2023 Work in Progress..ive

[nicola]

JOHN IRVINE





John Irvine band .... in this album a duo
John Irvine multi-instrumentalist of absolute value and Andrew Scott on drums
a completely instrumental album in a great mix of progressive rock and above all Jazz Rock/Fusion
an artist I've been following for a few years and who improves from album to album
of this album I chose the first track which is also the title of the album
Thanks John for the great music





ABOUT

JOHN IRVINE

...JOHN IRVINE
From Official website


I initially trained as a classical guitarist, studying at Dartington College of Arts for two years after leaving school, and then at the Royal Scottish Academy Of Music & Drama (Glasgow) where I studied with Phillip Thorne, gaining a BA in Music Performance (1989) and winning the Guitar Challenge Prize (1988).

Following a Post-Grad Certificate in Performance (1990), I began a PhD in music composition, with Nigel Osborne at the University of Edinburgh, in 1992. This was completed in 1999. At this time, I was also working in Scottish theatre where I wrote music for over 40 productions, 20 of which were for the Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh).

I have taught at St Mary’s Music School (Edinburgh) and The City of Edinburgh Music School (where I currently work) and lectured for two years (2008-10) at Edinburgh Napier University, where I was asked to redesign their ‘Music, Creativity & Communication’ course for the BA in Popular Music. I also work as a PSA in Edinburgh Schools.

I’m the author of three sci-fi novels comprising ‘The Mikita Smith Chronicles’ series of books, and I’m also a published poet and short-story writer, having had works included in several journals and web-zines such as Poetry Scotland, The Open Mouse, Blinking Cursor, Essence, Ink, Sweat & Tears, A Handful of Stones, South and Streetcake Magazine, amongst others.

I formed The John Irvine Band in 2011…

Over the course of my life, much of my music listening has been devoted to the great fusion players and bands of the past 40 years – Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays, Gary Burton, Allan Holdsworth, Bill Connors, Jan Garbarek, John Scofield, Weather Report & Oregon, amongst many.

I had finished my Doctorate in classical composition, but now wanted to reflect what I’d learned from those wonderful musicians listed above and, hopefully, add something new to the jazz-rock genre. So, in 2010 I began to write music for a guitar trio setting and formed The John Irvine Band in 2011 – the result became my first album, ‘Wait & See’.

Two more albums followed in this vein ‘Next Stop’ (2013) and ‘Metaphysical Attractions’ (2018) until I decided to add a more progressive rock element to the music resulting in ‘The Machinery Of The Heavens’ (2020) and ‘Psychopomp’ (2022). Of course, being a child of the 70s, my interest in prog has always been there – Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, U.K., Max Webster, Rush, Gentle Giant… and so many other great bands.

All five albums have received awards and plaudits from many Progressive Rock and Jazz Fusion magazines and websites. Several tracks have been played on internet and terra firma radio stations, such as: The Prog Rock Palace, Xymphonia, El Ritorno Del Gigante, Canvas Prog Hour, Friday Night Progressive & La Villa Strangiato. I was delighted when ‘Metaphysical Attractions’ was awarded 3rd place in the Fusion category in the 2019 Friday Night Progressive ‘IndeProg’ Awards.

Both ‘Wait & See’ and ‘Next Stop’ were recorded with the same band lineup: myself: Guitars, Keyboards, Alan Emslie: Drums, Percussion and Doug Kemp: Bass. ‘Metaphysical Attractions’ featured a new line-up: renowned Scottish drummer Rich Kass, with Rob Ironside and Gwen Kelso on sax and flute. The fourth album ‘The Machinery Of The Heavens’ featured the ‘DUO Mk.I’ lineup with Rich Kass. ‘Psychopomp’ featured a new drummer in the JIB ‘hot seat’, the Kirriemuir-based Calum McIntyre. Thus creating a DUO Mk.II lineup. A DUO Mk.III will be recording the next JIB album ‘Scanning The Dark Horizon’ in 2022. This time featuring the Edinburgh-based drummer Andrew Scott (King King/Paul Gilbert).















