JOHN FORD OF THE STRAWBS TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Ford is also known from Hudson-Ford, The Monks, and Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera

New album includes covers of Tom Petty’s “Walls” and George Harrison’s “The Rising Sun” plus nine new Ford originals

CD format includes an exclusive 21-song bonus “Best of” disc

Out July 24, 2026 on Iconoclassic Records

John Ford’s 50+ year career has traversed psychedelia with Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, progressive folk with The Strawbs, eclectic rock with Hudson-Ford, punky new wave with The Monks, and even ’30s-style music hall with High Society. An Englishman in New York since the mid-’80s, Ford launched a solo career spotlighting his melodic gifts and multi-instrumental prowess in power pop and acoustic-based rock settings. For his latest album, the eternally youthful John Ford presents Between a Rock and a Hard Place, a lyrically reflective and musically energetic set.

“As a songwriter the subconscious can bring forth ideas that you may not even be thinking of day to day, but looking back on stages in my life, songs like ‘The Last Goodnight’ and ‘Lilacs and Hollyhocks’ certainly reflect that,” Ford comments. “I think everyone at some point in their lives have been between a rock and a hard place.”

John Ford seamlessly integrates two cover songs into Between a Rock and a Hard Place, including the album’s first single, the Tom Petty-written “Walls.” Ford: “Somehow, even though a great Tom Petty fan, I had never heard his ‘Walls’ song until I heard the Glen Campbell version on the radio. I thought, I can do a decent job with that.” The album’s second non-original is a deep cut from another legend: “George Harrison’s album Brainwashed had some great songs on it, and I hope I did ‘The Rising Sun’ justice.” Uniting Petty, Harrison, and Ford is their mutual love for Jeff Lynne’s productions, an influence heard throughout Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

John Ford has been an on-and-off member of The Strawbs since writing and singing the band’s biggest hit, 1973’s “Part of the Union.” He rejoined the Dave Cousins-founded Strawbs for the band’s final two albums in 2021 and 2023 before founder and leader Dave Cousins’ passing in 2025. “I dedicated this album to Dave Cousins because I was working with him and Blue Weaver right up to the time he was hospitalized. Dave and I had co-written songs on the last two Strawbs albums and I did send him ‘Lilacs and Hollyhocks’ for verses but had to finish the lyrics myself. We had our ups and downs over the years, but we fortunately ended on a good note.”

Between a Rock and a Hard Place is John Ford’s first solo album to be released through traditional, worldwide physical retail distribution. The CD format includes an exclusive bonus disc of 21 career highlights, introducing fans to songs they might have missed from Ford’s self-released albums. “I signed on to Iconoclassic Records because they surprisingly had a great knowledge of my previous work and suggested we have a best of bonus CD with my new release.”

John Ford’s Between a Rock and a Hard Place drops July 24, 2026.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place (CD and Digital, Iconoclassic Records ICON 1096)
1. Between a Rock and a Hard Place
2. The Last Goodnight
3. Land of Dreams
4. Walls
5. Always
6. Lilacs and Hollyhocks
7. Since You’ve Been Gone
8. The Ship and the Sea
9. Who Turned the Lights Out
10. In the Dead of Night
11. The Rising Sun

The Best of John Ford 1998-2026 (CD Exclusive Bonus Disc)
1. Poor Boy Running
2. Movin’ On
3. Acoustic Sunrise
4. Strange Universe
5. I’m a Chameleon
6. Kissed By the Sun
7. Don’t Blame Me
8. Together Apart
9. Natural High
10. Another Tradition Broken
11. Bread and Fishes
12. Love Is a Highway
13. Big Hit in India
14. Life in a Foreign Town
15. What Am I Going to Do Without You
16. Back in England
17. When Did I Ever Let You Down
18. Christmas Rendezvous
19. Cry Me a River
20. Poor Man’s Son
21. You Can’t Keep Me from Singing

To pre-order:
Label store: https://iconoclassicrecords.com/album/between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place/
Independent retail: https://recordstoreday.com/upc/990481103140
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Between-Rock-Hard-Place-John/dp/B0H1SFSZHD

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/JohnFordoftheStrawbs
https://www.facebook.com/john.ford.401932
https://x.com/johnfordstrawbs

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

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CRACK THE SKY PRINCIPAL JOHN PALUMBO RELEASES POLITICALLY CONSCIOUS SOLO ALBUM, R U SCIENCE?

11 NEW SONGS INCLUDING THE TIMELY SINGLE “ICEMEN”

ALBUM FEATURES CRACK THE SKY’S JOE MACRE AND BOBBY HIRD

AVAILABLE ON CD AND DIGITALLY

RELEASED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH PALUMBO’S DEBUT NOVEL, SWIMMING THE CLEVELAND OCEAN

Visionary leader of Crack The Sky, John Palumbo returns under his own name with his boldest collection of songs yet.

R U SCIENCE? is a rallying cry grappling with the issues of today, from AI to ICE. Palumbo’s trademark sarcasm is barely in evidence but his bite is stronger than ever in his unflinchingly direct lyrics. Different times demand different songs, and Palumbo meets the moment throughout the 11 new compositions on R U SCIENCE?

Palumbo’s voice – weathered, expressive, and unmistakably authentic – conveys his messages with conviction, intelligence, and heart. The album’s full band arrangements feature Crack The Sky’s Joe Macre (bass) and Bobby Hird (lead guitar and background vocals). Yet R U SCIENCE? establishes a distinct sonic identity with electronic elements developing an ominous mood befitting the times we are living through. R U SCIENCE? is an album for now, while instantly establishing itself as a highlight of Palumbo’s voluminous discography.

As a songwriter, Palumbo has a gift for turning complex ideas into memorable music. “Icemen” addresses one of 2026’s most contentious issues. “I’m not a white man. I am a brown man. That used to be okay. But not today. Here they come. They’re coming for me,” Palumbo intones. The arrangement creates an atmosphere of tension and urgency that perfectly complements the song’s themes. Released as the first single from R U SCIENCE?, the “Icemen” lyric video has already been viewed 10K times on YouTube. Immigration topics return on “Big House,” written from three perspectives: a human smuggler, a migrant, and an ICE officer.

The album’s closing track is entitled “I Catch Fire.” Indeed, Palumbo may take heat from his more conservative fans. But John Palumbo refuses to play it safe. His songs have always been stories about obsession, belief, power, and the quiet damage people do to themselves and each other.

Simultaneously released is John Palumbo’s novel, Swimming The Cleveland Ocean. As a novelist, Palumbo brings that same unflinching eye to the page. His fiction is dark, psychological and often unsettling, driven by characters who live just beyond the edge of comfort and control. The wit remains, but the melody is stripped away, leaving something rawer and harder to escape. The move from music to prose is not a departure, but an expansion. These are the stories that could never fit inside a song. Swimming The Cleveland Ocean is available on Amazon in paperback form.

Songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist John Palumbo has led progressive rock band Crack The Sky for over 50 years. The band’s self-titled first album was declared 1975’s debut album of the year by Rolling Stone and ranked as one of Rolling Stone‘s 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums in 2015. Major success was predicted for Crack The Sky. But due to persistent record label issues, the band never achieved a national breakthrough. Yet their popularity exploded in Baltimore, where Crack The Sky is acclaimed as The Beatles of Baltimore. Throughout Crack The Sky’s existence, John Palumbo’s quirky, edgy, smart songwriting proved constant as the band explored a diverse variety of sounds and styles.

