World United Music: December 2014

Friday, December 12, 2014

2014 Year in Review - World United Music

Video Source: W.U.M. YouTube

2014 was an Awesome Year for Music! The video above gives a glimpse of the 122 Bands and Artists that were Showcased on World United Music in 2014…

The BEST Music isn’t on the Radio, it’s right Here!

Showcasing the Best Signed, Unsigned & Independent Artists from around the World! Over 500 artists are directly supported here on World United Music with hundreds more to add...

Join us for what will be an explosive year in Music for 2015!

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You can also find us on Twitter here:
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Thanks for supporting World United Music and all the artists in 2014! Be sure to visit the Bands Official websites and join their mailing lists to stay up to date!

See you in 2015, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everyone!

The Music below is from all the Artists supported here on World United Music.

Music from 2014

Best of 2014 – Rock & Alternative

Best of 2014 – Soft Rock, Alternative, Folk & Acoustic

Best of 2014 – Pop Rock

The Legends of Rock – Where they Are Today

2014 Artist Links:

(((S))) – World United Music

Thursday, December 11, 2014

(((S)))

About: (((S)))

(((S))) is an anonymous one man band from the cold fusty streets of Copenhagen, Denmark.

This ungoogable project started out in 2009 with the debutalbum ”GHOST” released by the German label AFMusic.

”GHOST” was announced worlds best album of 2009 by the English goth guru/writer Mick Mercer.

In 2010 the second album ”PHANTOM” hit the streets also with great success and airplay all over the globe. From BBC to Brisbane. From Halle to Houston…..

In September 2012 the third album was released :

”THE MOON IS MY SUN”.

This time a change of genre to a more old-school electronic style different from the previous more guitar driven post punk sound.

"WELCOME TO THE HEARTLAND" was released on December 05th, 2014 on Poisonic, Germany. A 43 minute postpunk/psycedelic trip into the unknown.

(((S))) lives in the shadows and prefers it to stay that way.

CONTACT: https://fustydk.bandcamp.com/

(((S))) - MySpace
https://myspace.com/fustydk
(((S))) - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/UngoogableS
BUY MUSIC
(((S))) - Bandcamp
https://fustydk.bandcamp.com/

Monday, December 8, 2014

Alan Parsons was born into a family with an impressive history in entertainment. His great grandfather was the celebrated actor/manager Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. His mother was an actress, professional folk singer and harpist and his father, Denys Parsons, an accomplished pianist and flautist as well as the author of many books. The late Oliver Reed, film actor was a cousin. His uncle, David Tree was also a film and stage actor.

Alan had dabbled with live performance in his late teens as a folk/blues acoustic player and as a lead guitarist with a blues band in the late sixties in his hometown of London. But as soon as he landed a job at the famous Abbey Road Studios at the age of 19, it became clear that the world of sound recording was to dominate his career.

He was fortunate enough to work as assistant engineer on the last two albums by The Beatles and after he qualified as a fully-fledged recording engineer, he went on to work with Paul McCartney and The Hollies among many others. But it was his contribution as engineer on Pink Floyd's classic Dark Side OF The Moon that really got him world attention. That soon led to striking successes as a producer - notably with Pilot's Magic, John Miles' Highfly and Music and Steve Harley's (Come Up And See Me) Make Me Smile. He also produced the hugely successful Year Of The Cat album with Al Stewart and two albums with American progressive rock band Ambrosia.

In 1975 he met Eric Woolfson who not only became his manager, but joined forces with Alan as a songwriting and performing partner for what became known as The Alan Parsons Project. The APP's debut album, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe paved the way for a signing to Clive Davis' newly launched Arista label and a string of hit albums, namely I Robot (1977), Pyramid (1978), The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980), Eye in the Sky (1982), Ammonia Avenue (1984), Vulture Culture (1985), Stereotomy (1986) and Gaudi (1987).

A brief venture into musical theatre resulted in Freudiana in 1990.The show ran for over a year in the historic Theater An Der Wien in Vienna. Eric and Alan then went separate ways. Eric devoted his career to the musical theatre while Parsons felt the need to bring his music to the live concert stage and to continue to record ambitious symphonic rock music.

