The brand new Podcast #7 has just been uploaded. If you have high speed internet there’s no reason you should live without it. There are 7 programs to date, including interviews with Mani (of Guru Guru) and Damo (X-Can). The other 5 episodes feature all the new releases Eurock has offered in the past 6-9 months. Since the very first Episode the quality has become top notch thanks to the fearless Doktor Bob (he provides the sonic ambiance for the program and will have a new CD “Analog Planetfall” come out via Eurock in the not too distant future.. To top it off, it’s FREE!!! If you’ve not done so already check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

In addition to that, information about the latest installment of New Arrivals has been uploaded as well. MP3’s are offered per usual, and we’ve got some hot new goodies: DSM XI in both High Fidelity Stereo & 5.1 Digital Audio, a brand new Conrad Schnitzler 3 CD box set that’s totally FAB, New David Wright and Robert Fox CDs, 2 New CDs by K. Leimer, a previously unreleased CD that’s a blast for Robert Schroeder’s past, a new dose of Ramp’s “Doombient” synthetic sound, the 15th album by France’s Rene Aubry, and MORE! Check it out!

Also coming soon will be the first DVD by Mikhail Chekalin on MIR Records which is a real cultural/musical artifact extraordinaire. He combines his music with the art of “the Moscow 20″. They were a group of Soviet artists who in the 80’s got banned by the government and now their work lives on by way of Chekalin’s amazingly edited DVD that combines their art with his music.

There’s more. but I’ll leave it for next time. In the interim you can get ready for Summer with some brand new music via Eurock.

Carpe Diem!

A.

http://www.eurock.com

In the wake of NEARfest stepping up to sponsor him for his 2008 North American tour, Fish has offered to bring his critically-acclaimed “Clutching at Stars” performance to the NEARfest stage. This encore performance celebrating the 20th anniversary of Marillion’s classic “Clutching at Straws” album, a fan-favorite and the last one featuring Fish, is a NEARfest-exclusive! The Clutching at Stars tour did not reach North American shores in 2007, so this is sure to be a very special show.

The Strawbs will be touring, again, this June in the group’s classic 1974 lineup.

What originally endeared this progressive rock band to fans was their unique musical evolution out of 1960s English Folk music. The band has enjoyed commercial success over the years with a talented array of British musicians. First starting in 1967 as the Strawberry Hill Boys, a bluegrass and folk trio, the Strawbs became stars of the British progressive rock and folk scene at the same time—gracefully using the traditions of electric and acoustic music for their unique sound.

The group’s reputation in the U.S. and Canada firmed up with the release of the A&M Records albums ‘Hero & Heroine’ and ‘Ghosts. Still led by founder David Cousins, the same band that recorded those historic albums will be performing here– Dave Lambert on lead guitar/vocals, John Hawken on keyboards, Chas Cronk on bass/vocals, and drummer Rod Coombes.

These gifted musicians have each traveled through a special musical journey; Cousins is widely considered to be one of Britain’s top songwriters- he played guitar for both Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell on their first UK TV shows; Lambert’s work with the band Fire is noteworthy; Hawken enjoyed success with The Nashville Teens and Renaissance; Cronk has worked with Rick Wakeman (a former Strawbs member before joining Yes) and for five years toured with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett; Coombes was part of Steelers Wheel.

In 1974, The Strawbs album HERO AND HEROINE spent 17 weeks on the Billboard album charts, also selling well in Canada. The band’s follow-up, GHOSTS also spent several months on the Billboard album charts. The Strawbs have a huge catalog of great songs to draw upon and they continue to release new material and win over new fans.

June 10 New York, NY B.B. King’s Blues Club
June 11 Sellersville, PA Sellersville Theater 1894
June 12 Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage
June 13 Kent, OH Kent Stage
June 14 Columbus, OH The Thirsty Ear
June 15 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
June 17 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub
June 18 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
June 20 Syracuse, NY Red House
June 21 Pawling, NY Towne Crier Café

http://www.strawbsweb.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com.strawbsmusic

The 40th Anniversary of Jethro Tull is upon us this year–2008. The group, which is made up of frontman/flutist/guitarist Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, drummer Doane Perry, keyboardist John O’Hara, and bassist David Goodier is in the midst of a variety of tourdates that include Europe, the UK, the Middle East and North America.

Anderson says the group will choose its set list, “to a large extent from the first few albums but with a some representative songs from the ’80s and the ’90s, too. Songs and tunes which defined the early Jethro Tull from blues band to eclectic, pre-prog inventiveness.”

But he says that this year he plans “to visit a few less places than last year. I already have some time set aside for studio work and lazing about in the garden.”

The 90 shows between April and December, with which will include eleven in the United States, will be updated on the band’s web site, www.jethrotull.com.