Hi friends

2023 Work in Progress..ive



These are my best tracks of 2023


Track Title-Group or Artist-Album

I'm Done with You-RIVERSIDE-ID.ENTITY

Life Lines-SUNCHILD-Exotic Creatures and a Stolen Dream

Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE-Scanning The Dark Horizon






















Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE
https://thejohnirvineband.bandcamp.c...e-dark-horizon





GOOD LISTENING

[nicola]

SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM






ABOUT

SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM

...SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM
From Official website


Jens Lueck was confronted with music very early in his life. The first impetus was given to him by his grandmother, who started to regularly play classical music to him at an early age. By the time he was seven he took classical piano lessons and became a big fan of Johann Sebastian Bach (“I drove my piano instructor crazy because I refused to play almost everything else.”)

As the years went by, he also discovered Pop-, Jazz- and Rockmusic. The journey began with Abba and Bands like Alan Parson’s Projekt, Eloy and Supertramp quickly led him to Deep Purple, Camel, Pat Metheny, Pink Floyd and Genesis. These last two bands finally initiated his decision to found his own band.

By coincidence he ended up playing the drums and fell in love with this instrument. Due to the circumstance that all the rehearsals took place in the cellar of the parental home, he often played the bass too and experimented with songwriting by taking “pingpong records” using two cassette recorders. His interest in sound and audio engineering grew and his musical skills developed.

After graduation he moved to Hamburg, where he additonally received the education to be an audioengineer (after he had abandoned the studies of physics to fully concentrate on music) and worked on a personal music project. For the first time he recorded music for other artists as well and with the passage of time he built up a complete studio where he realises his own and other productions even today. In addition to SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM, his own projects include SYRINX CALL (with Volker Kuinke) and ISGAARD.

He worked as producer/ enigneer/ composer for, inter alia, several film music productions, Sylvan, Ricochet, Frank Ramond, Rainbow Serpent, Eloy, Kind of Blue, Lidia Kopania, Rain for a day, Huxley Would Approve and many others.

Single Celled Organism is the return to his roots, which lie in Progressive/ Art Rock.














Hi friends

2023 Work in Progress..ive



These are my best tracks of 2023


Track Title-Group or Artist-Album

I'm Done with You-RIVERSIDE-ID.ENTITY

Life Lines-SUNCHILD-Exotic Creatures and a Stolen Dream

Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE-Scanning The Dark Horizon

Memories in a Box-SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM-EVENT HORIZON





















Memories in a Box-SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM
https://singlecelledorganism.bandcam...ories-in-a-box





GOOD LISTENING

[nicola]

GREAT WIDE NOTHING







ABOUT

GREAT WIDE NOTHING

...GREAT WIDE NOTHING
From Official website


Great Wide Nothing biography
Founded in Atlanta, USA in 2017

An Atlanta-based combo GREAT WIDE NOTHING were founded by Daniel GRAHAM (bass, voices), Dylan PORPER (keyboards), and Jeff MATTHEWS (drums). They've been fully inspired by progressive rock scene in the 70s, and their material has got crystallized as the debut album "The View From Olympus" in April 2019.
Inspired by 70's prog but taking a decidedly more modern, less fussy approach that incorporates elements of punk, indie & alternative rock (as well as whatever they just happen to be into at the time), Great Wide Nothing occupies a unique place at the crossroads where genuine artistic ambition intersects with down-to-earth, DIY sensibilities. Though the band carries themselves with an unpretentious, casual - even humorous - demeanor, their songs overflow with empathy and urgency, tackling existential, emotional, and socio-political subject matter with sincerity and conviction.