With his long-standing previous APP collaborators, guitarist Ian Bairnson, drummer Stuart Elliott and orchestral arranger Andrew Powell, Alan dropped the "Project" identity for Alan Parsons - Try Anything Once in 1994. The partnership continued for On Air in 1996 and The Time Machine in 1999. During this time the first incarnation of "Alan Parsons Live Project" toured to sell-out audiences throughout the globe. Following Alan's relocation to California, a new Live Project band was formed in 2003. Another band reshuffle happened in 2010. The current live band consists of Alan on acoustic guitar, keyboards and vocals, P.J. Olsson on vocals, Manny Foccarazzo on keyboards, Guy Erez on bass, Alastair Greene on guitar, Danny Thompson on Drums, and Todd Cooper on sax, percussion and vocals.

The album A Valid Path, Alan's foray into electronica was released in 2004 and featured Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, The Crystal Method, Shpongle, Uberzone, PJ Olsson and Alan's son, Jeremy. 2008 saw the reissue of all the Alan Parsons Project albums in expanded form, containing never-before-heard bonus material and a 2-CD compilation called The Essential Collection. One of the most familiar Project tracks is Sirius, perhaps best known as the Chicago Bulls theme. It was also used as the walk-on music for The New Orleans Saints at their triumphant Superbowl game in 2010 and at the 2012 European Cup soccer matches. Sirius has also been featured at countless other sporting events and in the movies Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and Beerfest.

In 2010, Alan felt the need to share his extensive knowledge and expertise with the rest of the music industry. With the help of fellow Brit Julian Colbeck, Alan wrote and produced a comprehensive instructional video series about recording called The Art & Science Of Sound Recording (ASSR). It features contributions from a myriad of celebrity artists, engineers and producers and is narrated by Billy Bob Thornton. It is available as a 3-DVD set and as downloads. See www.artandscienceofsound.com. All Our Yesterdays, a song written especially for the series, features some of LA's finest musicians and a rare performance by Alan on lead vocals. Alan has been supporting ASSR with a series of lectures and Masterclass Training Sessions (MCTS) all over the world. It has been a great opportunity for the attendees to witness Alan at work in the studio and to participate actively in the making of a possible future hit.

Since the beginning of 2012, as well as performing live shows, Alan has been busy in the studio doing vocals for German Electronica outfit, Lichtmond, on a CD and video called Precious Life. Other vocal performances with YES stars Billy Sherwood and Chris Squire as The Prog Collective have been released on Cleopatra Records. Another collaboration has been with Mexican superstar ALEKS SYNTEK. Alan and Aleks have written a song called "The Direction Of Time" and have shared the lead vocal duties which are in both English and Spanish - release is expected in late 2014.

Alan has come full circle and is back in his role as producer and engineer both at his own Santa Barbara studio and other studios internationally. Alan produced an album called Grand Ukulele with JAKE SHIMABUKORO, the virtuoso ukulele player, whose YouTube video of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" has received over ten million hits! The album contains a number of orchestral arrangements by Winger frontman, Kip Winger. A collaboration with Steven Wilson as engineer and associate producer resulted in major success including a Top 5 album in Germany in 2013. Another album is in the cards for the autumn of 2014.

A CD box set of all the Alan Parsons Projects was released in March 2014 and included a controversial never previously released CD from 1979 entitled The Sicilian Defence.

Alan has received a large number of awards including eleven Grammy nominations, The Les Paul Award in 1995 and The Diva Hall Of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in Munich, Germany in June 2012. He is in demand as public speaker and was keynote speaker at the 1998 Audio Engineering Society Convention in San Francisco and was the opening speaker at the TEDx Conejo conference in California in April 2012.

Alan has two sons, Jeremy and Daniel, from his first marriage - both living in the UK. Alan now lives on an organic avocado ranch in Santa Barbara, California with his wife Lisa and her two daughters, Tabitha and Brittni, three dogs, several cats, chickens, and an 18-hand Clydesdale called Dante.

