David Pate & Rex Shepherd, One Half of the Oddyssey Quartet, To Release New Album "Seeing Sound" - December 21, 2018

The first duet release from one half of the Oddyssey Quartet, with David Pate (Sam Rivers Rivbea Orchestra) and guitarist and composer Rex Shepherd (No End of Now). “Seeing Sound” features the two playing an improvised set, creating palpable musical textures using subtle harmonic and melodic ideas and developing them into intuitive conversations, “seeing” the sound of two like minds speaking with one another.

“Playing duets with David Pate is like having a meaningful conversation with a good friend while standing on the precipice of a steep cliff, all the while wondering if you might fall off. As we played this music, we seemed to intuitively happen upon a common musical vision, so I thought that 'Seeing Sound' was an appropriate title.” - Rex Shepherd

Tracks
1. Observation 
2. Meaning Everything
3. Concept      
4. Saying Nothing
5. Recognition
6. Left is Right
7. Facts?            
8.  Turn A Round 
9.  Outsideways 
10. Seeing Sound
11. Finding Space 
12. Mind Full       
13. Commonality
14. Sound Seeing

David Pate - tenor & soprano saxophones


Rex Shepherd - guitar and prepared guitar


Release Date December 21st, 2018

To purchase: https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/seeing-sound

For more information: 
https://rexshep.com/other-projects
https://www.facebook.com/musicpagerexshepherd/
Contact: jazzman465@yahoo.com

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

Classical-New Age Review: Samer Fanek-Guide Me

Release Date: December 11, 2018

Label: Independent

Website

Samer Fanek is a talented keyboard player. I covered his debut WishfulThinking two years ago. I gave it a 5-star rating and I have no reason to believe things would be different with his new offering Guide Me. This is an instrumental recording filled with classical and contemporary music with a new age feel.

According to the artist, the first track “Grand Opening,” is intended to be exactly what it says it is. The curtain opener is an exciting burst of colors and energy that has you envisioning a scene in an action movie or an emotional still picture with a soundtrack to make it come alive. It is an amazing song but it does not set the tone for the album that most opening tracks do because of the eclectic nature of the overall presentation. “Chasing Time” is similar to the high level of energy and general pace.

What you will discover while listening are different moods, a story being told through the fingers and ivory keys. There is no doubt that this music can move you and it is meant to. The changing tides of sound and textures are a credit to Samer’s characteristic creativity and tastefulness. It can give the astute listener an opportunity to step outside any sort of emotional bubble one may feel trapped in. 

An interesting point is the artist spent the last two years dealing with his own life and through the music found a path to enlightenment…a point of letting go and allowing himself to walk through the door of change and renewal. This is what Samer’s music can do for anyone. The first step is hitting play and letting the music encapsulate your surroundings and then changing your thought process. That is a monumental change for anyone feeling stress, distraught or just sad and lonely. If you have heard anyone say “I can be in a room with 300 people and feel alone,” then that gives you an idea of the level of pain one individual could be feeling.  I think the key is to own whatever it is you are feeling at the moment then be ready to let go and move on with the help of the music.

Guide Me is an extraordinary musical achievement that will give listeners the occasion to feel what the artist is feeling and what part they may be playing in the story. Sometimes, for me, it feels like I take on my own part in the story and get this flood of feelings and emotions listening to this music, and then any isolation I may be feeling just slips away. On the positive side of the coin, there is a necessary solitude that I enjoy. It recharges my inner batteries and gives my soul a shot of light and hopefulness. It may sound complicated to some folks but it certainly works for my listening experience.

As the music guided Samer it will guide you to another space and time with a mindset that can give you a healing internally that you will come to expect from this music. I had set the bar very high for Samer on his sophomore release and he came through with another instrumental masterpiece.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

December 10, 2018

Founder of:

MuzikMan Productions

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Tracks: 
01. Grand Opening
02. Long Time Ago
03. Newborn
04. Now You See
05. Guide Me
06. Guardian
07. Before Dawn
08. Chasing Time
09. For Lila
10. Sense of Purpose
11. Back to Hometown
 

O.R.k. Announce Details of New Album Ramagehead Set For Release Through Kscope on February 22, 2019

Highly accomplished band includes award-winning composer /vocalist Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto and Porcupine Tree's Colin Edwin

Album features special guest vocalist System Of A Down's Serj Tankian 

Confirmed live headline shows throughout Europe & UK for early 2019 + support to The Pineapple Thief

O.R.k., comprising some of contemporary music's most revered artists, have combined their creative forces once again for a new studio album; their first for the ground-breaking UK label Kscope; O.R.k's Ramagehead will be released on 22nd February 2019.