Palumbo launched a parallel solo career in 1978 and nearly scored a hit with 1985’s “Blowing Up Detroit” (later covered by Charlie Sexton). He simultaneously began a songwriting partnership with Donnie Purnell of glam metal band Kix, co-writing the band’s Top 10 power ballad, “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” In the ’90s he produced chart topping dance remixes for Yoko Ono and embarked on a wide variety of side projects including Cruel Shoes, Dogboy, Feed da Cat, and the Precious Brothers, while regularly recording and performing with Crack The Sky.

R U SCIENCE? (Iconoclassic Records ICON 1095)

1. Fear Is The Power
2. R U Science?
3. Vampires
4. Icemen
5. For Dear Life
6. The Evangelist
7. Days Of Our Lives
8. Big House
9. Another Gong
10. White Man
11. I Catch Fire

Produced by John Palumbo and R. Lee Townsend

John Palumbo: Guitar, Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Bobby Hird: Guitar, Background Vocals
Joe Macre: Bass
Max Victor Vacacerdo: Drums

To purchase:
Label store: https://iconoclassicrecords.com/album/r-u-science/
Independent retail: https://recordstoreday.com/upc/990481102440
Amazon CD: https://www.amazon.com/R-U-SCIENCE-John-Palumbo/dp/B0GQ545YNT
Amazon book: https://www.amazon.com/Swimming-Cleveland-Ocean-John-Palumbo/dp/B0H1SC6FQ7

For more information:
Website: https://crackthesky.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/cracktheskychannel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialcrackthesky
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cracktheskyofficial

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

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King Crimson “Islands” New 2026 Mixes On CD/Blu-ray/Vinyl To Be Released September 25, 2026

• The complete recording sessions of King Crimson’s 1971 release Islands on 1CD/1 Blu-Ray
• Blu-ray features 2026 Steven Wilson Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD MA 24/96 Surround and 24/96 Hi-Res Stereo mixes
• New Elemental Mixes of the entire album in 24/96 Hi-Res Stereo by David Singleton
• The 30th anniversary remaster in 24/96
• The complete recording sessions from 1971 in 24/96 and Live at Summit Studios in Quadraphonic sound
• Presented in replica mini-vinyl style packaging with booklet, including photos and sleevenotes from King Crimson biographer Sid Smith.
• CD contains the 2026 Steven Wilson stereo album mix and a selection of Elemental Mixes.

Robert Fripp: Guitar, Mellotron, Peter’s Pedal Harmonium & Sundry Implements
Mel Collins: Flute, Bass Flute, Saxes & Vocals
Boz Burrell: Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals & Choreography
Ian Wallace: Drums, Percussion & Vocals
Peter Sinfield: Words, Sounds & Vision

Islands was the sole studio album by the Fripp, Collins, Burrell and Wallace line-up and the last to feature Peter Sinfield as a full creative partner. It was the record that closed one chapter of King Crimson history while quietly sketching the next. Historically, it captured the band in a brief but amazingly fertile formation, with material developed under touring pressure and recorded between live dates. Musically, it is where the group’s early sound was stretched to its limit and began to fracture into something tougher, stranger and more open-ended. While the album contains widely varying types of material across its six pieces - hints of the future present on material such as Sailor’s Tale with Fripp’s sharp guitar work and Collins’ searing saxophone sit comfortably alongside the purely orchestral Prelude: Song of the Gulls – Islands has a cohesive story to tell as a collection of music and a reflection of King Crimson at that particular moment in time, a story that can be heard, most completely, in this release.

KCXP5014 Islands

Disc 1    CD
2026 mixes - Produced and Mixed by Steven Wilson
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
6. Islands

2026 Elemental Mixes - Produced and Mixed by David Singleton
7. Formentera Lady
8. Sailor’s Tale
9. Ladies of the Road
10. Islands

Disc 2 Blu-Ray
I 2026 Dolby Atmos, DTS HD-MA 5.1 Surround & 24/96 Stereo
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
6. Islands

II 2026 Instrumental, 24/96 Stereo
1. Formentera Lady
2. The Letters
3. Ladies of the Road
4. Islands

III 2026 Elemental Mixes, 24/96 Stereo
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Islands
6. Prelude: Song of the Gulls

IV Complete Recording Sessions, 24/96 Stereo
Islands Studios
July 22^nd, 1971 Ladies of The Road Early Uptempo Takes 1 & 2

Command Studios
Aug 2^nd, 1971 Ladies of The Road Takes 1 to 5
A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls Takes 1 to 3

Aug 25^th, 1971 Checking Levels
Ladies of The Road Take 1
Band Jam
Ladies of The Road Takes 2 to 4

Aug 26^th, 1971 Band Jam 2
Ladies of The Road Takes One to Five
Ladies of The Road Backing and Overdubs
Ladies of The Road Vocals and Overdubs

Sept 1^st, 1971 Ian Drum Check
The Letters Section One First Two Verses
The Letters Section Two Riff
The Letters Section Three Solo Takes 1 and 2
The Letters Section Four Last Two Verses
The Letters Intro Overdubs
The Letters Riff Overdubs
The Letters Vocals and Piano Last 2 Verses
The Letters Backing and Flute Last 2 Verses

Sept 8^th, 1971 Formentera Lady First Two Verses Takes 1 to 5
Formentera Lady Backing and Overdubs
Formentera Lady Vocals and Overdubs

Sept 9^th, 1971 Band Blow
Sailor's Tale Bass, Drums and Overdubs
Sailor's Tale Sax and Banjo Guitar Overdubs
Sailor's Tale Piano and Guitar Overdubs
Sailor's Tale Mellotron Overdubs

Oct 1^st, 1971 Prelude Rehearsals and Flute Takes 1 to 3
Islands Takes 1 and 2

Oct 2^nd, 1971 Prelude Takes 1 to 3

Oct 3^rd, 1971 Prelude Takes 1 and 2
Islands Master Piano, Guitar and Wind Overdubs
Islands Master Keys and Mellotron Overdubs

V Original Mixes - 30th Anniversary Master (24/96 Stereo)
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor’s Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
6. Islands

VI Live at Summit Studios March 1972 - Quadraphonic Sound
1. Pictures of a City
2. Cadence and Cascade
3. Groon
4. 21st Century Schizoid Man
5. Improv: Summit Going On
6. My Hobby
7. The Sailor’s Tale
8. The Creator Has A Master Plan (including Summit and Something Else)

• A 200g vinyl editon of David Singleton's 2026 Elemental Mixes of King Crimson’s classic Islands.
• Cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering.

KCLPR4 Islands Elemental Mixes LP (200gram Super-heavyweight vinyl)

Side A
1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor's Tale
3. The Letters

Side B
1. Ladies Of The Road
2. Islands
3. Prelude Song of The Gulls

For King Crimson fans, Islands – 2026 David Singleton Elemental Mixes is both a compelling standalone listening experience and an essential companion to the original album — offering fresh insight into the sessions, a renewed immediacy to the performances, and a rare opportunity to hear this distinctive work from a radically different angle.

