Beef Records is happy to announce that Pentwater’s long awaited new album, Ab-Dul is now available and shipping! The highly respected U.S. progressive rock band’s latest disc features 17 tracks of newly recorded Pentwater music. The CD package includes an 8-page insert with complete lyrics as well as a detailed info about Pentwater and the making of Ab-Dul.

The story of Pentwater began in 1970 when Mike Konopka and Tom Orsi began playing together under that name. Ken Kappel, Phil Goldman and Marty Sachs completed the original lineup. Sachs didn’t remain long, though, being replaced by Ron LeSaar later that year. The finalized version of the group was completed in 1975 when Ron Fox replaced Goldman. Their first album was released two years later and the group was sharing the stage with acts like Journey, Rush, Starcastle, Ted Nugent and Hawkwind.

When the group broke up before the next year releasing any more music, one might have thought that the story was done. As fate would have it, though, that wasn’t to be the case. The music on that one disc became legendary and copies began selling for hundreds of dollars. Fans were anxious to hear more from these guys. A CD compiling various original recordings was put out on the Symphonic label in 1995. This was entitled Out of the Abyss and was not so much a best of collection as it was a grouping of previously unreleased gems. In 2003 the group issued that original album on CD for the first time.

Now in 2007 the story of Pentwater moves another step forward as the group release their first album of new material in 30 years – Ab-Dul. Long time fans will find plenty to like about this disc. All but two of the original tracks were written in the 1970’s. While some of these are fresh recordings of the compositions, there are also a number of vintage recordings, mixed with modern technology and released for the first time with this album. The group also included a cover of The Nice’s “The Cry of Eugene” in this set.

Pentwater on the Web: http://www.pentwatermusic.com, http://www.myspace.com/pentwater

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Progressive Rock is alive and well and living at California-based label ProgRock Records with the release of the new Starcastle CD Song Of Times . It’s the band’s first new release in over two decades making this an even more historic event! Formed in Champaign, IL in the late 1960s. Starcastle released four critically acclaimed albums between 1976 and 1978 on CBS/Epic Records which sold over a million units combined. The band toured extensively into the 1980s, appearing with such artists as Aerosmith, Jethro Tull, Roxy Music, Ted Nugent, Rush, Kansas, ELO, Peter Frampton, Santana, Boston, and Todd Rundgren, amongst many others. Now signed to ProgRock Records , who’s name says it all about the label’s roster of tremendous ‘progressive’ talent, the band prepares to take to the skies with their new release! Starcastle’s new CD Song Of Times, which dons stunning artwork by Ed Unitsky, is quite possibly their best work yet!

“What an honor and thrill it is to be able to put out this album”, proudly claims ProgRock President Shawn Gordon . “I loved these guys when they hit the scene, never in my life did I think I’d get to work with them, especially with such an amazing album!” The CD includes contributions from original members Gary Strater, Terry Luttrell, Steve Tassler, Herb Schildt, Matt Stewart and Steve Hagler, as well as new faces Al Lewis, Bruce Botts, John O’Hara, Neal Robinson, Mark Mcgee, Jeff Koehnke and Scott McKensie.

“Starcastle is thrilled to join with ProgRock Records in the release of our new work” says the band. “We see this record as bridging our past and future, and are happy to be aligned with ProgRock, who represent so many fine and vital artists in this continually unfolding genre.” With original and new band members joined together, Starcastle are anticipating another run of mega-success. Songs like “Babylon ” are sure to put a smile on any radio program director’s face, with its catchy melody, commercial song structure and stunning vocalizations by new band member Al Lewis.

Through a series of adventures and the passing in 2004 of bassist and driving light Gary Strater, a dedicated group of friends, musicians and associates have persevered to complete and release Song Of Times. In support of Starcastle’s new masterwork, the band will be headlining a one-off gig on April 27, 2007 at the Rites Of Spring Festival in Phoenixville, PA. In an interesting twist, after so many years of comparisons with rock superstars Yes, Rick Wakeman’s son Oliver, who also has a release on ProgRock Records entitled Mothers Ruin, will accompany Starcastle on keyboards for this live event!

