by Joe Satriani & Stanley Clarke and “I Wish” featuring former Ozzy axeman Zakk Wylde as well as Steve Vai, Chris Poland (of Megadeth), Leslie West & Hal Lindes (of Dire Straits) alongside bass masters Randy Coven and Billy Sheehan.

Guitar Player magazine editor & chief, Mike Molenda, who wrote the liner notes for this collection, states “For fearless explorers of the musical unknown, a perfect compilation of artistry is a collection of performances that pummels your unsuspecting little ass with shock waves of awe and wonder. Rather than document the obvious - or sate the expectations of the casual enthusiast - every track challenges, puzzles, thrills, inspires, and, ultimately, delights the listener.”

Don’t miss this fantastic album, available on CD and digital from Purple Pyramid Records!

“The players here, both known and unknown, are staggeringly skilled, and the tunes are new and vibrant. Brian Tarquin serves up some crunchy rock with some burning wah work. Each cut has something new and adventurous to add to our listening experience. Guitarists should be in heaven with this one, as it is definitely good to the last drop.” - Vintage Guitar Magazine

“Brian is a very good guitar player and engineer, the “Godfather of Fusion” gives him an A plus! The song that I played on, Tocar Modera, is a beautiful piece of music.” - Larry Coryell

“The hottest gun slingers around today, all adding up to an exquisite journey fueled by steel and wood...” - Hal Lindes (Dire Straits)

“Tarquin is a great producer...the tunes and performances are first rate.” - Progression Magazine

Track List:
1. Allan Holdsworth & David Hines - Skippy
2. Larry Coryell & Brian Tarquin - Tocar Modera
3. Steve Vai & Randy Coven - Funk Me Tender
4. Zakk Wylde & Randy Coven - I Wish
5. Stanley Clarke & Joe Satriani - Hair
6. Chris Poland & Brian Tarquin - Tarquinius Maximus
7. Leslie West & Randy Coven - Mother Load
8. Hal Lindes - Ricarda
9. Allan Holdsworth & David Hines - Antilla
10. Billy Sheehan, Doug Doppler & Brian Tarquin - Blue Wind

Buy the CD: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/guitar-masters-collection-cd/
Buy the digital: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/guitar-masters-collection/1354782381?app=itunes&at=1000lt9k

Press inquiries: 
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

PURPLE PYRAMID RECORDS, a division of CLEOPATRA RECORDS, INC.
Facebook @PurplePyramidRecords
https://www.facebook.com/PurplePyramidRecords/
Instagram @Purple.pyramid
https://www.instagram.com/purple.pyramid/
Twitter @PurplePyramid1
https://twitter.com/PurplePyramid1
Youtube @ Purple Pyramid
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwiCec6bS6mX3c7dpitfYRQ
Purple Pyramid Store @
https://cleorecs.com/store/product-category/record-label/purple-pyramid/

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com

Alice Cooper Group Guitarist/Songwriter Michael Bruce's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" Biography Revised!

Limited edition signed by Michael Bruce available!

London - Much to the excitement of Alice Cooper group fans worldwide, Gonzo Multimedia will be releasing Michael Bruce's critically acclaimed biography “No More Mr. Nice Guy” revised! Also available is a limited edition signed by Michael Bruce.

Written by Alice Cooper group guitarist, keyboard player and main songwriter Michael Bruce, “No More Mr. Nice Guy” is an anthology of the band that encapsulated the decadent spirit of the 1970s. Following the group on their journey from Arizona garage band to eventual rise to stardom, it reveals the truth behind the drinking and the rock 'n' roll. This “true life” story includes the hangings, the executions, the ghoulish makeup, the egos and of course, the rock 'n' roll. Revised and updated it includes previously unseen photographs and memorabilia.

“Its not often we get a chance to redo, remake or in this case re-release a book.....my book. It is with much thought, great enjoyment,  many thanks and heartfelt appreciation for family,  friends and fans that I present the re-release of 'No More Mr Nice Guy.' A compilation of hilarious rock 'n' roll stories and life events that made me the man I am today.” - Michael Bruce

This release comes on the heels of the recent highly publicized Alice Cooper group reunion concerts in the UK!