To pre-order:

CD/Blu-Ray: https://burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/king-crimson_islands_cd_blu-ray

Vinyl: https://burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/king-crimson_islands-2026-david-singleton-elemental_vinyl

CD/Blu-Ray & Vinyl Bundle: https://burningshed.com/store/kingcrimson/king-crimson_islands_cd_blu-ray-vinyl-bundle

For further information, please contact: info@panegyric.net

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

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Brian Kastan Releases Groovy Improvisational Funk Rock Album FUN GROOVE

Brian Kastan's new album Fun Groove consists of 9 fun new songs. Fun Groove is an album of groove tunes with rock and funk drum grooves. The album features Dave Berger on drums and Jay Brunka on bass. As the grooves are hitting, Brian improvises over the top of them using a modern free rhythmic approach to guitar soloing. Brian's rocking metallic guitar tone brings the listener on a fun and raw guitar solo journey as it floats over the grooves. He improvises solos within the structure of the tunes, supported by the warm bass sound and sharp pop of the drums.

Fun Groove is a hard-hitting album that blends rock, funk, and jazz with a feel-good jam band feel and catchy melodies. This album is the 5th album with the same band members. Previous records with this group consist of Free Blues and Dinner Music for Strangers volumes 1, 2, and 3.

Track list:
1. My Pop Music
2. Dant, Dant, Danant
3. Groovin' on Sesame Street
4. 70's Riff Vibe
5. From This to That
6. My Pop Music Take 2
7. Circus Jam
8. Lion Feast
9. As We Go Through the Day

Credits

Brian Kastan – guitar
Jay Brunka - bass
Dave Berger – drums

Released June 1, 2026

FUN GROOVE is produced by Brian Kastan, Jay Brunka, and Dave Berger.
Songs 1-8 composed by Brian Kastan. As We Go Through the Day improvised by the group.

Recorded by Brian Kastan/Space 2 Groove Records
www.space2grooverecords.com
Mixed and Mastered by Scott Petito
scottpetito.com

Brian Kastan Fun Groove Band - Live Jam 2025: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyi7AF0aSM0

To purchase: https://space2grooverecords2.bandcamp.com/album/fun-groove-brian-kastan-band-featuring-jay-brunka-dave-berger

For more information:
https://www.space2grooverecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/brian.kastan.9

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

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Thirty-Year Music Industry Veteran Launches Stuck On Sound, a New Podcast for Musicians, Music Fans, and Audio Professionals

Weekly series delivers deep-dive conversations on recording, the music business, technology, and the future of audio

Macon, GA — Joey Stuckey, a thirty-year veteran recording engineer, producer, artist, and educator, today announced the launch of Stuck On Sound, a podcast dedicated to the art, science, and business of music. New episodes drop every Wednesday and are available at www.stuckonsound.com and on all major podcast platforms.

Stuck On Sound is built for music obsessives — the kind of listeners who want more than surface-level conversation. Stuckey brings his decades of industry experience to wide-ranging discussions covering recording techniques, marketing strategies, accessibility in music, entertainment law, and the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. The show is equally at home exploring the best microphones on the market and recounting behind-the-scenes stories from iconic sessions with artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Stewart Copeland.

"This is a deep-dive podcast for music nerds, by music nerds," said Stuckey. "We're not afraid to go down rabbit holes, and we want listeners to come away with real knowledge they can use."

The show has already assembled a remarkable roster of guests, including legendary producer Michael Beinhorn; Tom Camuso, official recording engineer for the Les Paul Foundation; two-time Grammy Award-winning children's music artist Lucy Kalantari; two-time Grammy-nominated musician Eric Alexandrakis; Jennifer Roe, CEO of Folk Alliance International; entertainment attorneys Alan Clarke and Gavin Strube of Greenspoon Marder; iconic DJ Richard Blade; past Audio Engineering Society president John Krivit; and recording artist and disability advocate Lachi, among many others.

Whether you are an aspiring producer, a seasoned industry professional, or simply a passionate fan who wants the inside story, Stuck On Sound offers a direct line to the top thought leaders shaping today's music industry.

New episodes are released every Wednesday. Visit www.stuckonsound.com for the full guest archive, show notes, and more.

About Joey Stuckey

Joey Stuckey is an award-winning artist, producer, and speaker whose multifaceted career transcends the boundaries of sight, sound, and genre. Blind since early childhood, Joey quickly found connection and inspiration in sound, and what started as a survival skill evolved into a sophisticated and almost supernatural talent. When legendary producer Alan Parsons called Joey “The best ears in the music business,” it was confirmation of what Joey’s fans and clients knew all along: Joey’s superpower is sound.

The Joey Stuckey Band has shared the stage with legendary artists like James Brown, the B-52s, and Bad Company, and Joey has received dozens of awards, including Jazz Artist of the Year from the Georgia Music Awards. Inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, Joey also Joey received the 2024 Macon Arts Alliance Cultural Award for his significant contributions to the arts community of central Georgia.

As owner of Shadow Sound Studio in Macon, Georgia, Joey honors each artist’s vision while encouraging them to explore uncharted territory. He has engineered recording sessions with musicians including Randall Bramblett (Steve Winwood, Traffic Gregg Allman and Friends), Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Train), and Mike Mills (R.E.M.) and written songs with Ed Roland (Collective Soul), Paul "Mad Dog" McGuinness (The Popes), and Will Morrison (Modern English). Joey is now expanding Shadow Sound to cement the studio as a destination for education, community, and recording in the birthplace of southern rock.

As a speaker, Joey draws from his experiences as a blind musician and sound engineer, offering both technical advice and motivational talks on overcoming obstacles, living with purpose, and the importance of inclusion. His speaking engagements have spanned international conferences, university lectures, and global corporate events, blending his insights with performance to engage and inspire audiences. On stage, in the studio, or at the podium, Joey offers listeners a sense of belonging, reminding them that even in the dark, connection is always possible.

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

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Progressive Rock Ensemble Jane Getter Premonition to Release New Album “Transmogrify”

Release Date: July 10, 2026  |  7D Media

7D Media is proud to announce Transmogrify, the bold new album from Jane Getter Premonition, arriving July 10, 2026. At once a mirror and a metamorphosis, Transmogrify is a record about change — personal, political, and musical — rendered through the lens of progressive rock at its most exploratory and emotionally alive.

Jane Getter Premonition is Jane Getter (Saturday Night Live Band, Jack McDuff), Adam Holzman (Miles Davis, Steven Wilson) Alex Skolnick (Testament, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Paul Frazier (David Byrne, Niles Rogers), and Gene Lake (Marcus Miller, Nile Rogers & Chic). Joining them are special guests Russell Holzman (Caroline Polachek), Mark Egan (Pat Metheny), and Chandra Rule (Kirk Lightsey).

Together, they form one of progressive rock's most compelling ensembles — a band whose command of technical virtuosity never comes at the expense of emotional depth. Transmogrify is their latest act of creative courage: a record that reflects our turbulent times without losing sight of beauty, transformation, and the possibility of change.

Most of the songs on this album began as something else entirely, transforming through the creative process into the forms they now inhabit. The album's title track reflects on the artist's evolving desires and experiences while acknowledging the shifting currents of a world in flux. He's Gone Away delves into the illusion of escape — the realization that what haunts us follows wherever we go. Blinded confronts the dangers of blind allegiance. And Little Steps — a solo acoustic guitar piece — stands as a tender tribute to the late, great Ralph Towner.

Lyrically and sonically, Transmogrify is an album that holds out hope even as it confronts difficult truths — a record for a world that is, like the music itself, in the midst of becoming something new.