Hi friends

2023 Work in Progress..ive



These are my best tracks of 2023


Track Title-Group or Artist-Album

I'm Done with You-RIVERSIDE-ID.ENTITY

Life Lines-SUNCHILD-Exotic Creatures and a Stolen Dream

Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE-Scanning The Dark Horizon

Memories in a Box-SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM-EVENT HORIZON

To_find_the_light_part_two-GREAT WIDE NOTHING-Hymns for Hungry Spirits, Vol. II



















To_find_the_light_part_two-GREAT WIDE NOTHING
https://greatwidenothing.bandcamp.co...light-part-two



GOOD LISTENING

[nicola]

OVERHEAD








ABOUT

OVERHEAD

...OVERHEAD
From Official website



Overhead-TelepathicMinds-Promo.pdf













Hi friends

2023 Work in Progress..ive



These are my best tracks of 2023


Track Title-Group or Artist-Album

I'm Done with You-RIVERSIDE-ID.ENTITY

Life Lines-SUNCHILD-Exotic Creatures and a Stolen Dream

Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE-Scanning The Dark Horizon

Memories in a Box-SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM-EVENT HORIZON

To_find_the_light_part_two-GREAT WIDE NOTHING-Hymns for Hungry Spirits, Vol. II

Ghosts From The Future-OVERHEAD-Telepathic Minds (Disc 1)



****** unfortunately the track has been deleted from youtube also because according to the indications on their site the double album should be released on March 31st ... so we will have to wait at least mid-April for it to be usable again on youtube and at that point I will insert it for the listen .. and in any case the album is also present on Aural Moon .... so just make a request to listen to the track I selected


.... available again



Ghosts From The Future-OVERHEAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWQvBSee1tw



GOOD LISTENING

[nicola]

RPWL









ABOUT

RPWL

...RPWL
From Progarchives website


RPWL biography
Founded in Freising, Germany in 1997 - Still active as of 2019

RPWL (Risettion-Postl-Wallner-Lung - the band members) is a German progressive rock band. The band was formed in 1997 as a Pink Floyd cover band. After three years they started to make their own music based on their influences from their cover band era. Their debut CD, God Has Failed was met with international enthusiasm, praise and excellent reviews in all the major progressive rock music magazines.

The band wanted to make a statement with Trying To Kiss The Sun in 2002, which relied more on the band as a creative entity and less on their influences. Their 3rd studio album, Stock was released in 2003. It was formed of the tracks that didn't make it onto the first 2 albums, plus a cover of Syd Barrett's "Opel", which the band used at shows as a soundcheck.

In 2005 they released their 4th studio album World Through My Eyes. This was received well by fans and off it their first single was taken- "Roses" sung by former Genesis and Stiltskin vocalist Ray Wilson.

Later that year, the band released their 1st live album Live- Start The Fire. The double disc album contains the whole of the band's Rockpalast concert, again featuring Ray Wilson on lead vocals for "Roses" and one other track this time, "Not About Us", which is from Ray's one and only album with Genesis entitled Calling All Stations.

In 2007, saw the release of 9--a compilation including 5 previously unreleased live songs and 4 brand new solo songs recorded together by the band. Those studio-tracks are representing the different influences in the band. 9 was released in a limited edition of 999 CDs and was only available from their website.

In February 2008, they released a new album called The RPWL Experience, which diverted greatly from previous efforts. Martien Koolen of DPRP writes, "The southern German prog rock band certainly explores new musical horizons on this album as some songs even sound raw and unpolished."

Eric Walker (USA)













Hi friends

2023 Work in Progress..ive



These are my best tracks of 2023


Track Title-Group or Artist-Album

I'm Done with You-RIVERSIDE-ID.ENTITY

Life Lines-SUNCHILD-Exotic Creatures and a Stolen Dream

Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE-Scanning The Dark Horizon

Memories in a Box-SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM-EVENT HORIZON

To_find_the_light_part_two-GREAT WIDE NOTHING-Hymns for Hungry Spirits, Vol. II

Ghosts From The Future-OVERHEAD-Telepathic Minds (Disc 1)

King_of_the_world-RPWL-Crime Scene(Disc 1)




















King_of_the_world-RPWL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bsLm1j3n-M



GOOD LISTENING

[nicola]

TNNE







ABOUT

TNNE

...TNNE
From Progarchives website


The No Name Experience (TNNE) / ex No Name biography
Founded in Dudelange, Luxembourg in 1988 - Disbanded in 2010 - Reformed as "TNNE" in 2012

A legendary act from Luxembourg, which played along the lines of MARILLION, albeit with a more bombastic and symphonic sound. They were found in 1988 in Dudelange and moved throughout their career around original members Patrick Kiefer (vocals), Alex Rukavina (keyboards) and Chris Sonntag (drums). 1993 sees the debut of the band "Zodiac" and two years later the fantastic follow-up "The Secret Garden" is published. Shortly after they secured a contract with Musea's branch label Angular Records and they celebrated their 10th anniversary with a third release, "The Other Side".