To order: https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/michael-bruce-no-more-mr-nice-guy

Michael Bruce FB Page:
https://www.facebook.com/michael.bruce.7106

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

Music Legend & Virtuoso Guitarist Shawn Phillips Releases His Most Daring, Socially Conscious Album Yet with Continuance - Out Now on Tunecore Distribution

The record features the last work by Phillips' longtime friend and collaborator, composer Paul Buckmaster

(Los Angeles, March 22, 2018) Shawn Phillips, one of music’s most daring, influential and enigmatic figures, has an announced the release of his new album, Continuance, via Tunecore Distribution. The record – Phillips' 26th solo effort – sees the genre-bending singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist, who was once described by Bill Graham as “the best-kept secret in the music business,” mixing hard rock, blues, funk, jazz, classical and New Age into an enthralling, singular style of expression.

“I didn't set out to create this album for people who want some background music while they're having dinner,” says Phillips. “And it's not something to be sampled piecemeal. I wanted to make a complete experience, a record that takes you on a journey both musically and lyrically. That's all I've ever done.”

The aptly named Continuance extends Phillips' commitment to making ambitious, introspective yet socially conscious music. Just as he did on the psychedelic staple “Season of the Witch,” which he co-authored with Donovan in 1966, Phillips weaves evocative imagery with indelible melodies and progressive arrangements, resulting in music that is by turns angry and uplifting, soothing and unsettling. “I came up at a time when you tried to write songs that mattered,” Phillips states. “Lyrically and musically, you challenge yourself and your audience. I always felt an obligation to never play it safe, and I'm certainly not going to stop now.”

Phillips brought that same sense of adventure into Rose Lane Studios in Carpenteria, California, where he recorded his new songs with a group of musicians (Lady Gaga's Brockett Parsons, Keyboards; Anthony Crawford, Bass; Sebastian Persini, Drums; Danny Janklow, Saxophone; Josh Seguin, lead Guitar and Jonathan McCuen, Guitar on “C'Mon Round) he had never met before. “My co-producer, Sjoerd Koppert, recommended the players, and I put my faith in him,” Phillips explains. “I came in, told them there wasn't any music on paper, that I would not tell them what to play, played them the music, and off we went. Apart from a basic structure, It was free-form. I didn't know what to expect, but a minute into the first tune, 'Man With a Gun,' I said, 'All right. This is gonna work!'”

On that hard-edged track, the musicians explode fiercely and intuitively, and Phillips makes no apologies for the song's on-target and timely lyrics. “What's happening in the world and with this administration disgusts me,” he says. “I think we have the singular most unqualified, incompetent individual ever to grace the Oval Office right now. I grew up with guns, but to see what people are doing to sell weapons, profiting on people's pain, it appalls me. An untrained citizen doesn't need an AR-15.”

Similarly, he casts a discerning eye at the current administration and widens his net to include all of the world's oligarchs on the funky, jam-like “Furious Desperation,” which includes a soundbite from a speech by Vermont senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. “The title is a reference to Ralph Waldo Emerson's 'Quiet Desperation,'” Phillips explains. “That was then, this is now. The majority of the world is trying to survive, and you have people in power who are deliberately making it difficult.”

But Phillips dials down the righteous vitriol on the absorbing and transporting opening cut “Life,” which is propelled by one of the guitarist's most elegant acoustic guitar figures. His six-string phrasing is superlative on the hypnotic instrumental “Tribute to D,” written in honor of fellow guitar icon, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. “I met David through my friend Bob Ezrin,” Phillips recalls. “I thought he was a kind, intelligent soul. I was in South Africa when I wrote the song, and I thought the melodies sounded very Gilmour, so it’s my tribute to him.”

Several of the tracks are graced by thrilling orchestral arrangements by legendary conductor and composer Paul Buckmaster, whom Phillips worked with and called his closest friend for over five decades. These cuts represent the last works by Buckmaster, who passed away in November 2017. “I talked to Paul by Skype the day before he died,” Phillips remembers. “It's so sad that he's gone, and it's an absolute honor to have him on this record.”