TRACK LISTING
1. Still Dreaming
2. Transmogrify
3. Turned Around
4. He's Gone Away (Won't Stay)
5. Blinded
6. Little Steps
7. Just Run (Remastered)

PERSONNEL
Jane Getter – guitars, lead vocals (2–7); bass (1), background vocals (1)
Adam Holzman – keyboards
Paul Frazier – bass, background vocals (3)
Gene Lake – drums (2, 4, 5, 7)
Russell Holzman – drums (1, 3)
Chanda Rule – lead vocals (1)
Alex Skolnick – 1st guitar solo (2)
Mark Egan – bass (7)

Available formats: Limited Edition Translucent Orange Vinyl) |  CD  |  Digital Download

Released on 7D Media  |  www.7dmedia.com

Pre-order available now at 7dmedia.com/jane-getter-transmogrify

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

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Martin Carthy ALONG THE ROAD FOREVER: LIVE AT THE BBC Landmark 20CD Box Set Celebrating Nearly Six Decades of BBC Performances

A major new archival release celebrates the extraordinary career of Martin Carthy with Along The Road Forever: Live At The BBC. To be released via Madfish on 17th July 2026.

An expansive 20CD collection documenting live and session performances recorded for the BBC across an astonishing 57-year period from 1965 - 2022.

Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in English folk music, Martin Carthy MBE’s body of work has shaped generations of musicians through his distinctive guitar style, powerful interpretations of traditional song, and groundbreaking collaborations. Spanning solo recordings, duets with Dave Swarbrick, work alongside daughter Eliza Carthy and performances with seminal groups including Steeleye Span,  The Albion Country Band, Brass Monkeys, The Watersons and Waterson / Carthy, theset presents an unparalleled alternative history of one of Britain’s defining musical voices.

Across 22½ hours of music and 328 tracks - including 237 unique repertoire performances, with two-thirds sourced from master recordings - Along The Road Forever captures Martin’s enduring relationship with the BBC through appearances on Radios 1,2,3 and 4, BBC Television, and even rare surviving performances from 1960s regional broadcaster ABC TV.

The collection also includes an 80-page hardback book featuring a major new essay by acclaimed biographer Clinton Heylin examining Martin Carthy’s complete life in music, alongside unseen photographs - many drawn from Martin’s personal archive- detailed session notes by noted Carthy chronicler Kevin Boyd, and an exclusive photograph personally signed by Martin Carthy.

Reflecting on Martin Carthy’s profound influence on contemporary songwriting and folk revival culture, Bob Dylan addressed Carthy thus:

“If you didn’t know, your songs and your melodies have been with me since we first met. We’ll meet each other down the line somewhere”

- Bob Dylan, 2025

Along The Road Forever: Live At The BBC stands as a definitive portrait of a singular artist whose influence continues to resonate across generations of folk, acoustic and contemporary music.

20 CD BOX SET Includes:
• 328 live and session recordings spanning 1965-2022
• 80-page hardback book with new essay by Clinton Heylin
• Rare and previously unseen photographs
• Detailed session annotations by Kevin Boyd
• Exclusive signed Martin Carthy photograph

www.madfishmusic.com

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

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Daniel Reyes Llinás Releases New EP ‘From Nothing’ May 29, 2026 on 7d Media

From Nothing is an EP in three movements that explores the relationship between acoustic and electronic matter across a latent dramaturgy shaped by minimal gestures and granular dialogues. Within a shifting sonic landscape rich in morphological nuances, each sound carries a trace of transfiguration as a plurality of patterns aggregate and dissolve in a shared search oriented toward continuity and transformation. Out of this open dynamic, guitarist and composer Daniel Reyes Llinás gathers a new ensemble together with violinist Madeline Hocking, violist Hannah Selin and cellist Clara Cho. Through frictions and suspensions, the quartet gradually unfolds luminous spaces, where each element redefines and supports the balance of the others. Moving through a circular temporality of instants, From Nothing, Imagen Dos and Diálogos simultaneously inhabit a space open to presence and to the possibilities of sound. - Anita Soukizy

Track List
1. From Nothing…  — 10’47” (Ravi Kittappa)
2. Imagen Dos — 5’10” (Daniel Reyes Llinás)
3. Diálogos — 11’43” (Hocking-Selin-Cho-Llinás)

Credits

• Madeline Hocking  — Violin
• Hannah Selin — Viola
• Clara Cho — Cello
• Daniel Reyes Llinás — Electric Guitar & Electronics

Recording & Production
Recorded by Aaron Nevezie at Bunker Studios, Brooklyn NY
Additional recordings at Page St Sound Lab by Frankie Piacentini - ReAmp by Nicolás Diaz Lucas.
Mixed by Natán Idé Pizarro - Mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering - Portland OR.
Artwork by Sophie Knox Peters
Produced by Daniel Reyes Llinás

Release Date - May 29th on 7DMedia

For more information: http://www.llinasmusic.com/

To purchase:
https://llinas.bandcamp.com/album/from-nothing
https://7dmedia.com/album/4004865/from-nothing

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

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Jann Klose Pushes Creative Boundaries on New Album 'The Future Trap'

Photo Credit: Mikiodo

Stream “The Future Trap” album here: https://found.ee/tfp

New York City, NY - Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Jann Klose officially releases his ambitious new studio album The Future Trap today, delivering a deeply immersive listening experience that blends cinematic storytelling with a richly layered sonic journey.

Far more than a traditional collection of songs, The Future Trap was conceived as a full concept album, with interconnected themes and musical transitions designed to pull listeners into the emotional world of its central character — a figure who is equal parts fictional creation and reflection of the human experience itself.

“The Future Trap explores the universal struggle of falling into familiar patterns,” explains Jann Klose. “We wrote most of the music with the idea of creating a concept album, creating transitions between songs. I didn’t want it to be just another collection of tracks but rather a listening experience tied to storytelling.”

That storytelling forms the emotional backbone of the record, following a protagonist through obsession, joy, love, pain, loss, renewal, and ultimately acceptance. “The character we created is a bit like me but also a bit like everyone else,” says Klose. “Very flawed, very human.”

To bring the project to life, Klose collaborated closely with producer and songwriter Marcus Dembinski, alongside acclaimed musical contributors including Everett Bradley (current member of Bon Jovi), Marcella Detroit of Shakespears Sister and Eric Clapton fame, Alphonso Horne (Late Show with Stephen Colbert), Rachel Flowers, Annie Haslam of Renaissance and South Africa’s own DJ Cosher.

“‘Show Me Who You Are’ is the first song I worked on with Jann when he started the new album,” says Everett Bradley. “We unconsciously started from a place of complete honesty, sharing our take on the state of the world, and what we thought would make it better. Our concept? What if everyone took off the disguise, showed who they really are, allow themselves to be drenched in honesty, and watch the magic begin.”

This sentiment further reinforces the emotional core of The Future Trap, an album rooted in vulnerability, self-reflection, and the search for genuine human connection in an increasingly complicated world.

Released alongside the album announcement in April, the title track “Future Trap” offered audiences an early glimpse into the project’s creative depth. The single stands as a unique artistic collaboration between Klose and Dembinski, with the pair co-writing, co-producing, and performing every instrument heard on the final recording.

According to Dembinski, The Future Trap marks a significant evolution in Klose’s artistry.

“Compositionally, The Future Trap is unlike any of Jann’s previous records,” says Dembinski. “While Jann and his collaborators have pulled inspiration from their unique musical histories, Jann has also simultaneously crafted a narrative through-line that takes the listener on an introspective journey.”

That journey unfolds across a genre-defying soundscape that combines Klose’s signature pop vocals and acoustic guitar with elements of rock, folk, electronic, disco, Latin music, orchestral arrangements, and progressive rock influences.

“The continuity of themes and lyrical motifs creates an enveloping listening experience from start to finish,” adds Dembinski.

