Shadow Circus Sign with 10T Records

I am happy to read that friends of the IPRS Shadow Circus (Hi John and David) have signed a deal with 10T Records:

"10T Records is thrilled to announce the signing of SHADOW CIRCUS for the release of their upcoming full length concept CD, entitled On a Dark and Stormy Night, in late Summer 2012. On a Dark and Stormy Night is based on the Newberry Award-winning science fiction fantasy classic, A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, and is being released with the full cooperation of the L’Engle estate as it coincides with the 50^th anniversary of the original publication of the book. On a Dark and Stormy Night is a progressive rock tour-de-force that finds the band’s creative scope widening, including elements of cinematic orchestral arrangements, classic Progressive Rock, Celtic music, and Metal.
Hailing from the New York City area, Shadow Circus began as an experiment by composer/guitarist John Fontana to pursue his passion for Progressive Rock. John was joined by longtime friend and vocalist, David Bobick, whose background in musical theater was a perfect match for John’s vision of a band that was as entertaining to watch on stage, as it was to listen to. Christening themselves with a name inspired by a fictional carnival from Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, Shadow Circus was born.
2006 saw the release of their debut CD, Welcome to the Freakroom, and earned the band a following and reputation as a theatrical and entertaining group with solid songwriting and impressive musicianship. But it was 2009′s Whispers and Screams that solidified Shadow Circus as a band to be watched, earning them their first appearance in 2010′s ProgDay festival, and numerous live appearances at B.B. King’s in New York City, the legendary Orion Studios in Baltimore, and The Magic Room in Boston. Continuing with their penchant for literary influences, this second release featured a song that recalls a famous episode of The Twilight Zone, and an epic suite lyrically inspired by Stephen King’s dark fantasy masterpiece, The Stand.
The music of the 2012 edition of Shadow Circus continues to draw on strongly emotional and literary themes in the context of a highly entertaining ensemble, recalling some of the flavors which are staples to the Progressive Rock sound, while challenging typical expectations of this genre with elements that are at once symphonic, cinematic, soulful, melodic, and, most importantly, rocking. Energized by a lineup featuring the return of original bassist/cellist Matt Masek, drummer Jason Brower, and David Silver on keyboards, the band is currently in the studio recording On a Dark and Stormy Night.
“Shadow Circus is extremely excited to begin what we think will be a long and fruitful partnership with 10T Records, a label that we admire for its integrity, and value of quality over quantity,” says John. “We are honored to join 10T’s roster of outstanding artists, whose music we have enjoyed and been inspired by.”
“John and I have been friends for a few years and it feels like it was destined that we would eventually work together,” says 10T Records president, Steve Carroll. “I was blown away by Whispers and Screams, but after seeing their amazing performance at ProgDay in 2010, I knew that the time was right for a partnership. We couldn’t possibly be any happier to be bringing “On a Dark and Stormy Night” to the world in just a few months.” 

In the meantime, Shadow Circus’ second release, Whispers and Screams, is now available for purchase through the 10T Records online store for immediate shipping worldwide."

You can still purchase their maxi-single "Rise" through the Shadow Circus website.

UK Fill-In as Sunday Headliners at NEARfest

This just in from the NEARfest webpage:

"We are delighted to announce that the legendary progressive rock supergroup UK will be joining the NEARfest Apocalypse lineup as the Sunday night festival headliner with a four-piece lineup. By some streak of amazing fortune, the members of UK had simultaneous availability in their busy schedules, and were able to assume the mantle of festival headliner with less than a month to spare before the event.

Revolving around two iconic musicians, keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson and bassist/vocalist John Wetton, UK was the last of the 1970s progressive rock supergroups. UK seamlessly melded dazzling instrumental virtuosity, incredible compositional prowess, classical and jazz influences, and memorable song-craft into two classic studio albums that have endured the test of time and earned the band legions of fans. In the second decade of the new millennium these two luminaries have once again joined forces to bring UK’s timeless music back to the stage, thrilling audiences around the world at sold-out concerts. With an expanded four-piece lineup including celebrated rock/fusion drummer Gary Husband and noted fusion guitarist Alex Machacek, UK will feature music from both of its albums and classic-era King Crimson songs not able to be performed with the 3-piece lineup that recently toured the USA.

NEARfest Apocalypse will occur June 22-24, 2012 at Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Co-headlining with UK are Van der Graaf Generator (Friday night June 22) and Renaissance (Saturday night June 23). Although the festival has been sold out for some time, UK fans seeking to attend may look for second-hand tickets at the NEARfest website discussion forum Ticket Board or Progressive Ears."