Amongst the hoopla surrounding the new Starcastle CD comes more adventurous releases from ProgRock Records, such as the solo album from Henning Pauly entitled Babysteps. The CD includes guest appearances by Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie, as well as Jody Ashworth of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and both Michael Sadler and Jim Gilmour of Canadian muli-platinum selling, hard rock legends Saga. ProgRock Records has previously released solo albums from Michael Sadler Clear and Jim Gilmour Great Escape.

Henning Pauly has also released two other albums with ProgRock Records under the guise Frameshift. The first CD Unweaving The Rainbow also features James Labrie, whilst the second release An Absence Of Empathy boasts performances by ex-Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach.

ProgRock Records is proud to announce the historic release of the third Planet P Project CD called 1931, featuring original Rainbow keyboardist Tony Carey. The first two Planet P Project albums contained several radio and video hits including “Why Me” and “Power Tools”. Tony Carey has over 30 albums to his credit, and as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist has worked with some of the biggest names in the business. “I’m delighted to have found a new platform to deliver my admittedly esoteric stuff,” boasts Carey, “and I’m excited to be working with Shawn and ProgRock Records!”

For more information on the new Starcastle CD and other ProgRock Records releases, check out the official website: www.progrockrecords.com

One of the long standing traditions at ProgDay is the Sunday morning opening slot featuring young and upcoming bands that may not be well known, but show exceptional potential. This year the tradition continues when the New York-based band Skeletonbreath takes the stage.

Skeletonbreath is an instrumental trio of electric violin, bass and drums with a range of styles and influences so varied that they create a sound unlike anyone else for music that is truly progressive in nature. The band describes themselves as “Halloween Party Music.” Their excellent debut recording, “Louise,” was released last year. While it is a great CD, it is well known to those who have been fortunate enough to seem them perform that it is in their live shows that their energy and originality really peak.

Skeletonbreath will be the perfect Sunday morning wakeup call on Labor Day Weekend.

Check out the band’s website at: http://www.skeletonbreath.com/default.aspx
or their myspace site at: http://www.myspace.com/skeletonbreath

ProgDay is a two day outdoor progressive rock festival that takes place on September 1st and 2nd near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For more information visit the ProgDay website at: http://www.progday.com.

All Four Original Members of Asia will NOT now be joining the previously announced package tour with Styx and Foreigner.

The Band is also pleased to announce that they are planning to enter recording studios to prepare for a new studio CD that is scheduled for release early in 2008.

Confirmed dates as of now are as follows:

June 23 Atlantic City, NJ - Trump Marina Hotel/Grand Cayman
June 29 Jim Thorpe, PA - Penns Peak
July 3 Mason, OH - Corwin Nixon Park
July 4 Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest - Classic Rock Stage
July 5 Chicago, IL - House of Blues
July 6 Detroit, MI - General Motors Renaissance Center

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Sol de Medianoche (Midnight Sun) is the seventh Amarok’ album. In it the band continues advancing and maturing in its blending of progressive rock with the Mediterranean music and a few touches of Celtic music. The songs are sung principally in Spanish, but there are some songs in Catalan and even in English, for the first time in the history of the group. The variety of instruments used on this release exceeds anything attempted before by the band, however the arrangements are very precise so there is no sense of overkill.

The lyrics speak about the Kábala (Sephiroth), the hermits (Hermits), the book of 1001 nights (Ishak the fisherman), the creatures of the myth of Chulthu (Wendigo) and, in the song that gives name to the disc, about the history of an imprisoned poet through the fault of his ideas. As a treat, an ethnic version of ELP’s theme Abaddon’s Bolero.