Songs seamlessly evolve into one another throughout the album, allowing The Future Trap to unfold like a film soundtrack or theatrical production. The electronic disco pulse of “Love Is a Verb” fractures and rebuilds within “Conjugation,” while the progressive rock energy of “The Lost Kingdom” dissolves into the melancholic atmosphere of “Vignette.” The epic-rock finale “Over and Over” then transitions into a sweeping orchestral “Outro,” reinforcing the album’s cyclical themes of transformation and rebirth.

With The Future Trap, Jann Klose delivers his most sonically adventurous and emotionally resonant body of work to date - a record designed not only to be heard, but experienced.

“The Future Trap” album is available on all major streaming platforms from today.

Stream “The Future Trap” album here: https://found.ee/tfp

The Future Trap

TRACK LIST

Part 1
1. Intro
2. Show Me Who You Are (feat. Everett Bradley)
3. When I’m With You
4. How Do I Get What I Need
5. Better Liar
6. Love is a Verb (feat. DJ Cosher)
7. Conjugation (feat. Alphonso Horne)

Part 2
8. The Lost Kingdom (feat. Rachel Flowers)
9. Vignette
10. I Have a Scar
11. Future Trap
12. Break the Cycle
13. Hurting Nobody (feat. Marcella Detroit)
14. Over and Over
15. Outro

Upcoming shows:
May 29 – Gigantic Studios, NYC (SOLD OUT)
May 30 – The Bitter End, NYC
June 6 – Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA

Follow Jann’s socials for all the latest news:

https://jannklose.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jann.klose/
https://www.instagram.com/jannklose/
https://threads.net/@jannklose
https://www.youtube.com/jannklose

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

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King Crimson ‘2014 NYC’ 2LP & 2CD To Be Released July 10, 2026

• New King Crimson LIVE compilation series from the band’s 2014 to 2021 line-up, starting with ‘2014 NYC’
• Taken from live multi-track recordings from the band’s electric four-night run in September 2014 (18th – 21st Sept)
• Double LP - cut by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering and pressed on 200-gram audiophile vinyl
• New sleevenotes from King Crimson biographer Sid Smith

Featuring:
Robert Fripp: Guitar, Keyboards
Jakko Jakszyk: Guitar, Vocals
Mel Collins: Sax, Flute
Tony Levin: Bass, Chapman Stick, Backing Vocals
Drummers: Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin, and Pat Mastelotto

For King Crimson, New York was never just a tour-stop – it was a recurring stage in the band’s mythology. Starting with the 1969 Fillmore East breakthrough and running through those early-’70s returns, climaxing in the Larks’-era farewell to that chapter at Central Park in 1974.

And when Crimson kept mutating, the city kept calling them back. Robert Fripp later pointed to the six nights at the Savoy in 1981 (after rehearsals tucked away in the garment district) as a high-water mark, and later line-ups - the Double Trio, Double Duo, and a 2008 quintet with newly recruited Gavin Harrison at the Nokia Theatre  continued the Manhattan connection, right up to a major reset at the same venue (by then the Best Buy Theatre) in 2014.

That 2014 band looked like nothing else on the circuit: three drummers lined up across the front - an idea Fripp described as a sudden “point of seeing - turning rhythm into a moving, interlocked engine”.

Crucially, they didn’t treat the back catalogue like museum pieces; they played it as living material, rebuilt with microscopic attention rather than copied note-for-note. The “drumsons” delivered a choreographed surge and uncanny unity (Harrison joked it felt like “one drummer with six legs and six arms”), and a calmer group chemistry let the seven-piece hit with brute force and fine detail at once - refreshing older classics and giving newer pieces extra muscle.

In New York, moments like “Starless,” framed with a deliberate red-light nod to 1974, landed as proof that Crimson could honour its past without slipping into nostalgia: a band that kept reinventing its own language, still pushing forward with no obvious limit.

From 2014 to 2021 King Crimson played music that was, in keeping with Robert Fripp's approach, "new whenever it is performed", freshly minted each night for a new audience to hear. The band would frequently stay in one city for more than one night so that demand for tickets could be met while still appearing in venues where all of the audience could both see and hear fully.

‘2014 NYC’ is the start of a new series (to be released on 2LP and 2CD), compiled from those runs of concerts at a single venue/city and commences from the first year of touring with a set taken from the band's four-night run in NYC in September 2014.

Later this year (Autumn 2026), there will be a 2 x Blu-ray release of King Crimson’s entire 19-date U.S. tour from 2014 which will also include this compilation.

KCLPX2014 - 2LP 200-gram vinyl set

Side A
Introductory Soundscape
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part I)
Pictures of a City

Side B
A Scarcity of Miracles
The Letters
The Sailor’s Tale
The Hell Hounds of Krim

Side C
Red
Improv: Hoodoo
The Talking Drum
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part II)

Side D
VROOOM
Coda: Marine 475
The Light of Day
21^st Century Schizoid Man

DGM5033 – 2CD

CD1
1. Introductory Soundscape
2. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part I)
3. Pictures of a City
4. A Scarcity of Miracles
5. Banshee Legs Bell Hassle
6. Level Five
7. The Letters
8. The Sailor’s Tale
9. Interlude
10. The ConstruKction of Light
11. Red

CD2
1. One More Red Nightmare
2. VROOOM
3. Coda: Marine 475
4. The Light of Day
5. The Talking Drum
6. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part II)
7. Starless
8. The Hell Hounds of Krim
9. Improv: Hoodoo
10. 21st Century Schizoid Man

To pre-order:

2LP Vinyl: https://burningshed.com/king-crimson_2014-nyc_double-vinyl

2CD: https://burningshed.com/king-crimson_2014-nyc_2cd

2CD & 2LP Bundle: https://burningshed.com/king-crimson_2014-nyc_2cd_2lp-bundle

For further information, please contact: info@panegyric.net

www.dgmlive.com

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

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Make Weird Music’s Anthony Garone: “OK, but why?” on Moonjune Records

Release window: June 1, 2026 (Pre-orders available May 1, 2026)
Label: Moonjune Records
URL: https://anthonygarone-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/ok-but-why
For fans of: King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Dream Theater, Avishai Cohen

Steve Vai: “Anthony Garone has made an unapologetic, dense, alien melodic, rhythmic brain twisting, sublimely lovely solo record… I’m sure glad I don’t have to play it.”

Lyle Workman: “GOOD GOD MAN!! THIS RECORD!!! I have no idea how he did this! Amazing. Incredible writing and playing from everyone. [...] And I thought my music was complex! I am WOWED!”

Gretchen Menn: “An album equally engaging and adventurous. Unselfconsciously intelligent, it spans a broad spectrum of musical and expressive worlds. The musicianship is astounding, and the tunes are beautiful, complex, quirky, and clearly arise from deep artistic integrity.”

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After 600+ Make Weird Music videos spotlighting players in the odd-meter-and-sound universe, founder Anthony Garone is releasing his first full-length album since 2007. “OK, but why?” is releasing on Moonjune Records and features 14 tracks with 20 guest musicians.