The band feature Italy's celebrated vocalist, producer and award-winning film score composer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari a.k.a LEF (lead vocals), King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto (drums), Porcupine Tree's Colin Edwin (bass), Marta Sui Tubi's Carmelo Pipitone (guitars); Ramagehead also features a superstar collaboration in the form of Grammy Award-winner Serj Tankian of System of a Down, who is undoubtedly one of metal's greatest and most renowned vocalists.

Penned following their headline European tour in support of their second album, 2017's Soul of an Octopus; Ramagehead was forged from the band's collective vision, unique influences and a multi-layered reflection of their powerful and engaging live experience. The result contains all the ingredients of a fiery O.R.k. performance with dark and heavy riffing, mesmeric atmospheres and lyrics that reveal the band's bewilderment brought about by our modern world: a world of information overload, of uncertainty and post-truth messages. Bass player Colin Edwin explains further, “Ramagehead is a not a concept album as such, but there is certainly an identifiable theme, in that we attempt to express the everyday bewilderment bought about by the uncertain times we are living in, and the constant confusing information overload that we are all subjected to in today's post-fact environment. We also wanted to harness the power, unpredictability and spontaneity of the O.R.k. live experience into a static recording whilst aiming for a high-resolution sonic space that can be revisited repeatedly by the avid listener to discover ever deeper layers.”

Recorded during 2018 at LefMusicStudio (Italy), The Wormhole (USA) and Nightspace (UK). The mixing for Ramagehead was handled by Adrian Benavides and three-time Grammy-winning engineer Marc Urselli (U2, Foo Fighters, Nick Cave), the mastering by Michael Fossenkemper, engineering by Benavides and Bill Munyon (King Crimson), cover art by Adam Jones (TOOL) and design by Denis Rodier (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman). The recordings, and involvement of SOAD's Serj Tankian on the forthcoming single, “Black Blooms”, solidifies the band's serious intent to use their musical chemistry in exploring the hard-edged possibilities within rock.



Ramagehead tracklisting
Kneel to Nothing
Signals Erased
Beyond Sight
Black Blooms (feat. Serj Tankian)
Time Corroded
Down the Road
Some Other Rainbow Part 1
Strangled Words
Some Other Rainbow

Ramagehead will be released on 22nd February on CD / 180g Black vinyl LP / Digital and is available to PRE-ORDER HERE: https://ork.lnk.to/RamageheadPR

O.R.k. have an extensive live campaign planned in support of Ramagehead which will begin in February 2019 with a European and UK head line run as well as being special guests on the continuing “Dissolution Tour” from new label mates The Pineapple Thief.

Colin Edwin comments “Ramagehead is our most intense, ambitious and accessible work to date and I am really looking forward to exploring the new material in a live environment and sharing our unique collective energy together. For me, O.R.k. is always a completely immersive and unforgettable experience in the live arena, so with new tracks to play and an opportunity to reach places and people we've yet to get to, this tour will be our best yet.”

O.R.k. Tour Dates
** show with The Pineapple Thief
15.2 Ravenna (IT) - Bronson
16.2 Lugagnano di Sona/Verona (IT) - Il Giardino
17.2 Pisa (IT) - Lumiere
21.2 Bari (IT) - Garage Sound
22.2 Roma (IT) - Largo Venue**
23.2 Milano (IT) - Santeria Social Club **
24.2 Pratteln (CH) - Z7 **
26.2 Stuttgart (DE) - LKA Longhorn **
27.2 Frankfurt (DE) - Batschkapp **
28.2 Strasburg (FR) - La Laiterie **
1.3 Zoetermeer (NL) - Borderij **
2.3 Hamburg (DE) - Grosse Freiheit 36 **
3.3 Copenhagen (DK) - Store Vega **
5.3 Stockholm (SE) - Nalen **
6.3 Oslo (NO) - Rockefeller **
8.3 Iserhagen/Hannover (DE) - Blues Garage
10.3 Cologne (DE) - Yard Club
12.3 Munich (DE) - Backstage
13.3 Budapest (HU) - Durer
14.3 Nove Mesto nad Vahom (SK) - Blue Note
15.3 Berlin (DE) - Music & Frieden
17.3 Paris (FR) - Petit Bain
19.3 London (UK) - Borderline
20.3 Newcastle (UK) - o2 Academy **
21.3 Glasgow (UK) - St. Luke’s **
22.3 Manchester (UK) - o2 The Ritz **
23.3 Birmingham (UK) - o2 The Institute 2 **
24.3 Bristol (UK) - SWX **