CONTACT: http://www.alanparsonsmusic.com/contact.html

The Alan Parsons Project – Fragile – (Live in Mainz 2014)

The Alan Parsons Project – Don’t Answer Me – (Live in Mainz 2014)

The Alan Parsons Project – Eye in the Sky – (Live in Mainz 2014)

The Alan Parsons Project – Games People Play – (Live in Mainz 2014)

The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card Part 1 & 2– (Live in Mainz 2014)

The Alan Parsons Project – Time – (Live in Mainz 2014)

Fragile – 2014 (Official Video)

Alpha Centauri – 2010 (Audio)

Don’t answer Me – 2003 (Official Video)

Standing on Higher Ground – 1987 (Official Video)

Stereotomy – 1985 (Official Video)

Let’s Talk About Me – 1984 (Official Video)

Eye in the Sky – 1982 (Audio)

Games People Play – 1980 (Official Video)

The Gold Bug - 1980 (Official Video)

Turn of a Friendly Card – 1980 (Official Video)

Damned if I Do – 1979 (Audio)

I Wouldn’t Want to be Like You – 1977 (Official Video)

Eye in the Sky – 1982 (Full Album)

The Turn of a Friendly Card – 1980 (Full Album)

Pyramid – 1978 (Full Album)

I Robot – 1977 (Full Album)

Tales of Mystery & Imagination – 1976 (Full Album)

Sonic Reality Interviews Nick Mason and Alan Parsons pt1

Alan Parsons & Julian Colbeck: "Art and Science of Sound Recording"

Alan Parsons – Official Website

http://www.alanparsonsmusic.com/
Alan Parsons - MySpace
https://myspace.com/alanparsons
Alan Parsons – Last FM
http://www.last.fm/music/Alan+Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project – Last FM
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Alan+Parsons+Project
Alan Parsons - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons
Alan Parsons - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/alanparsons
Alan Parsons - Twitter
https://twitter.com/alanparsons
VIDEO
Alan Parsons – YouTube (Official Channel)
https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialAlanParsons
The Alan Parsons Project VEVO/YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/AlanParsonsVEVO
BUY MUSIC+
Alan Parsons – Official Store
http://secure.keyfax.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=AP
Alan Parsons – Legacy Recordings
http://www.legacyrecordings.com/a/#/artist/the-alan-parsons-project/39/
Alan Parsons - iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/alan-parsons/id16904
Alan Parsons - Bandcamp
https://alanparsons.bandcamp.com/releases
The Alan Parsons Project - iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/the-alan-parsons-project/id13525
The Alan Parsons Project - Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Parsons-Project/e/B000APYJKW

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Legends of Rock: Chris de Burgh

About: Chris de Burgh

Few artists can lay claim to international success spanning three decades but, beginning with his very first release, Chris de Burgh has achieved precisely that.

The foundations for a remarkable and durable career were laid back in 1975 with the release of Chris’s debut album, ‘Far Beyond These Castle Walls’, featuring a single, ‘Flying’, which spent 17 weeks at No. 1 in Brazil.

Subsequent records, almost in turn, continued to steadily draw in audiences around the world; Scandinavia was early to embrace the vivid story-telling that is Chris’s unique talent, South Africa quickly tuned in to his power as a live performer, North America even demanded its own specially compiled ‘greatest hits’ collection, ‘Best Moves’. In the United States, meanwhile, relentless touring with his management stablemates Supertramp was beginning to establish Chris as a gritty, charismatic stage presence.

Indeed, by 1980, Chris’s global profile had already mushroomed to the point where that year’s album, ‘Eastern Wind’, became one of the biggest-selling albums of all time in Norway. A year later, its follow-up, ‘Man On The Line’, was a Top 30 album in the UK, the US and 20 other countries, while producing the single ‘High On Emotion’, which went to No. 1 in ten European countries.