Expect tight counterpoint, odd-meter grooves, and hooks that still land as songs, even when the arrangements are trying to misbehave. Anthony is available for podcasts, print/online interviews, and playthrough/composition breakdowns. Some angles:

• Writing music that is intentionally hard, but still melodic, and why “complex-but-melodic” is the whole point.
• What it takes to coordinate 20 guest musicians and turn years of YouTube releases into a cohesive label release.
• The title is literal: After failing to sell 100 copies of his previous album, Garone assumed nobody wanted this music, including him, and he kept writing it anyway.
• The Bach BWV 1060 is nearly unplayable, even for the musicians he hired.
Most tracks first appeared on YouTube, now remixed/remastered and often re-recorded for this album
• Includes a rethink/cover of Robert Fripp’s “Erudite Eyes” (from Giles, Giles, & Fripp) plus two movements from Bach’s BWV 1060
• Guests include Morgan Ågren, Michael Manring, Gretchen Menn, Jan Zehrfeld, Andy West, Tom Monda, Paul Hanson, Sebastian Lanser, and more

OK, but why? pulls together Garone’s best work, obsessing over arrangements that are equal parts song and puzzle. While much of the music existed publicly in earlier forms, this release is the cleaned-up, finished version: updated performances, improved production, and a cohesive arc that finally connects the dots across years of ideas.

The album moves between oddly-timed grooves, tight counterpoint, and melodic hooks that sneak in through the side door. A few album anchors:

• “Binge” (the Make Weird Music theme) runs on shifting meters (9 + 7) and features Morgan Ågren (Mats/Morgan, Devin Townsend) and Michael Manring.
• “Dance” is written as “the worst dance song ever” in 13/4, built on whole tone harmony and a prime-number motif, featuring Tom Monda (Thank You Scientist). It started as a joke demo Garone never expected to finish until Owen Dueck forced the song into existence.
• “Brex” is designed to feel like 4/4 while pulling against it in 5/4, featuring Paul Hanson (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones) on electric bassoon and a nod to King Crimson’s rhythmic language.
• “Harnch 2.0” revisits a Pat Metheny-meets-Gentle Giant inspired piece with a feature solo by Gretchen Menn.
• The album also includes Garone’s rework of Bach BWV 1060 (Mov. 1 and Mov. 3) and his updated version of Fripp’s “Erudite Eyes.”
• Even when the arrangements get absurd, the goal is still a song you can remember, not an exercise you admire from a distance.
• The record is technical by nature, but it was assembled around personality: obsession, self-doubt, and the occasional decision to make something deliberately ridiculous.

Anthony Garone is an author, entrepreneur, guitarist, composer, and producer, and the founder of Make Weird Music, a long-running YouTube platform focused on progressive music, challenging performances, and modern composition. He is best known for his 22-year journey to learn King Crimson’s Fracture, and documenting his journey in a YouTube series and book titled Failure to Fracture. “OK, but why?” is his first full-length release since 2007. He can record remotely, and he is available for 30 to 60 minute interviews as well as short playthrough or composition breakdown segments.

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Michael Manring: "Anthony is making ferociously inspired music. It's not easy listening, but for anyone with open ears, it offers a wealth of inspiration, adventure, insight and just plain fun!"

Jon Finn (Berklee College of Music): “Anthony Garone’s new album ‘Ok, But Why?’ is a refreshing, wild ride of an album. If you appreciate good music, you’ll belt yourself in, check off all the disclaimers and surrender to a sonic fun house where the bottom drops out of the floor from time to time. It’s full of drama, fun, surprises and much more. If you’re a musician, you’ll marvel at all the musical and production choices that makes this album tick. I’m going to be listening to this a lot!”

Morgan Ågren: “I have had the pleasure to know Anthony for several years now. Did a bunch of recordings for him, many of which are featured on this album, and we did some chats on his Make Weird Music (his own platform where he serves us in the name of good music). Basically a very skilled musician and a very nice guy! This album is great!”

To pre-order: https://anthonygarone-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/ok-but-why

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

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New Tribute To Badfinger Legend “JUST LOOK INSIDE THE COVER – SONGS OF PETE HAM” To Be Released June 19 On Y&T Music

Includes new recordings by Ron Griffiths and Bob Jackson of The Iveys and Badfinger

Y&T Music is proud to announce the release of a special tribute album, “Just Look inside The Cover – Songs of Pete Ham,” featuring 22 new recordings of songs written by Pete Ham. This very unique tribute album features songs that were only previously released as home demos and never recorded by Badfinger.

Pete Ham was one of the 20^th century’s greatest overlooked artists. Certainly, the Swansea, Wales-born musician received some recognition: three of his songs – “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue,” all recorded by his group Badfinger – were hit singles, and the popularity of those songs endures to this day. And “Without You” – co-written with band mate Tom Evans – would become a standard when covered by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. With Badfinger, Ham made seven albums, all of which are today recognized as classics of melodic rock.

While the total output of Pete Ham penned songs released during his short lifetime would be less than 40 songs, he proved to be a startlingly prolific songwriter. Thanks to the diligent archival work of people working in close cooperation with The Pete Ham estate, demo recordings of many of these and previously unknown songs have come to light in recent years and are the focus of this tribute.

Many of those songs, compiled on several posthumous Pete Ham albums, demonstrate that Ham’s songwriting prowess yielded a bounty, the like of which would be astounding even if created by an artist who lived much longer than his brief 27 years. They also underscore the fact that Ham could – and quite often did – write excellent songs that were well outside the musical scope of The Iveys or Badfinger. Moreover, Pete Ham exerted great influence upon countless artists who came after him, many of whom weren’t yet born when he tragically took his life in 1975. His gifts with words and melody continue to inspire musicians and listeners alike.

This tribute features some of today’s most renowned artists in the field of melodic and indie rock, each providing their take on a gem from the largely overlooked portion of Ham’s creative output. Given complete creative control, some take the approach of arranging the song in a way that suggests how Badfinger might have done it; others use Ham’s words and music as a canvas upon which to paint a picture all their own. Just Look Inside The Cover also includes new recordings by Ron Griffiths, and Bob Jackson, both who have recorded and toured with Pete Ham, as members of The Iveys and Badfinger.

THE SONGS
1. Mike Delevante - A Lonely Day
2. Pezband - Tulip
3. Sharp Pins - Just How Lucky We Are
4. Eric Dover - Leaving on a Midnight Train
5. Arlan Feiles - You’re Such a Good Woman
6. Bill Lloyd - Our Song
7. Rob Bonfiglio - Hand in Hand
8. Mary Karlzen - Dawn
9. The Fraternals - Catherine Cares
10. Fernando Perdomo - Time is Mine
11. Mic Harrison And The High Score - A Little Bit of Rock and Roll
12. Tobin Sprout - Keep Your Country Tidy
13. Humbert - Little Mary
14. Steve Barton - Ringside
15. The Parlophonics - Makes Me Feel Good
16. Richard Barone (featuring The Midnight Callers) - I’m Only Human
17. Darren Hayman and Robert Rotifer - Love Will Be
18. Mark Healey - It Doesn’t Really Matter
19. Jeff Alan Ross - The Day Begins
20. Ron Griffiths - Take Good Care of My Baby
21. Bob Jackson - Just Look Inside The Cover
22. Tobin Sprout - Keep Your Country Tidy (Reprise)

Release Date -  June 19, 2026

To pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Look-Inside-Cover-Various/dp/B0GZWP3G6G/

A few words from Y&T Music founder Rich Ulloa: https://glassonyonpr.com/a-few-words-from-yt-music-founder-rich-ulloa/

For more information:
https://www.badfingerlibrary.com/
https://www.ytmusiconline.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMNRJiVQ3H9fK9P2CpaR1EA

CONTACT Y&T / Rich Ulloa: PH: 1-786-368-9904 ytmusic1@aol.com

Mark Strothmann - Representing Agent for Pete Ham & Tom Evans of Badfinger: withoutyoumusicofficial@gmail.com

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

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Asai Kastan Duo Releases New Ambient Jazz Album Earth Travelers

Earth Travelers is a new album by Asai Kastan Duo, consisting of Takeshi Asai on piano and Brian Kastan playing fretless bass. Together, they create an atmosphere of space and texture with an ongoing gentle flow of energy. This album is like waves on the ocean; waves are constantly flowing creating tension and release, as a wave gently rises and breaks then forms another wave. Together, the piano and bass are like the wave as the musical tension and release is an ongoing state of flow.