O.R.k. are:
Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari a.k.a LEF - lead vocals
Pat Mastelotto - drums
Colin Edwin - bass
Carmelo Pipitone - guitars

Follow O.R.k.
http://www.orkband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/O.R.k.band/
https://www.instagram.com/orkband/
https://twitter.com/ORKBAND

Hi-res images available to download: www.kscopemusic.com/media/ork


Kscope: 1st floor, 52 Lisson Street, London, UK NW1 5DF

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

O.R.k. Announce Details of New Album Ramagehead Set For Release Through Kscope on February 22, 2019

Highly accomplished band includes award-winning composer /vocalist Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto and Porcupine Tree's Colin Edwin

Album features special guest vocalist System Of A Down's Serj Tankian 

Confirmed live headline shows throughout Europe & UK for early 2019 + support to The Pineapple Thief

O.R.k., comprising some of contemporary music's most revered artists, have combined their creative forces once again for a new studio album; their first for the ground-breaking UK label Kscope; O.R.k's Ramagehead will be released on 22nd February 2019.

The band feature Italy's celebrated vocalist, producer and award-winning film score composer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari a.k.a LEF (lead vocals), King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto (drums), Porcupine Tree's Colin Edwin (bass), Marta Sui Tubi's Carmelo Pipitone (guitars); Ramagehead also features a superstar collaboration in the form of Grammy Award-winner Serj Tankian of System of a Down, who is undoubtedly one of metal's greatest and most renowned vocalists.

Penned following their headline European tour in support of their second album, 2017's Soul of an Octopus; Ramagehead was forged from the band's collective vision, unique influences and a multi-layered reflection of their powerful and engaging live experience. The result contains all the ingredients of a fiery O.R.k. performance with dark and heavy riffing, mesmeric atmospheres and lyrics that reveal the band's bewilderment brought about by our modern world: a world of information overload, of uncertainty and post-truth messages. Bass player Colin Edwin explains further, “Ramagehead is a not a concept album as such, but there is certainly an identifiable theme, in that we attempt to express the everyday bewilderment bought about by the uncertain times we are living in, and the constant confusing information overload that we are all subjected to in today's post-fact environment. We also wanted to harness the power, unpredictability and spontaneity of the O.R.k. live experience into a static recording whilst aiming for a high-resolution sonic space that can be revisited repeatedly by the avid listener to discover ever deeper layers.”

Recorded during 2018 at LefMusicStudio (Italy), The Wormhole (USA) and Nightspace (UK). The mixing for Ramagehead was handled by Adrian Benavides and three-time Grammy-winning engineer Marc Urselli (U2, Foo Fighters, Nick Cave), the mastering by Michael Fossenkemper, engineering by Benavides and Bill Munyon (King Crimson), cover art by Adam Jones (TOOL) and design by Denis Rodier (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman). The recordings, and involvement of SOAD's Serj Tankian on the forthcoming single, “Black Blooms”, solidifies the band's serious intent to use their musical chemistry in exploring the hard-edged possibilities within rock.



Ramagehead tracklisting
Kneel to Nothing
Signals Erased
Beyond Sight
Black Blooms (feat. Serj Tankian)
Time Corroded
Down the Road
Some Other Rainbow Part 1
Strangled Words
Some Other Rainbow

Ramagehead will be released on 22nd February on CD / 180g Black vinyl LP / Digital and is available to PRE-ORDER HERE: https://ork.lnk.to/RamageheadPR

O.R.k. have an extensive live campaign planned in support of Ramagehead which will begin in February 2019 with a European and UK head line run as well as being special guests on the continuing “Dissolution Tour” from new label mates The Pineapple Thief.

Colin Edwin comments “Ramagehead is our most intense, ambitious and accessible work to date and I am really looking forward to exploring the new material in a live environment and sharing our unique collective energy together. For me, O.R.k. is always a completely immersive and unforgettable experience in the live arena, so with new tracks to play and an opportunity to reach places and people we've yet to get to, this tour will be our best yet.”