In many respects, it was this album that opened the door to the enormous success which was to follow and scale new heights with the arrival of Chris’s 1986 album ‘Into The Light’. Chris, by his own estimation, had shrewdly perceived this record to be one which could place him fully centre stage as an artist and, indeed, it featured the song which finally established him as a known singer-songwriter around the world. ‘The Lady In Red’, now undeniably an evergreen classic, achieved No. 1 status in 25 countries, including the UK, went to No. 2 in America – and has now sold in excess of 8 million copies. To this day, it remains one of the most played songs on the planet; in America alone, it has subsequently been the recipient of six annual ASCAP (Association of Composers and Publishers) Awards, presented to acknowledge the track as one of the Top 20 most played records in the United States in a period of 12 months.

By now, Chris’s stature had reached true superstar status in many territories – particularly in Germany, where his sell-out tours were grossing more than any other artist on the road.

Come 1990, Chris’s German popularity was such that he was the only international artist personally invited by then Chancellor Kohl to perform at the historic public celebrations marking the re-unification of East and West Germany. This momentous privilege immediately followed sell-out tours of Australia and Japan.

In the intervening years, and on the eve of the Millennium, Chris continued to add new audiences to his vast fan base – from Moscow to Malta, from Singapore to Sarajevo – and, always, to find and embrace new challenges for himself as a musician and a performer. Specifically, his 1995 album, ‘Beautiful Dreams’, realised a long-held ambition to have his music (both new material and selected highlights from his previous repertoire) recorded in a classical style – with a full, 32-piece orchestra.

Not only did this album breathe new life into Chris artistically, but it also enabled him to embark on a series of open-air shows in some of the UK’s finest palaces and stately homes.

His 1999 album ‘Quiet Revolution’ featured a band for the first time since his ‘This Way Up’ LP, five years earlier. Road-tested as players via tours of Germany, South Africa, the Eastern Bloc, Middle East and South East Asia, a solid line-up of musicians once again invigorated Chris’s approach to making music in a group scenario, a philosophy still very much in evidence on his next studio album, ‘Timing Is Everything’, released in 2002.

In every sense, the record was a current statement of Chris’s craft, easily placing all of the several trademarks he had made his own – vivid story-telling, powerful anthems and heartfelt ballads – against an undeniably contemporary backdrop.

“It was a modern-sounding record, within the parameter of me as a songwriter, because I write in the classic vein. I’m writing in that old-fashioned way, but I think we brought a very new and dynamic sound to it.”

Musically and lyrically, his 16th studio album moved with the times, but on his terms; as always, Chris was content to pursue his own, personal and unique path. It has proven to be the successful route to longevity which, across three decades, has won him a devoted, worldwide following.

All eleven new songs presented on the album were instantly in tune with this international acclaim, reputation and credibility. Each was written and recorded with uncommon ease and speed, factors which infected both the vocal performance and the overall mood of the album. “I found that writing the songs was not a grind and a chore; they came out very easily. I felt so good about the album that I actually recorded four or five full, finished, vocals in an afternoon. That’s unheard of for me! Another day I recorded vocals for four other songs; I just thought ‘Well, I’m in the voice for it – why don’t I just do them?’ It was like I was saying ‘There’s no big deal about this…’

“The speed with which we recorded reflected the fun we were having. That was a big part of it all. When making records previously, there had always been that slightly freaky thing of saying to myself ‘Today I’m doing a lead vocal’. In the past, I have been aware of the need to get my singing, my vocal performance, absolutely right in the studio – because what is recorded there stays with you forever. It’s like taking a penalty in an important football match; you’ve got to get it right.”

There were, and will be, many interpretations concerning the meaning of ‘The Road To Freedom’, the title given to his 17th album, released in 2004.

For Chris, the album name openly identified his enthusiasm about not only producing an intensely individual record but, also, for choosing to be at liberty to make it available on his own, Ferryman Records, label; having been signed to a major record company for almost 30 years, the time had come to do things on his own. For listeners, the album presented a vibrant and emotionally uplifting journey along a path filled with insight, inspiration and, as ever, colourful imagination. And it did so with a lyrical diversity married perfectly against a musical backdrop of truly international appeal; Spanish, Celtic, North American and Eastern European melodies are instantly apparent.