The band had this to say; “Amarok has been experimenting for many years with a lot of styles, and working with diverse record companies in many countries around the world. Nevertheless, we feel that to sign with ProgRock Records is an important and maybe definitive step in our career. Among other things, we value deeply the fact that they decided to sign a band as eclectic as ours, stylistically we are from the standards of progressive rock. It speaks about an open and innovative mentality, for which I hope will mean great things for both of us.”

“A mutual friend introduced Robert and I when I had expressed my interest in really finding something unique to put out, I’d known of the band for years but didn’t think they’d be interested in us. I have to say that I’m very pleased that we met and are now able to put out this amazing album.”, Shawn Gordon, President of ProgRock Records said.

”Sol de Medianoche” is the first release from Amarok on ProgRock Records. The album is available for immediate order and will ship in early April and be available at your favorite brick and mortar retailer on June 5, 2007. Presales are discounted $2 on the ProgRock Records site until the album starts shipping.

“ROCK HAS TO BE INNOVATIVE, CREATIVE, SHOCKING AND IN OPPOSITION…”
- Roger Trigaux

WHAT IS ROCK IN OPPOSITION? (from Wikipedia)
“Rock in Opposition or “RIO” was a movement representing a collective of “progressive” bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music. It was initiated by Henry Cow in March 1978 when they invited four European groups to come to London and perform in a festival called “Rock in Opposition.”

The groups that performed in the inaugural event were: Henry Cow (UK), Stormy Six (Italy), Samla Mammas Manna (Sweden), Univers Zéro (Belgium) and Etron Fou Leloublan (France).

After the festival, RIO was formalised as an organisation with a charter whose aim was to represent and promote its members. Three more bands were also added to the collective: Art Bears (UK), Art Zoyd (France) and Aksak Maboul (Belgium), and further festivals were held later in France, Italy and Sweden. Chris Cutler of Henry Cow established the ReR (Recommended Records) label in the UK, as a model for a non-profit music company.
RIO as a movement did not last long, but its legacy still persists. While RIO never referred to a type of music (the original RIO bands were quite diverse musically), it is still often used by listeners, musicians, and distributors to classify bands (generally bands that appeared at the RIO festivals or bands related to or derived from the RIO bands). Bands familiarized with the RIO movement and genre today include: Thinking Plague (USA), Present (Belgium), Miriodor (Canada), Ahvak (Israel), Neblenest (France), 5uu’s (USA), Guapo (UK) and U Totem (USA).
The term “RIO” today is almost synonymous with Avant-progressive rock or Experimental Rock.”

THIS INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY ROGER TRIGAUX:

ROCK IN OPPOSITION - FRANCE - 2007
www.rocktime.org/rio

MASONTOWN, WV (March 13, 2007) – Walther Productions is bringing the All Good Music Festival into its second decade by embracing its roots and remaining true to the core fans who have made this one of the East Coast’s longest-running and most popular camping and music events.

The 11th Annual ALL GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL is celebrating the diversity and loyalty of the improvisational music scene with its most extensive and intensive lineup to date. The mid-Atlantic’s premier camping event will be held July 13-15 at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, WV, the 675-acre, panoramic setting adjacent to Morgantown that enters its fifth consecutive year as the festival’s home.

Bob Weir & RatDog, moe., Keller Williams, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Les Claypool, Dark Star Orchestra, Yonder Mountain String Band, Sound Tribe Sector 9 – all consistent leading attractions on the scene since All Good’s birth – join Lotus, Tea Leaf Green, Ozric Tentacles, Perpetual Groove, AOD (Assembly of Dust), PBS (Porter-Batiste-Stoltz), Soldiers of Jah Army, New Monsoon, Will Hoge, West Indian Girl and Lovewhip as the first wave of acts announced for the 11th Annual ALL GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL.

“We’ve put together a potent lineup with no weak links,” says promoter Tim Walther, who founded the festival in 1997. “And who better to anchor this roster than the acts that have been the essence of this scene for as long as we’ve been around.”