In the early '60s he played a coffee house in Saskatoon Saskatchewan where a young woman who was a waitress there, asked him to teach her some guitar. He did so for some 2 weeks. Her name was Joni Mitchell. Then, while playing in Toronto, he met Ravi Shankar after attending his concert and Shankar graciously gave him his first lesson right there and then. Arriving in England in the mid-'60s, the Texas-born Phillips had a way of pulling people into his musical orbit. A master on six- and 12-string guitars, having learned sitar from Ravi Shankar and, in turn, gave George Harrison his first lessons on the instrument. Donovan called upon his songwriting services, and Paul McCartney asked him to sing backup on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. While in England, he also recorded with Traffic members Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi. “It's all history now,” says Phillips, “but at the time, we were just musicians hanging out and having fun. We really didn't think about the importance of what we were doing.”

In the ensuing decades, Phillips released a string of rapturously received records – his four-album run between 1970 and 1972 along contains the classics Contribution, Second Contribution, Collaboration and Faces – and has seen his work compiled on not one, but two “best of” collections. While continuing to record and tour, he's made his home in Italy and South Africa before moving to Louisville, Kentucky with his wife Juliette and 12 year old son Liam in 2016.

“More than anything, I just want to open people's minds and appeal to the better nature in everyone,” says Phillips, who cites “In Grace We Intend,” the graceful tone poem that comprises the 9th track on Continuance, as a summation of that message. “I showed the lyrics to Jay Naidoo, who was Nelson Mandela's closest advisor from the day he stepped out of prison to the end of his presidency in South Africa. He told me, 'I spent three years writing a book, and you just said it all on one page.' As an artist, you feel pretty special when you hear something like that from such an extraordinary humanist.”

Continuance can be streamed on Spotify and is available for purchase on iTunes and on Phillips' website. In June, Phillips will tour Canada and he's planning dates in the U.S. for mid-summer.

To purchase Shawn Phillips Continuance: http://www.shawnphillips.com/buyContinuance.htm

Shawn Phillips official website: http://www.shawnphillips.com/

For Press inquiries:

Glass Onyon PR
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Nichole Peters
Jensen Communications
nichole@jensencom.com
626-585-9575

Music Legend & Virtuoso Guitarist Shawn Phillips Releases His Most Daring, Socially Conscious Album Yet with Continuance - Out Now on Tunecore Distribution

The record features the last work by Phillips' longtime friend and collaborator, composer Paul Buckmaster

(Los Angeles, March 22, 2018) Shawn Phillips, one of music’s most daring, influential and enigmatic figures, has an announced the release of his new album, Continuance, via Tunecore Distribution. The record – Phillips' 26th solo effort – sees the genre-bending singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist, who was once described by Bill Graham as “the best-kept secret in the music business,” mixing hard rock, blues, funk, jazz, classical and New Age into an enthralling, singular style of expression.

“I didn't set out to create this album for people who want some background music while they're having dinner,” says Phillips. “And it's not something to be sampled piecemeal. I wanted to make a complete experience, a record that takes you on a journey both musically and lyrically. That's all I've ever done.”

The aptly named Continuance extends Phillips' commitment to making ambitious, introspective yet socially conscious music. Just as he did on the psychedelic staple “Season of the Witch,” which he co-authored with Donovan in 1966, Phillips weaves evocative imagery with indelible melodies and progressive arrangements, resulting in music that is by turns angry and uplifting, soothing and unsettling. “I came up at a time when you tried to write songs that mattered,” Phillips states. “Lyrically and musically, you challenge yourself and your audience. I always felt an obligation to never play it safe, and I'm certainly not going to stop now.”

Phillips brought that same sense of adventure into Rose Lane Studios in Carpenteria, California, where he recorded his new songs with a group of musicians (Lady Gaga's Brockett Parsons, Keyboards; Anthony Crawford, Bass; Sebastian Persini, Drums; Danny Janklow, Saxophone; Josh Seguin, lead Guitar and Jonathan McCuen, Guitar on “C'Mon Round) he had never met before. “My co-producer, Sjoerd Koppert, recommended the players, and I put my faith in him,” Phillips explains. “I came in, told them there wasn't any music on paper, that I would not tell them what to play, played them the music, and off we went. Apart from a basic structure, It was free-form. I didn't know what to expect, but a minute into the first tune, 'Man With a Gun,' I said, 'All right. This is gonna work!'”