Equally, it was a record which tackled a wide spread of subject matter; the bittersweet life of Queen Elizabeth the First (‘Rose Of England’), a rallying, heartfelt plea for people to make something of their lives (‘Read My Name’), a moving tribute to the late Eva Cassidy (‘Songbird’) and – possibly most intriguingly – a song called ‘Five Past Dreams’, the ‘what happened next?’ follow-up to Chris’s biggest career hit, and one of the most romantic ballads of all time, ‘The Lady In Red’.

Each of the songs, and the other seven original compositions featured on the album, were written with a quite specific aim in mind; the desire within Chris to be able to play them all in the context of solo concert performance, without the need to embellish every track with any accompaniment beyond his guitar or piano. An extensive World Tour, with dates across Europe, the UK and North America, followed to support the album and that intent. ‘The Road To Freedom’ presented an up-beat, positive and hopeful over-view of the world as Chris de Burgh then saw it, viewed in the cinematic proportions which have become one of his unique abilities.

By now recording and releasing albums with more regular frequency than at almost any other point in his career, Chris delivered his next studio LP, ‘The Storyman’, in 2006. Its title alone aptly summed up Chris; imaginative story-making has, after all, always been at the very core of his worldwide success.

Whether his lyrical – and musical – themes have tackled love and loss or been set against imaginative backdrops created from the past, present or future, the telling of tales is his special gift.

Across more than three decades by now, Chris’s extensive repertoire of songs has taken his audience on travels through continents, cultures and centuries – in cinematic proportion – and such was the inspiration behind the concept of ‘The Storyman’.

Each one of the songs was accompanied by stories – also written by Chris and printed in the CD booklet – which set the scene and expand upon the lyrics with detail, colour and atmosphere.

In order to win a place on his next album, Chris de Burgh selected the songs he recorded by applying three critical principles: he had to love them, have sung them many times before – and, perhaps most relevantly, they had to have inspired him.

As a result, and by any measure, the 13 ‘covers’ on ‘Footsteps’ represent a deeply personal and candid appraisal by Chris of songs which have influenced and affected the way he has crafted his own particular musical imprint.

There is little doubt that these songs and songwriters provided solid cornerstones for him to build upon. Equally, there is no attempt by Chris to disguise, in his selection, the creative models and ideals he aspired to – and still does.

Writing and recording his new album ‘Moonfleet & Other Stories’ took Chris de Burgh on the most ambitious, challenging and evocative journey of his long and successful career,

With sales of his albums now approaching 50 million worldwide, his unique, vivid slant on musical story-telling is already clearly established, but ‘Moonfleet & Other Stories’ raises the bar to unprecedented new heights.

It’s entirely appropriate to call ‘Moonfleet & Others Stories’ a tour de force, not merely since it comprises 20 original elements (including an orchestral overture), but because it’s a fully-rounded and realised musical suite based on the book from which the album takes its name.

Yet while the piece – a sequence of songs threaded together by narration – concerns itself with a musical and lyrical interpretation of the classic work (a tale of 18th Century smuggling, treasure, friendship, love and loss) by English novelist J. Meade Falkner, elsewhere on the album Chris tackles an extraordinarily diverse and wide-ranging variety of topics.

Songs which moved and motivated Chris de Burgh to become a better writer himself are at the core of ‘Footsteps 2′. In a variety of ways, the 10 ‘covers’ on the new album each proved influential to Chris in forging and developing his career – and one of the original versions quite literally stopped him in his tracks when he first heard it.

“I had to pull my car over to the side of the road and simply listen,” says Chris of ‘The Living Years’ by Mike & The Mechanics . “It suddenly hit me about my own relationship with my father, which was not the easiest. I couldn’t drive because I was crying. The tears were rolling down my face and this song helped me to build bridges between myself and my father.”