The East Coast’s mid-summer live music highlight has become a certified monster of a musical gathering that Billboard says is “unlike many large festivals.” Capacity crowds of over 15,000 fans gather annually for three full days and nights of live music set against the landscape of the majestic and magnificent natural wonder and grandeur of Marvin’s Mountaintop.

ALL GOOD’s 2007 music lineup has a wide-ranging, phenomenal groove that unites jam, bluegrass, southern rock, New Orleans funk, electronica, prog rock, reggae, indie, soul, singer-songwriters and more for the soundtrack to a peacefully spirited vibe that has remained an ALL GOOD constant since 1997. And as always, musical highlights are bountiful. This year, Bob Weir & RatDog make their Walther Productions debut in a newly energized formation when they lead a roster filled with artists who have certainly been influenced by Weir’s first band, the Grateful Dead. moe., an All Good favorite, returns to host an unprecedented two full sets, including a late-night all-star jam with many surprise guests. Politically charged rock hip-hop combo Michael Franti & Spearhead arrive in the midst of selling out much of the nation’s biggest showcase clubs with rhythms and melody fueled by their recent trip to war-torn Iraq. British psychedelic improve legends Ozric Tentacles mark their 25th anniversary by reuniting their original lineup, while dub-influenced breakbeat psychedelics Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) also promise a refreshing All Good debut. Three-fourths of the New Orleans legends the funky Meters come together as PBS (Porter-Batiste-Stoltz), while AOD (Assembly of Dust) reconvenes atop the mountain for the first time as radio chart-leaders. Hometown heroes Soldiers of Jah Army (SOJA) are rewarded with an All Good slot for packing some of the most prestigious regional concert rooms, while Lovewhip finally gets to show why they were last year’s SonicBids contest winner. Two more unknown, unsigned and up-and-coming artists will be discovered and showcased through SonicBids (www.sonicbids.com) this summer.

Indeed, the All Good is a full blown extravaganza, complete with top quality production, state of the art sound and lights, an authentic variety of food and craft vendors, art and sculpture, a kid’s area, family camping, interactive artisan workshops, microbrews and, new to the festival, an “Even Better” VIP ticket option. Music fans can always rely on enjoying 40 hours of original music, all centrally located with no overlapping sets.

“Bad attitudes are not accepted,” says Walther. “The intention has always been to create a safe environment where fans, friends and family can enjoy the music and each other — to experience an all good festival with all good music, all good vibes and all good times. People show up expecting everything to be all good, and as its own living entity… it always is.”

The ALL GOOD FESTIVAL is the flagship event of Maryland-based Walther Productions, and its growth has paralleled the growth of the concert company. Last year, more roads were added and more fields were cleared to accommodate the large crowds in the manner to which they’ve become accustomed. And people were amazed to discover that the congestion problems that plague most festivals of this size have been effectively eliminated. Variety, originality and creativity are plentiful; hard-nose rules and regulations are not. By treating patrons with an uncommon level of respect like one big family, they’re bound at ALL GOOD by a common celebratory love of music, and a sense of excitement coupled with the grandeur of the great outdoors, setting a prevailing tone of inherent tranquility and camaraderie.

Marvin’s Mountaintop, with its glorious natural backdrop, has proven to be a wonderful destination for ALL GOOD patrons since the festival settled here in 2003. Marvin’s Mountaintop boasts magnificent surroundings overlooking the West Virginia mountains and Cheat River. They echo the relaxed spirit and gentle atmosphere of the ALL GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL. Marvin’s Mountaintop is a lovely, safe environment where family and friends gather to enjoy the great outdoors while listening to the music, with a wide range of outdoor activities for children and adults. ALL GOOD always is about offering feel-good music to “all good” people and giving them an entirely positive weekend experience brimming with the strength of optimism and community spirit.