While there are no new recordings available in 2008, there are a few historical releases scheduled over the next months, including a live DVD collection of perfomances in Germany, a newly produced DVD documentary and history of Jethro Tull, which Anderson says will feature the contributions of most past band members, friends and associates as well as live performances from a multitude of sources over the years. Contributions include reference information from many fans and liner notes from the group’s original basssist Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond. The artwork features a painting by Jeffrey depicting Blackpool, the town where Anderson, Hammond, drummer Barriemore Barlow and keyboard-player John Evan, formed a band in 1964.

On June 10, Capitol/EMI Records is re-releasing the group’s first album, THIS WAS as a 2-CD and digital release of a remastered and expanded Collectors’ Edition of the Tull’s 1968 debut album, This Was. This release presents, for the first time on CD, the album’s original mono mix as well as a new stereo mix of the album. Also featured are nine related 1968 recordings for John Peel’s BBC Radio program, Top Gear, plus four rare 1968 UK singles: Sunshine Day, Song For John Gee, Love Story and A Christmas Song. The commemorative package includes 35 tracks in all, as well as package notes and anecdotes from Jethro Tull’s members.

On May 20, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Jethro Tull’s Jack In The Green: Live In Germany, an enticing DVD compendium of in-concert rarities [running time: 96 minutes] spanning the years 1970 to 1993.

Metalmania Festival 2009:

Friday, 6th March 2009, Zlin (CZ), Novesta Hall
Saturday, 7th March 2009, Katowice (PL), Spodek Hall

The 23rd edition of the Metalmania Festival - the biggest metal fest in Central-Eastern Europe – will guest over 20 bands that will perform for thousands of metal freaks!!!!

The Metalmania Festival has a long and great history. Running for over 20 years, it has become the biggest and the most important metal festival in Poland and Czech Republic. In the past, the Festival hosted over 300 artists incl.: Megadeth, Testament, Blaze Bayley, Entombed, Destruction, Benedition, Zyklon, Therion, Nevermore, Anathema, Moonspell, Samael, Apocalyptica, Cradle of Filth, Napalm Death, Death, Soulfly, Michael Schenker Group, Tiamat, Morbid Angel, Opeth, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Lacuna Coil, Judas Priest, The Gathering, Dimmu Borgir, Hammerfall, Running Wild, Vital Remains, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Candlemass, Kreator, Overkill, Helloween, Saxon among many others.
The recent edition of the Festival, which took place on the 7th March (in Czech Republic) and 8th March 2008 (in Poland), gathered on one stage such great bands as Megadeth, Dillinger Escape Plan, Satyricon, Overkill, Vader, Immolation, Artillery, Flotsam And Jetsam, and Marduk, to name a few. Each edition is very well documented, as the show in Katowice is recorded and released as DVD+CD compilations.

Metalmania Festival is also a perfect place to shoot a live DVD. In the past, such bands as Anathema, Pain, Vital Remains, Blaze Bayley, and Decapitated have released DVDs recorded during their shows in Poland. The forthcoming DVDs of Artillery (“One Foot in the Grave, The Other One in the Trash”) and Flotsam And Jetsam (“Once in a Deathtime”) feature their performances on the Metalmania Festival’s stage!

Bay Area Rock Promotions is pleased to announce the 2nd annual Bay Area Rock Festival at the Independent in San Francisco on June 27th and 28th 2008. Liquid Tension Experiment and Jeff Scott Soto will headline the premier west coast festival for progressive and melodic music.

In 1998 and 1999, Liquid Tension Experiment released two instrumental albums that set the prog world on fire. The project featured Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci , virtuoso keyboardist Jordan Rudess and bass legend Tony Levin. After the success of the two albums and the project’s undeniable chemistry, Rudess was asked to join Dream Theater full-time and the project was put on the shelf for an indefinite hiatus until now! The quartet has reunited to revisit the magical music they created 10 years ago and tap back into their chemistry for a whole new musical experiment. They are closing out their limited tour on Saturday night as the headliner of the festival.

Jeff Scott Soto headlines the first night of the festival, bringing his talented mix of rock, metal and funk back to San Francisco after recently fronting Journey. Joining him onstage for a special guest appearance will be Dave Meniketti and Phil Kennemore from Y&T, as well as Eric Martin.

Returning to the festival for a 2nd year are Bay Area bands Enchant and Zero Hour. Zero Hour is debuting their new album “The Dark Deceiver” available on Sensory Records. Making their North American debut Saturday night is Netherlands prog metal sensation Sun Caged. The Rocket Scientists with special guest Lana Lane will be appearing on Friday night. Additional bands will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the festival will be on sale Sunday May 4th at Tickets.com. 2 day discounted festival passes will be available as well as single day tickets. Only 500 tickets will be made available. For more details visit www.bayarearockfest.com or www.independentsf.com