 

Kerry Kompost No Longer in Mars Hollow

I am sorry to hear that Kerry Chicoine (aka Kerry Kompost), is now the ex-bassist of Mars Hollow. I had the pleasure of seeing Mars Hollow at Terra Incognita two weeks ago and the band rocked on stage. Kerry was energetic, running all over the place, playing great, and having a fun time with the band and the audience. I also had the pleasure of meeting Kerry on the day before the show. Kerry grew up in Vermont and is the same age as I, and I learned that he used to come often to Montreal to see bands play at the old Forum. We realized we had seen pretty much the same bands at the same time.

So it is with surprise that I read the following on the PE forum under the title Mars Hollow Implodes:

"To all my PE friends and supporters of Mars Hollow; it is with a mixture of sadness, frustration and regret to inform you Mars Hollow — as you’ve come to know us — has ceased to exist as of yesterday. While I will NOT go into the reasons — they are highly personal — I will say the band dynamic has changed for the worse due to external pressures over the past six to eight months. At some point things became unbearable and I felt I had no choice but to draw a line in the sand. Sometimes, you have to be the Daddy, you know? Someone has to make the hard choices and I’ve never been afraid of doing that.

As you guys know, I’m not a bull-shitter and I don’t take a lot of crap from anyone. A rock band is supposed to be a fun and creative outlet and over the past several months, this band has been anything but fun. Since this is my hobby, and since it’s not my source of income, I feel it’s a no-brainer to extract myself from the situation, to cut out the cancer if you will, so that I can move forward in a creative fashion without any attendant external pressures.

I wish the guys in Mars Hollow all the continued success in the world and hope everything works out for them, including the upcoming Celebr8 show and the gig with CIRCA: in August.

Dejected but still kickin’,

-k-"

It also seems that the band's publicist couteracted with a Facebook post:

"It is with deep regret that Mars Hollow announces the departure of bassist Kerry (Kompost) Chicoine. Please be assured that the band is striving to continue delivering good music to you, our public. Please watch this page for official statements and news from Mars Hollow."

To which Kerry replied that he did not leave but rather was fired from the band. 

Mars Hollow were to appear at the Celebr8 Festival and tour a bit in the UK. Now the future of the band seems a bit uncertain. I will post more as I learn more about the festival gigs and I wish all concerned the best for the future. In the meantime here is a video of a new song called Sound of Shadows performed at Terra Incognita that was posted on Terry's Facebook page. The song was premiered in Quebec during the festival, so this might be the last time we get to hear this version of it.

Enchant Signs Deal with InsideOut Music

Enchant, the San Francisco Bay area's long-running Prog Rock institution, has finally returned to the scene they once helped shape and establish! Originally founded in 1989 and with seven studio albums under their belt, it's been a long silence for Enchant since their last official release, the Live At Last 2CD/2DVD set from 2004.

Enchant is currently at work on an overdue, brand-new studio album, and have signed a new longterm worldwide deal with their perennial label-partner, InsideOut Music.

"It's been way too long!" says Douglas A. Ott, main songwriter and guitarist of Enchant. "We had to take time off from ENCHANT because a lot was going on in all of our lives. Divorces, marriages, kids, separations... finally the band is stable again and ready to get going on the new album!"

Ott furthermore adds, "Everyone is really excited and looking forward to the process again. I'm currently doing preproduction and putting together demos of the new material and very shortly I'll start recording the real tracks. We're taking our time and really focusing on the writing and arranging of this new material."

A new Enchant studio album is in its songwriting and pre-production stages right now and is expected to be available for an early 2013 release via InsideOut Music.

 

New Frequency Drift Out in July

German cinematic prog band Frequency Drift has announced the forthecoming release of their follow-up to last year's Ghosts. It is called "Laid to Rest" and will be out on July 6th 2012.

Tracks are:

1. Dead (10:15)

2. Parted (7:19)

3. Cold (15:32)

4. Wish (16:04)

5. Ice (9:33)

6. Copper (12:22)

As listeners to the International Prog Rock Show know, I have been a fan of FD since I first heard their debut album "Personnal Effects, Part I" in 2008. Last year's Ghosts had a change in tone and subject matter, and it seems that "Laid to Rest" will continue this pattern, as it will be darker and moodier. I look forward to hearing the whole album and will have to make due with this YouTube preview of one of the songs, "Dead" until then. You can pre-order the album here.