The list of artists confirmed to play the 11th Annual ALL GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL to date:

Bob Weir & RatDog
moe. (+ additional All Good All-Star Jam hosted by moe.)
Keller Williams
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Les Claypool
Dark Star Orchestra
Yonder Mountain String Band
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) (performing late night set)
Lotus
Tea Leaf Green
Ozric Tentacles
Perpetual Groove
AOD (Assembly of Dust)
PBS (Porter-Batiste-Stoltz)
Soldiers of Jah Army (SOJA)
New Monsoon
Will Hoge
West Indian Girl
Lovewhip

…plus many more TBA

More bands, guest musicians, and festival activities are to be announced in the coming weeks.

Early-Bird Tickets are just $89 and will be offered for a limited time only, while supplies last through www.allgood.musictoday.com and www.jambasetickets.com or charge by phone by calling 1-800-594-TIXX. Buy early and save over $55 on the gate price.

For complete information, visit the official ALL GOOD web site at: www.allgoodfestival.com

Finnish progressive rock-band Overhead performs this year besides Finland at least in five European countries. The band plays at festivals and clubs in May in France, in August in Sweden and in November in Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.

Overhead’s second album ‘Metaepitome’ was released in 2005 and it got a great reception in different medias all around the world getting excellent reviews and album of the month-nominations. It has also been played in many especially prog-specified radios in Europe and America.

Overhead is currently working on its third album and it is expected to be finished by the end of the year. The album will be released by French Musea.

Confirmed tour dates are available at the band’s homepage.

Genesis 1976-1982 SACD/DVD Remasters now available for PRE-order! (release date 2nd April 2007)

The 1976-1982 Genesis studio albums re-released in remastered/remixed 2 disc SACD/DVD sets with 5.1 surround sound and stereo mixes! They’re available separately, but also in a beautifully packaged box set including all 5 albums plus a BONUS ‘extra tracks’ SACD/DVD with rare concert and video footage.
The SACDs (Super Audio CDs) WILL play on standard CD players at standard CD quality. Please note, the video extras on the DVDs are in PAL (European) picture format (we’re unable to buy-in the NTSC versions from EMI as we’re in the UK).

Steve is happy to autograph PRE-ordered ‘A Trick Of The Tail’/'Wind And Wuthering’ albums, and also the ‘76-’82 box set - but please request this! If you would like your set autographed then type ’signed please’ (or similar) in the ‘Additional Information’ box when pre-ordering. Pre-orders without this request will not be signed.

Please bear in mind that our stock from EMI will arrive on, or just before, the release date of 2nd April, Steve then has to do the signing, so this may introduce a short delay before shipping (but equally, it may not!) - as usual we’ll be as fast as we can!

For more info and PRE-ordering go here…
All products: http://www.camino.co.uk/genesis/sacd/dvd_remasters/
The Box Set: http://www.camino.co.uk/product/1976-1982_box_set_sacddvd.html
Please read our ‘Pre-order & Despatch’ info here: http://www.camino.co.uk/preordering.html

Porcupine Tree will be releasing Fear Of A Blank Planet in mid-April through Roadrunner Records in Europe, Atlantic in the USA, and WHD Entertainment in Japan. To support the new album, the band will be touring, including a first-ever show in Finland, where they are scheduled to play at the Ilosaarirock Festival on July 14. They’ll tour the US and Canada in May and will perform in Germany and Switzerland in June, playing the Greenfield Festival in Interlaken, CH on June 17, the Southside Festival in Neuhausen, DE on June 23, and the Hurricane Festival in Scheesel, DE on June 24.

Track listing for Fear Of A Blank Planet:

1. Fear Of A Blank Planet (7.28)
2. My Ashes (5.07)
3. Anesthetize (17.42)
4. Sentimental (5.26)
5. Way Out Of Here (7.37)
6. Sleep Together (7.28)

In related news, Blackfield, also have a new album out - released in February in Europe and scheduled for early March in the US. They will also tour in support of Blackfield II - having already toured Europe in February, they’ll be in the US this month with select dates in LA, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Annapolis, Hoboken and Boston. As reported earlier, Jordan Rudess will be performing a solo set at the East Coast shows; Pure Reason Revolution were their guests for the European leg.