Whereas the songs featured on his successful 2009 album ‘Footsteps’ were selected for being inspirational personal favourites often performed by Chris, the material on ‘Footsteps 2′ was chosen for the “big effect” it has had upon him. “Music is the soundtrack to our own lives,” he says. “These songs, at particular times in my life, were cornerstones. They were the footsteps, like stepping stones across the river, that helped me on my way.”

Chris refers to the driving creative impetus of other musicians on his career in a verse of ‘Every Step Of The Way’, one of three new songs he wrote for ‘Footsteps 2′. They are joined by a reworking of a German lyric in ‘Seven Bridges’, an orchestral version of the ‘Footsteps’ theme, The Beatles tracks ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Lady Madonna’ and the Stevie Winwood song, ‘While You See A Chance’.

While his approach to several of the songs was to produce ‘faithful versions’ of the originals, Chris had an entirely different agenda with others – particularly ‘SOS’ by Abba, for which both the tempo and arrangement was altered, in part. His personal reading and interpretation of particular song lyrics was also a key focus. “With certain songs, I wanted to bring more attention to the lyric than was possibly there initially. I was really concentrating on the feeling of the song.”

As with ‘Footsteps’, arriving at the final tracks for ‘Footsteps 2′ – and their positioning in the running order of the album – was a painstaking process. “I spent a lot of time researching the tracks, going through songs, listening to songs, wondering if I could do a good job on them, whether I could add something to the original, or whether I was just going to do an ‘homage’ to the original.

“There were no definite choices, immediately, but the album began to take its own shape and, as always, it’s very important to have a dynamic attitude to the overall; you can’t just have ten really powerful songs at high tempo, you have to balance – the balance is critical.”

The result is the third new album Chris has recorded and released in as many years; a prolific output by any standards, with the two ‘Footsteps’ projects sandwiching 2010′s hit album of original material, ‘Moonfleet & Other Stories’. “I gave myself the biggest challenge of my career in writing and recording that album,” Chris estimates. “It was very difficult but great, great fun to have done that, ultimately. Meanwhile, let’s not forget that the ‘Footsteps’ albums were of songs that existed already! I didn’t have to put a lot of songwriting into them, which is what really takes the time.”

As always, Chris is set go on the road in support of his latest release, just as soon as he’s completed the final leg of the ‘Moonfleet & Other Stories’ tour. “I’m very much looking forward to going on tour in 2012 with ‘Footsteps 2′. We’ll be performing quite a few songs from it, which I’m really excited about doing.”

And what of ‘Footsteps 3′? “I have no plans to write and record another of my own albums at all at the moment because we’re still very much involved with ‘Moonfleet’ , but ‘Footsteps 3′ is definitely a possibility.

“I think the day will come, as long as I’m still in good voice and, certainly, people who have heard ‘Footsteps 2′ say it’s probably the best singing I’ve ever done. I am very pleased with it. It also comes down to public interest; whether they want to hear it. The material is out there. There are plenty of great songs to record. Maybe we’ll approach it in a slightly different way, perhaps look at a different kind of material. I’ve always been drawn, for example, to classical music and to church chorale music. Maybe an album of Christmas carols. Who knows?”

CONTACT: http://cdeb.com/contact/

Big City Sunday’s - 2014 (Official Video)

Chris de Burgh - The Hands of Man – (2014 Full Album)

The Making of the Hands of Man (2014)

Seven Bridges - (Live 2014)

There Goes My Heart Again - (Official)

Sailing Away (Live)

Don’t Pay the Ferryman – (Live 2014)

High on Emotion – (Live 2014)

Riding on a Rainbow – (Live)

Home EPK – 2012 (Official)

Waiting for the Hurricane (Album: Home - 2012)

People of the World - 2011 (Official Video)

Seven Bridges – 2011 (Official Video)

Footsteps 2 EPK (2011)

Go Where Your Heart Believes – 2010 (Official Video)

A Spaceman Came Traveling - 2010 (Official Video)

Transmission Ends – (Live 2010)

The Mirror of the Soul – 2010 (Official Video)

My Hearts Surrender – 2010 (Official Video)

Africa - 2010 (Live Cover)

One World – 2010 (Official Video)