On that hard-edged track, the musicians explode fiercely and intuitively, and Phillips makes no apologies for the song's on-target and timely lyrics. “What's happening in the world and with this administration disgusts me,” he says. “I think we have the singular most unqualified, incompetent individual ever to grace the Oval Office right now. I grew up with guns, but to see what people are doing to sell weapons, profiting on people's pain, it appalls me. An untrained citizen doesn't need an AR-15.”

Similarly, he casts a discerning eye at the current administration and widens his net to include all of the world's oligarchs on the funky, jam-like “Furious Desperation,” which includes a soundbite from a speech by Vermont senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. “The title is a reference to Ralph Waldo Emerson's 'Quiet Desperation,'” Phillips explains. “That was then, this is now. The majority of the world is trying to survive, and you have people in power who are deliberately making it difficult.”

But Phillips dials down the righteous vitriol on the absorbing and transporting opening cut “Life,” which is propelled by one of the guitarist's most elegant acoustic guitar figures. His six-string phrasing is superlative on the hypnotic instrumental “Tribute to D,” written in honor of fellow guitar icon, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. “I met David through my friend Bob Ezrin,” Phillips recalls. “I thought he was a kind, intelligent soul. I was in South Africa when I wrote the song, and I thought the melodies sounded very Gilmour, so it’s my tribute to him.”

Several of the tracks are graced by thrilling orchestral arrangements by legendary conductor and composer Paul Buckmaster, whom Phillips worked with and called his closest friend for over five decades. These cuts represent the last works by Buckmaster, who passed away in November 2017. “I talked to Paul by Skype the day before he died,” Phillips remembers. “It's so sad that he's gone, and it's an absolute honor to have him on this record.”

In the early '60s he played a coffee house in Saskatoon Saskatchewan where a young woman who was a waitress there, asked him to teach her some guitar. He did so for some 2 weeks. Her name was Joni Mitchell. Then, while playing in Toronto, he met Ravi Shankar after attending his concert and Shankar graciously gave him his first lesson right there and then. Arriving in England in the mid-'60s, the Texas-born Phillips had a way of pulling people into his musical orbit. A master on six- and 12-string guitars, having learned sitar from Ravi Shankar and, in turn, gave George Harrison his first lessons on the instrument. Donovan called upon his songwriting services, and Paul McCartney asked him to sing backup on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. While in England, he also recorded with Traffic members Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi. “It's all history now,” says Phillips, “but at the time, we were just musicians hanging out and having fun. We really didn't think about the importance of what we were doing.”

In the ensuing decades, Phillips released a string of rapturously received records – his four-album run between 1970 and 1972 along contains the classics Contribution, Second Contribution, Collaboration and Faces – and has seen his work compiled on not one, but two “best of” collections. While continuing to record and tour, he's made his home in Italy and South Africa before moving to Louisville, Kentucky with his wife Juliette and 12 year old son Liam in 2016.

“More than anything, I just want to open people's minds and appeal to the better nature in everyone,” says Phillips, who cites “In Grace We Intend,” the graceful tone poem that comprises the 9th track on Continuance, as a summation of that message. “I showed the lyrics to Jay Naidoo, who was Nelson Mandela's closest advisor from the day he stepped out of prison to the end of his presidency in South Africa. He told me, 'I spent three years writing a book, and you just said it all on one page.' As an artist, you feel pretty special when you hear something like that from such an extraordinary humanist.”

Continuance can be streamed on Spotify and is available for purchase on iTunes and on Phillips' website. In June, Phillips will tour Canada and he's planning dates in the U.S. for mid-summer.

To purchase Shawn Phillips Continuance: http://www.shawnphillips.com/buyContinuance.htm

Shawn Phillips official website: http://www.shawnphillips.com/

For Press inquiries:

Glass Onyon PR
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Nichole Peters
Jensen Communications
nichole@jensencom.com
626-585-9575

YES Guitar Legend Peter Banks's Anthology Be Well, Be Safe, Be Lucky... 2CD & The Self-Contained Trilogy 3CD – OUT NOW!

YES and Flash guitar legend Peter Banks's Be Well, Be Safe, Be Lucky...The Anthology 2CD & The Self-Contained Trilogy 3CD are now available!

PETER BANKS: BE WELL, BE SAFE, BE LUCKY… THE ANTHOLOGY



Peter Banks was one of the original members of YES and an accomplished guitarist, but sadly passed away in 2013. Be Well, Be Safe, Be Lucky...The Anthology is the FIRST EVER compilation of his solo career.