Earth Travelers offers the listener a chance to take a deep emotional journey and tap into an imaginary world. Earth Travelers covers several musical directions, from ballads, jazz blues, open grooves, short abstract moments, to open ambient spaces.

Released April 23^rd, 2026.

The concept behind Earth Travelers is to create dialogue between acoustic piano and fretless bass. At times the bass plays the melody, sometimes it plays the groove, and vice versa with the piano. Earth Travelers offers a unique sensitive listening experience as the piano and fretless bass keep offering each other new musical ideas to interpret and develop into new energy. Often the album is ambient and mellow, sometimes swinging, sometimes grooving, and anything in between.

Earth Travelers was composed and recorded live at Takeshi Asai studio at DCT productions in New York City.

Asai Kastan Duo tour dates will be announced soon.

Takeshi Asai

Traditional yet modern, lyrical yet dramatic, jazz pianist Takeshi Asai has been a one-of-a-kind voice in New York’s jazz scene for more than ten years. His performance combines the melodic lyricism of Bill Evans with the feverish blues of Thelonious Monk, all enriched by the sophisticated improvisational style and the classical piano roots.

What makes Takeshi Asai’s music unique and aesthetic are his multitude sources of inspiration. He sees beauty in 12th-century French troubadours, Gregorian chants, Baroque and Romantic traditions, 20th-century music (i.e. Janáček, Takemitsu), religious music (Faure, Poulenc), the Beatles, Irish and Japanese folk music, as well as modern electronic music.

Besides his constant club engagements in NYC with talented contemporaries and legends, Takeshi Asai has a hugely successful international career; touring in Poland, UK, France, Germany, Egypt, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

He currently lives in New York, where he runs his own production company.

Brian Kastan

Brian Kastan is a prolific composer and improvisor.

Brian has recorded 100 albums under his Space 2 Groove record label and recorded 11 albums with 5 different Grammy-winning jazz artists such as Mino Cinelu, Rachel Z, Scott Petito, Leo Genovese, and Miles Griffith. Brian has completed European tours with the Brian Kastan Freedom Trio and Transatlantic Concept with Urbuli Baba. Plus, Brian toured in China headlining Lincoln Center Shanghai with the Brian Kastan Quartet.

Brian also has composed soundtracks for TV and Film:

Movie: American Criminal, Blue Lives Matter

TV Show: Hospital Arrest with acclaimed movie & TV director Dylan Bank. Starring Robert Loggia, Jimmie Walker, Martin Kove, Gilbert Gottfried, Michael Winslow, Todd Bridges, Jewels McCollough

Side Projects: Played guitar on Rhys Chatham’s A Crimson Grail (Nonesuch Records), played guitar for MTV Rock the Vote, composed songs with Emmy-nominated composer recording engineer Marc Solomon.

To purchase: https://space2grooverecords2.bandcamp.com/album/earth-travelers

For more information:
https://www.space2grooverecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/brian.kastan.9
https://www.facebook.com/TakeshiAsaiJazz

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

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New Orleans Singer/Songwriter Jerry Giddens Releases New Album “Sad Songs at Sunset, Chapter 1” – OUT NOW!

New Orleans-based singer/songwriter Jerry Giddens has released his new album “Sad Songs at Sunset, Chapter 1.” The new songs are out now on your favorite streaming service. This is his first album since 2010’s “Damn It Abby”. The songs on the record were recorded at the end of 2025 at Marigny Studios in New Orleans with The Iguanas, John Fohl, Gal Holiday, Stumps Duh Clown, and Tom Marron.

The four songs on the album each tell their own story. “Meet Me at The St. Roch Tavern” was written about the artist’s yearlong weekly residence at the Tavern in New Orleans.

"The Waltz of the Clowns" is a reference to the clowns who lived in Rosalie Alley (one of whom, Stumps Duh Clown, performs on the album). The song and the alley are neighborhood favorites in Bywater.

“The Beauty of Shadows” was born when the poet saw an old gothic bridge in Pittsburgh, PA. The bridge ran across the street from the courthouse to the jail.  The songwriter imagined the souls that had crossed on “The Bridge of Signs,” the path to the jail and the despair. And wrote of a husband calling out to his wife, a boy longing for his home in California, and a lonely man who had committed a murder for which he would never be forgiven.

"Wait" was written in the 1990s with alumni of Giddens’ first band Walking Wounded in L.A. Says Giddens, “it still rings true for me now and our con-man president appears long before his presidencies and the despair his game brings.”

Giddens is also developing “Sad Songs at Sunset” into a stage play about an ancient songwriter and the stories he's told of Murder, Mayhem, and the End of Times. The play will debut in New Orleans at The Always Lounge on July 3^rd, 2026.

“As the clowns would say: ‘It's never too late.’ Keep playing and Keep the faith, whatever faith you hold.”

Track list:
1. Meet Me At The Saint Roch Tavern 03:22
2. The Waltz Of The Clowns 03:11
3. The Beauty Of Shadows 03:28
4. Wait 05:47

Producers: Jerry Giddens with Adam Keil
Engineered by Adam Keil
Recorded at Marigny Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana

Musicians: Rod Hodges, Joe Cabral, Doug Garrison, Rene Coman, Tom Marron, Gal Holiday, Stumps Duh Clown, and Adam Keil.

Thanks to Rick Nelson at Marigny Studios. Special thanks to The Iguanas.

All songs written by Jerry Giddens

Jerry Giddens

Jerry Giddens is a singer-songwriter, poet, and teacher. He was born on the banks of the Red River, in Shreveport, Louisiana and raised at a crossroads six miles from Ringgold, Louisiana, a small-town of 1500 people. His earliest memories of pop music are “the Fats Domino records my older sisters smuggled out of New Orleans where us kids spent many Mardi Gras and summer vacations at my Aunt Nina Ruth’s home.” But his earliest memories of music are those housed at Springhill Baptist Church, a little country church down the road from his home. There, the kid first sang from the stage, at age six. As a teenager he would direct the church’s youth choir for Sunday services and appearances around North Louisiana. On Saturdays he and a local guitar player would sing Everly Brothers tunes for the new coffee houses springing up in the 60s.

“When I finally escaped that lonely crossroads, I headed for LSU and freedom. On many weekends, we would head to New Orleans to see a show at the old Warehouse.”  In the late 70s Giddens would relocate to Southern California where his life in music accelerated. He would be a part of the vibrant 1980s and 1990s indie music scene in Los Angeles and the imagination behind Walking Wounded with whom he recorded four records: The New West, Raging Winds of Time, Hard Times, and Artificial Hearts. That early Walking Wounded played all over L.A., The Lingerie, The China Club, The Palamino, The Anti-Club, the legendary Troubadour, and a host of others. Finally, the band toured nationally.  “We even headlined Tipitinas, in New Orleans, one TUL night and Better Than Ezra joined us.”  After the Wounded split up a New Orleans connection remained. Giddens worked with Jack Groetsch at The Howling Wolf.  “Jack was always supportive of me. He would even let my underage cousins from Metairie slip in for the evenings. Jack was one of my key supporters, and as a solo act, I opened shows for Tim McLaughlin, Snooks Eaglin, Dash Rip Rock, and the wonderful Alex Chilton.”