Everywhere I Go - 2010 (Official Video)

Don’t Pay the Ferryman - 1982 (Official Video)

Chris de Burgh – Official Website

http://cdeb.com/
Chris de Burgh - Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/cdebofficial
Chris de Burgh – Last FM
http://www.last.fm/music/Chris+de+Burgh
Chris de Burgh - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/cdebofficial
Chris de Burgh - Twitter
https://twitter.com/cdebofficial
VIDEO
Chris de Burgh - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/ferrymanproductions
BUY MUSIC
Chris de Burgh – Official Website
http://www.cdeb.net/shop/index.php
Chris de Burgh - iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/chris-de-burgh/id94287
Chris de Burgh - Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Chris-De-Burgh/e/B000ARC844
Chris de Burgh - eMusic
http://www.emusic.com/artist/-/11487622/

Saturday, December 6, 2014

House of Not

About: House of Not

House of Not: "The Walkabout of A. Nexter Niode" is an epic 5 part Rock Odyssey that chronicles the journey of a wayfaring troubadour who plays his six strings for change.

The Story...

In an exotic land, unknown to most, lies "Icon City." The multitudes live in servitude to a powerful Hypocrite, who has co-opted the once utopian "Sanctuary" into a technologically indoctrinated collective. The status quo of the tyrant's fraudulent rule is upset when The Wayfarer, A. Nexter Niode, happens upon 'the City.'

House of Not has recorded three of the five albums that make up "The Trip." The Website, the Mural, along with Nexter's Notes (the secret diary of The #Wayfarer) and a live, multimedia presentation; all combine to complete this event in ROCK!

House of Not was formed in 2002, to record and perform "The Walkabout of A. Nexter Niode." The House of Not project is written and created by Brian Erikson (Vocals, Keyboards & Orchestration) and Produced, Mixed & Guitars by Ken O'Gorman with supporting guitars from Lou Roppoli and Eric Stever along with numerous other gracious contributors including Dee Brown and Omar Ales.

To date, Part I - Off The Path, Part II - Sexus & Part III - On The Madness of Crowds have been released worldwide.

Tune Out — Turn On — Take The Trip!

CONTACT: http://www.houseofnot.com/p/contact/contact-index.html

House of Not – Official Website

http://houseofnot.com/
House of Not - Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/houseofnot
House of Not - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/houseofnot
House of Not - Twitter
https://twitter.com/houseofnot
House of Not – Google+
https://plus.google.com/+Houseofnot#+Houseofnot/posts
VIDEO
House of Not - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/therealhouseofnot
House of Not - Vevo
http://www.vevo.com/artist/house-of-not
BUY MUSIC
House of Not - Bandcamp
http://bc.houseofnot.com/
House of Not - iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/artist/house-of-not/id521193917
House of Not – CD Baby
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/HouseofNot
House of Not – Official Store
http://www.freakstreetcafe.com/store/store_index.html

Friday, December 5, 2014

Legends of Rock: Roger Hodgson

About: Roger Hodgson

Roger Hodgson has been recognized as one of the most gifted songwriters and lyricists of our time. As the legendary composer of many of the band’s greatest hits, he gave us “Give a Little Bit,” “The Logical Song,” “Dreamer,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “Breakfast in America,” “It’s Raining Again,” “School,” “Fool’s Overture” and so many others that have become the soundtrack of our lives.

Roger's trademark way of setting beautiful introspective lyrics to upbeat melodies resonated and found its way into the hearts and minds of people from cultures around the world. His songs have remarkably stood the test of time and earned Roger and Supertramp an adoring worldwide following.

During the time that Roger led the band, Supertramp became a worldwide rock phenomenon, selling well over 60 million albums to date. In Canada alone, sales for “Crime of the Century” and “Breakfast in America” reached Diamond status; meaning one in fifteen Canadians owned both albums. The wildly successful album “Breakfast in America" hit number one in countries around the world and stayed on the top of the charts for a full year, selling over 20 million copies and becoming one of the biggest selling albums of all time.