This set is being released in his memory, by his Estate via Cherry Red worldwide, during the 5th anniversary of his passing and the 50th Anniversary of YES. The 2CD set includes “Knights (Reprise)” which features Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and the late John Wetton. Also included is the first release of the short instrumental “Knights (Revisited)” which features Billy Sherwood, Jay Schellen and Tony Kaye of YES.

The second disc features numerous rarities, (including two previously unreleased extended tracks) collected together from 7 different compilations… a “catch all” of Peter Banks tracks that fans may not have heard before. The second disc includes the astonishing guitar led instrumental re-record of YES’s “Astral Traveller.”

The booklet features an original poem by Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, included with kind permission. The set also features new artwork and the audio has received a 2018 remaster.

To purchase NOW from Amazon: http://geni.us/PBME3
Also available on the Cleopatra Records US webstore from 13th April: http://geni.us/CleoPB

PETER BANKS: THE SELF-CONTAINED TRILOGY 3CD



The Self-Contained Trilogy 3CD set includes all three of Peter Banks’s solo studio albums from the 1990's in one place: Instinct (1994), Self-Contained (1995) and Reduction (1997)

The booklet features the original album artwork, liner notes and credits. The set also features new artwork and the audio has received a 2018 remaster.

To purchase NOW from Amazon: http://geni.us/PBME2

Remembering Peter Banks Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/Remembering-Peter-Banks-165355266955155/

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

YES Guitar Legend Peter Banks's Anthology Be Well, Be Safe, Be Lucky... 2CD & The Self-Contained Trilogy 3CD – OUT NOW!

YES and Flash guitar legend Peter Banks's Be Well, Be Safe, Be Lucky...The Anthology 2CD & The Self-Contained Trilogy 3CD are now available!

PETER BANKS: BE WELL, BE SAFE, BE LUCKY… THE ANTHOLOGY



Peter Banks was one of the original members of YES and an accomplished guitarist, but sadly passed away in 2013. Be Well, Be Safe, Be Lucky...The Anthology is the FIRST EVER compilation of his solo career.

This set is being released in his memory, by his Estate via Cherry Red worldwide, during the 5th anniversary of his passing and the 50th Anniversary of YES. The 2CD set includes “Knights (Reprise)” which features Phil Collins, Steve Hackett and the late John Wetton. Also included is the first release of the short instrumental “Knights (Revisited)” which features Billy Sherwood, Jay Schellen and Tony Kaye of YES.

The second disc features numerous rarities, (including two previously unreleased extended tracks) collected together from 7 different compilations… a “catch all” of Peter Banks tracks that fans may not have heard before. The second disc includes the astonishing guitar led instrumental re-record of YES’s “Astral Traveller.”

The booklet features an original poem by Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, included with kind permission. The set also features new artwork and the audio has received a 2018 remaster.

To purchase NOW from Amazon: http://geni.us/PBME3
Also available on the Cleopatra Records US webstore from 13th April: http://geni.us/CleoPB

PETER BANKS: THE SELF-CONTAINED TRILOGY 3CD



The Self-Contained Trilogy 3CD set includes all three of Peter Banks’s solo studio albums from the 1990's in one place: Instinct (1994), Self-Contained (1995) and Reduction (1997)

The booklet features the original album artwork, liner notes and credits. The set also features new artwork and the audio has received a 2018 remaster.

To purchase NOW from Amazon: http://geni.us/PBME2

Remembering Peter Banks Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/Remembering-Peter-Banks-165355266955155/

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

Guitar Virtuoso Marcelo Paganini Releases New EP Feat. Pink Floyd's Durga McBroom & Jazz Legend Deodato

The Great Gig Beyond 2001 - Paganini, McBroom, Deodato, Husband, Madore Prog Odyssey 

On July 2016 French-Brazilian guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini had a “what if” moment and asked common friend Fernando Perdomo to help him get in touch with Pink Floyd's singer Durga McBroom about recording some vocals on a couple of songs. The stars were aligned, Durga was touring Italy and agreed to come to Marcelo Paganini's studio  in the Normandy's countryside in France  for a couple of days in early August.