In the early 90s Giddens and family moved to Austin where for three years, he worked Tejas and the Hill Country around Austin and San Antonio at Cibilo Creek Country Club and Gruene Hall. In Houston he played at Fitzgeralds and always made the public radio station, KPFT, in H Town. He was joined by The Stoney White Punks, and in the van traveled coast to coast. He returned to Hollywood after that three-year stint, kept recording and enrolled for graduate school at Cal State Long Beach where years earlier he had played alongside The Minutemen with Walking Wounded.  The Minutemen’s records (cassettes actually) had led the musician to Ethan James and Radio Tokyo, and their many collaborations were sadly followed by Ethan’s death in 2003.

Giddens’ discography, with Ethan James and Dusty Wakeman often on the production, also includes The Ballad of Gaucho Gil and four solo records: Livin’ Ain’t Easy, The Devil’s Front Door, For Lydia, and Little Demons.

In 2008, he left California after a decades long fling with “show business” and returned to Louisiana to take a teaching position at Southern University at New Orleans. While in New Orleans he has taught at Tulane University, where he taught Jazz Biography and Storyville. “The class is a product of my lifelong love of The City That Care Forgot”, says the writer, “I guess like Jimmy Buffet, New Orleans was my Paris.” The teacher has taught at Xavier U and a stint at The University of Southern Mississippi at Long Beach.

Giddens recorded his first New Orleans record, “Damnit Abby,” in 2010 at Piety Studios with producer Mark Bingham and “musicianers” Rod Hodgers, Doug Garrison, Peter Jones, Spencer Bohren, Rene Coman, John Fohl, Tom Marron, and Michael Skinkus. In 2025 The new world of “Sad Songs at Sunset” was born and the balladeer’s music lives on.

Giddens is also developing “Sad Songs at Sunset” into a stage play about an ancient songwriter and the stories he's told of Murder, Mayhem, and the End of Times. The play will debut in New Orleans at The Always Lounge on July 3^rd, 2026.

He teaches now at Degado Community College in NOLA, dreams of California, and readies for a life in theatre.

For more information:
https://www.jerrygiddens.com/
http://jerrygiddens.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/album/46w5CJB0IRO7iVla8u5uPw

Coming shows include:

Hotel Utah in San Francisco on May 29^th and The Porch Fest May 30^th in The Mission District of the City by the Bay.

House Concert in Baltimore on June 27^th

Debut of “Sad Songs at Sunset” a stage play on July 3^rd at The Always Lounge in New Orleans

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

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MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, PRODUCER AND THE PINEAPPLE THIEF FRONTMAN BRUCE SOORD RELEASES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO ‘MEET ME ON THE DOWNS’

Credit: Anne-Marie Forker

SECOND SINGLE FROM NEW SOLO ALBUM ‘GHOSTS IN THE PARK’

SET FOR RELEASE ON 15^th MAY 2026

As founding member and principal songwriter of The Pineapple Thief, Bruce Soord has spent the last decade steadily refining a voice that balances emotional directness with musical restraint. Set for release on 15^th May, Ghosts In The Park, his latest solo album, is his most personal and unguarded work to date: a record shaped by loss, memory, and the quiet spaces that reveal themselves when life continues to move while everything else appears to stop. Today, Bruce has shared the album’s second single ‘Meet Me On The Downs’ alongside a new video produced by George Laycock @ Blacktide Productions.

WATCH THE NEW VIDEO FOR ‘MEET ME ON THE DOWNS’, PRODUCED BY GEORGE LAYCOCK: https://youtu.be/I7a7Wkn_v64

I wrote this in a hotel room in Hamburg while touring with The Pineapple Thief. The words came later. I remember writing about losing my father while driving to clear out his old retirement flat. 'The stillness in the car' as I sat there, looking at the place I only ever knew with him in it. Opening the door to see all his clothes and photographs.. 'A lifetime scattered amongst the clothes'. I went back to my studio, intent on creating something positive from the loss. So I shut my eyes and wrote down the earliest memories I could conjure up from my mind, not the messy, difficult ones from his final years. These words formed the second half of the song.  So really, it's just a song about life and cherished memories. – Bruce Soord

STREAM/DOWNLOAD ‘MEET ME ON THE DOWNS’: https://orcd.co/meet_me_on_the_downs_listen

Bruce Soord – Ghosts In The Park
Concepcion [01:25]
Pillars [03:10]
Meet Me On The Downs [03:05]
Kept Me Thinking [06:34]
Day Of Wrath [04:21]
Our Predicament [03:43]
Stared Down [04:33]
You Made A Promise [02:56]
Ghosts In The Park [12:52]

Ghosts In The Park will be released on 15^th May on the following formats -

3CD/BLU-RAY EARBOOK EDITION FEATURING RENOWNED PIANIST GLEB KOLYADIN (IAMTHEMORNING) - INCLUDES ‘GHOSTS IN THE PARK’ CD ALBUM, CD WITH ACOUSTIC REIMAGININGS, CD WITH PIANO VERSIONS & BLU-RAY DISC WITH HI-RES MIXES (DOLBY ATMOS, DTS-HD MA 5.1, & 24/48 PCM STEREO)

CREAM WHITE VINYL LP (UK INDEPENDENT STORE EXCLUSIVE)
+ DARK GREEN VINYL LP

CLASSIC BLACK VINYL LP

DIGIPACK CD EDITION, INCLUDES 16-PAGE PRINTED BOOKLET WITH LYRICS AND UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS

PRE-ORDER GHOSTS IN THE PARK: https://brucesoord.lnk.to/Ghosts_In_The_Park

Performed almost entirely by Soord himself, with bass contributions from Jon Sykes on “Kept Me Thinking,” the album was recorded using a combination of hotel-room captures and studio sessions, preserving the immediacy of its origins. Mastered by Steve Kitch, Ghosts In The Park stands as a stark, reflective and evolutionary companion piece to Soord’s acclaimed previous solo work.

BRUCE SOORD LIVE SHOWS

Bruce Soord & Jon Sykes/ Tim Bowness (co-headliner)
Sun 24 May | Liverpool | Philharmonic Music Room
Fri 29 May | Bath | Bath Fringe Festival at Rondo Theatre
Sat 20 June | London | The 100 Club

Bruce Soord
3 June – Backstage by the Mill, Paris - France
4 June – Boederij, Zoetermeer - Netherlands
6 June - Ankea Festival, Tampere – Finland
10 June – Joy Station, Sofia – Bulgaria
2 October – Zentrum Altenberg, Oberhausen - Germany

Ghosts In The Park will be released on 15^th May on Kscope. Pre-order here.
https://brucesoord.lnk.to/Ghosts_In_The_Park

Bruce Soord online:
Facebook, twitter & Instagram: @bsoord

The Pineapple Thief online:
Website: www.thepineapplethief.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thepineapplethief
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pineapplethief
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thepineapplethief
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/artist/4lrBMUSk8PiNnCEZfsmPAk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE6401DB011BD837E
Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/the-pineapple-thief/id278648772

Hi-res images available here: www.kscopemusic.com/media/brucesoord

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

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