O.R.k. Tour Dates
** show with The Pineapple Thief
15.2 Ravenna (IT) - Bronson
16.2 Lugagnano di Sona/Verona (IT) - Il Giardino
17.2 Pisa (IT) - Lumiere
21.2 Bari (IT) - Garage Sound
22.2 Roma (IT) - Largo Venue**
23.2 Milano (IT) - Santeria Social Club **
24.2 Pratteln (CH) - Z7 **
26.2 Stuttgart (DE) - LKA Longhorn **
27.2 Frankfurt (DE) - Batschkapp **
28.2 Strasburg (FR) - La Laiterie **
1.3 Zoetermeer (NL) - Borderij **
2.3 Hamburg (DE) - Grosse Freiheit 36 **
3.3 Copenhagen (DK) - Store Vega **
5.3 Stockholm (SE) - Nalen **
6.3 Oslo (NO) - Rockefeller **
8.3 Iserhagen/Hannover (DE) - Blues Garage
10.3 Cologne (DE) - Yard Club
12.3 Munich (DE) - Backstage
13.3 Budapest (HU) - Durer
14.3 Nove Mesto nad Vahom (SK) - Blue Note
15.3 Berlin (DE) - Music & Frieden
17.3 Paris (FR) - Petit Bain
19.3 London (UK) - Borderline
20.3 Newcastle (UK) - o2 Academy **
21.3 Glasgow (UK) - St. Luke’s **
22.3 Manchester (UK) - o2 The Ritz **
23.3 Birmingham (UK) - o2 The Institute 2 **
24.3 Bristol (UK) - SWX **

O.R.k. are:
Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari a.k.a LEF - lead vocals
Pat Mastelotto - drums
Colin Edwin - bass
Carmelo Pipitone - guitars

Follow O.R.k.
http://www.orkband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/O.R.k.band/
https://www.instagram.com/orkband/
https://twitter.com/ORKBAND

Hi-res images available to download: www.kscopemusic.com/media/ork


Kscope: 1st floor, 52 Lisson Street, London, UK NW1 5DF

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

Holiday Review: Dan Blanchard-The Spirit of Christmas

Release Date: December 7, 2018
Label: Peaceful Vibes  
Website

Dan Blanchard has created one of the more unique Christmas albums I have ever heard. The Spirit of Christmas is the title, which is about as generic and traditional as you can get but don’t let that simple title fool you. This is a significant music project and a tremendous accomplishment for the artists involved. 

Dan has some incredibly talented people join him on this release and since there is the song “Twelve Days of Christmas,” he gives us 12 tracks to enjoy and guess what the twelfth track is? Everything seems to fall in line so far…just wait.

What Daniel sought to create was a musical holiday adventure that was steeped in traditional Christmas Carols and Indian Classical Music. This, of course, provided the opportunity to combine these elements with some improvisation. The cross-section of instruments included on this recording includes Sitar, Santoor, Harmonium, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Tanpura, Tabla, Percussion, Bansuri Flute, Indian Slide Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, and Violin. Just stop and think about the kind of sounds all of those instruments can make and you will be filled with anticipation before hitting the play button.

This is exactly the type of Holiday album I love to hear actually, rather than the same songs year after year with no expectations of change or any kind of new experience. I do respect these traditional songs and from whence they came, however, I do enjoy an artist that is willing to try something entirely different with enough confidence that it is going to work. When it does work, a listener can become mesmerized and also very appreciative of the worldly experience that is being offered.

The core foundation of Indian Classical music is three components, Drone, Rāga and Tāla. The Drone is the part of the music that is continuous throughout the song, the Rāga is the melody and the Tāla is rhythm. So, what you get are two classic traditional forms of music intersecting for a fantastic combination of sounds, rhythms, textures, and color.  Think of it as big Christmas tree with a multitude of different colored lights, that is what this music is and it’s absolutely beautiful, meditative, spiritual and joyous.

Dan’s love for both traditions is what inspired this album and why it turned out so well. I usually get the “Bah! Humbug!,” feelings when I see all the holiday things coming out the same time just before Halloween, it just feels so artificial and money driven. So along comes musical projects like The Spirit of Christmas to put it all into a proper perspective and allow me to focus on the true meaning of the holiday and the pure beauty and worldliness of the music.

Music, the universal healer, it makes the world a better place and this kind of release make you think about the entire planet, not just your own community in a town or city. This is a worldwide spirit that comes in many different forms, languages, and sounds, it really is a beautiful thing and I am grateful for the reminder of that. Thank you, Dan, for transforming me from the Scrooge into old Saint Nick! This truly is The Spirit of Christmas.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

December 7, 2018

Founder of:

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

Write A Music Review

Prog Rock Music Talk

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Rate The Tracks

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks:
01. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
02. Ode to Joy (Beethoven’s 9th Symphony – Movement 4)
03. Jingle Bells
O4. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
05. We Three Kings
06. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
O7. Carol of the Strings (Bells)
O8. Silent Night
09. Joy to the World
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
11. Good King Wenceslas
12. Twelve Days of Christmas