Born in Portsmouth, England, Roger spent much of his childhood at boarding school where his guitar became his best friend. Learning three chords from his teacher, he began writing songs at the age of twelve, eventually adding piano, bass, drums and even cello to his musical accomplishments. It wasn’t long after his final school year that he recorded his first studio single “Mr. Boyd” with a session band including pianist Reg Dwight, later to become known as Elton John.

Shortly after, Roger met Rick Davies and the nucleus of Supertramp was born. Their initial collaborations attracted the attention of A&M Records and their first album “Supertramp” was released in 1970. From their second album "Indelibly Stamped" forward, Roger and Rick began writing separately. However, like Lennon/McCartney, they maintained a joint writers credit throughout their Supertramp career.

In 1974, the band released the album “Crime of the Century” with Roger’s song “Dreamer” becoming their first hit and driving the album to the top of the charts.

For the next nine years, dubbed by fans as the “Golden Years,” Supertramp saw four studio albums, numerous tours, and the worldwide success of “Breakfast in America.” Three of Roger's songs from the album became worldwide hits - “The Logical Song,” “Take the Long Way Home” and “Breakfast in America.” Many awards followed, among them the Ivor Novello Award in 1980 from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for “The Logical Song” being named the best song both musically and lyrically. To this day, “The Logical Song” also has the distinction of being one of the most quoted lyrics in schools.

Roger parted company with Supertramp in 1983 after the “Famous Last Words” album and mega rock stadium tour. Following his heart, he chose to live a simple lifestyle in nature with his family and pursue his spiritual values. He built a state-of-the-art recording studio at home where he could continue to create music and be with his children as they grew up. His first solo album “In the Eye of the Storm” was released in 1984 and became an international hit, selling over two million copies.

In 1987, the same week that Roger’s second album “Hai, Hai” was released, Roger took a bad fall and shattered both of his wrists. Doctors told him he would never play music again. Yet with faith and a long period of self-healing and physical therapy, Roger proved them wrong. Within a year and a half he was playing again.

In 2000, he released his next studio album “Open the Door” and in 2001, after taking many years off from touring to raise his children, Roger joined Ringo Starr in his All Starr Tour. It is only since 2004, with his children fully grown, that Roger has felt the call to tour regularly again. The legend is back and his signature voice is stronger than ever.

Roger continues to compose music and write lyrics and has over 60 unreleased songs, some of which he plans to record when the time is right. He compares his writing process to an artist painting a picture, keeping it close to his heart until the picture is complete before he shares it with the world.

Thirty-five years after writing “Give a Little Bit,” Roger received an award for the song being one of the most performed songs in the 2005 ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) repertory. In 2007, he received this award again for a remake of “Breakfast in America.” Roger has donated his time and signature song “Give a Little Bit” to help raise funds for Tsunami Relief, Red Cross, UNICEF, World Vision, Hurricane Katrina efforts and other worthy causes.

In 2006, Roger released his first ever DVD from one of his live solo concerts in Canada. “Take the Long Way Home – Live in Montreal” went Platinum in just seven weeks and hit #1 in all of Canada and is now multi-Platinum and Gold in France and Germany. Featuring hits “Dreamer,” “Give a Little Bit,” “School,” “Breakfast in America,” “It’s Raining Again” (to name a few), and a bonus orchestral version of “Fool’s Overture,” this DVD is a stunning reminder of the musical genius of Roger Hodgson.

In 2007, Roger accepted an invitation by Princes William and Harry to perform at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium. "Give a Little Bit," along with “Dreamer,” “Breakfast in America,” and “It’s Raining Again,” were among Princess Diana’s favorite songs. Roger’s performance proved to be one of the highlights of the evening when the Princes and entire audience of 65,000 stood up and sang along to honor Princess Diana.

Currently, Roger is performing both public and private concerts in a variety of formats - solo, with backing band, and with symphony orchestra. His most recent release, "Classics Live," is a spectacular collection of his live performances recorded on his 2010 world tour. The first ten tracks, including his most loved classic hits, are now available as an advance release in physical and download formats.

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