They recorded a 4 songs EP  “B4ever now” being released digitally and on CD on CD Baby and digital platforms on March the first 2018. The songs are: “Crying with a smile”, then 2 songs with jazz legend Eumir Deodato “2001” on keys: “Last BART to San Bruno” and “B4ever now”. The last song is “2012 Space Traffic Jam”, from the critically acclaimed album of same name released in 2014, like all the other songs on this EP. The songs  were all re-mixed and re-mastered. New arrangements with Durga's vocal make it a completely new musical experience. Even for those who know the 2014 versions. Prog rock jazz fusion for the digital space age, with guitar and vocals out of this world.

“Working with Marcelo Paganini was one of the most unique experiences of my career. It will make a great chapter in my autobiography. He is the quintessential mad prog rock musician - think of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, but instead of a magician's hat he is using a guitar to create a chaotic, mystical masterpiece.” - Durga McBroom



Joking about the song title “2012 Space Traffic Jam”, Marcelo Paganini laughs: “Looks like the UFO Space Traffic Jam is just above our heads on planet Earth, I mean...  Did you see the videos on the mainstream press? Too many UFOs to hide Mode: On...” The cosmic surreal cover art  featuring Marcelo Paganini, Durga McBroom and Eumir Deodato was done by French artist Raquel de Miranda.

Marcelo Paganini recorded all the guitars and most of the keyboards in all songs, Marc Madoré played bass and Gary Husband played drums. “I lived all my life to record with those wonderful musicians and specially with Durga McBroom. She have it all, her voice is pure passion and magical powers, she is simply the very best. Durga McBroom put my music in another dimension. And what a talent in front of a camera, just stunning... Miracles DO happen. Be careful about what you wish for: she came, she sang, then she left... Now I have the rest of my life to deal with it...  At least I have, and now with this release we all have, the music and the films... That I hope will bring more music and films together and specially live shows. Now Durga is living in Italy. Who will be the first prog festival to book us?”

Marcelo Paganini worked night and day for months on the “Crying with a smile” experimental short film, that will go into the film festivals circuit first, before being posted on the Internet. A 43 seconds teaser is available on YouTube and Facebook. “The song was about human life and death, when I lost my grand father in 1989. Then I moved to New York City... Lots of people everywhere in the free wild 90's Times Square.... It was all about people's life and death... But it changed after a river called 'Rio Doce', died in Brazil in 2015, because of greed. Nobody talks about it. Then the film became about the survival of rivers, oceans, blood, sweat and tears, in other words, life... The small village we see in the film with the wonderful bridge, the Sarthe River and the small chappell is Saint Cenery le Gerei in France. Just a few miles away from my studio”. Another short film is on the making for the song “B4ever now”.

Marcelo Paganini met Durga McBroom for the first time on Cruise to the Edge in 2015, after winning a Facebook contest at the last minute. Written in the stars? It was a life change experience for many reasons for Marcelo Paganini, “any prog rock lovers must go at least once in their lifetimes. Especially singers and musicians... A musical prog cruise with the coolest people inside that are your next best friends... In one word: GO. Thank you Larry Morand, I wrote a song about my cruise experience that will be on my next album called 'Captain's face' for the man I never met but had such a big impact in my life and musical direction. Since the McBroom sisters will already be on board, of course I dream about being booked on the next Cruise to the Edge.”

Since the release of “2012 Space Traffic Jam” in January 2014, Marcelo Paganini toured Brazil in December 2014 to release the album there, making the musical film “First time in Rio” live. In the Fall 2017 Marcelo Paganini released the album in France at Reveillon Jazz Cafe in September. In October Marcelo Paganini made a new musical film “Live at Music Alençon” with new keyboard player Ricardo Fiuza, Marc Madoré on bass and Christophe Bras on drums. Some short videos published on Facebook already got thousands of views. More will be posted soon...

For more information:
http://marcelopaganini.zimbalam.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marcelo-Paganini/13255032254

YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/MarcelloPaganini

Link to video teaser “Crying with a smile”:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/13255032254/videos/10154738124187255/
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2kIpr9-2ls

Link to video teaser Marcelo Paganini new band “Live at Music Alençon”:
https://www.facebook.com/13255032254/videos/10154543409107255/

To purchase Marcelo Paganini's 4-song EP “B4ever now”: http://www.cdbaby.com/marcelopaganini4

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