Entering the millenium the band was put on ice due to family commitments of the members, but in 2006 they returned with their fourth album "4", released under the support of Musea. The 2009 compilation "20 Candles" offered some of the band's best moments, but in February 2011 NO NAME dissolved, after creating rich and progressive music for 23 years.

A few years forward Kiefer and Rukavina somewhat revived the band's legend and formed THE NO NAME EXPERIENCE (TNNE) along with Michel Volkmann on guitars, Claude Zeimes on bass and Gilles Wagner on drums. TNNE's debut was eventually released in 2014 on Progressive Promotion Records, carrying the torch No Name created over 25 years ago.












Hi friends

2023 Work in Progress..ive



These are my best tracks of 2023


Track Title-Group or Artist-Album

I'm Done with You-RIVERSIDE-ID.ENTITY

Life Lines-SUNCHILD-Exotic Creatures and a Stolen Dream

Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE-Scanning The Dark Horizon

Memories in a Box-SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM-EVENT HORIZON

To_find_the_light_part_two-GREAT WIDE NOTHING-Hymns for Hungry Spirits, Vol. II

Ghosts From The Future-OVERHEAD-Telepathic Minds (Disc 1)

King_of_the_world-RPWL-Crime Scene(Disc 1)

No Man's Land-TNNE-LIFE 3.0

















No Man's Land-TNNE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLT1ndTJN5c



GOOD LISTENING

[nicola]

KARFAGEN







ABOUT

KARFAGEN

...KARFAGEN
From Progarchives website



Karfagen biography
Founded in Ukraine in 1997

KARFAGEN (meaning Carthago) is a symbol of glory and wisdom, a never-ending journey into the world of the forgotten past and unpredictable future.

KARFAGEN is the brainchild of multi-talented musician and composer, Antony Kalugin. The name was first used in 1997, when Antony formed a band at school. While he was studying at the architectural university a year later, he began to record the first Karfagen compositions in one of the local studios, and a few tracks from this period can be found on the `Key to Perception' compilation from 2009.

In 2005 Antony Kalugin with his assembled musicians went into the studio to record `Continium', the first Karfagen album, which led the band to sign with Unicorn Digital (Canada) the following year. It was highly acclaimed by listeners, which inspired Antony to continue his work and release a second album `The Space Between Us' in early 2007. Later that year he signed with Caerllysi Music (UK).

In order to expand the boundaries of the musical landscape, Antony often collaborated with many different unique musicians. Therefore, in 2011 on the `Lost Symphony' album, Roberto Diaz (Cuba) from ANIMA MUNDI took part as an additional guitarist; in 2013 on `Aleatorica', Tomek Mucha provided electric violin and Sergey Klevenskiy added clarinet, whistles and flutes. In 2014 Mathieu Spaeter appeared as a main guitarist on `Magicians Theatre' as well as Pascal Gutman playing some stick-bass on the `Yuletide' track.

Karfagen is mainly an instrumental band that shows imaginative use of keyboards and guitars, classical and ethnic instruments. Their style can be described as symphonic art-rock with a hint of new-age, folk, jazz-rock and neo-prog in places. Their influences are CAMEL, FOCUS, HAPPY THE MAN, GREENSLADE, THE FLOWER KINGS, UK and KAYAK.

Also inspired by the composers Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Prokofiev, Edward Grig and Pyotr Chaikovskiy, Antony's compositions are always well-constructed and thoughtful. The sound is enhanced by such instruments as oboe, bassoon, accordion, violin, cello, flutes, saxophone and pipes.

In addition to imaginative music, every Karfagen album cover is picturesque and charismatic in the tradition of the classic progressive rock era.

Antony doesn't stand still. On one hand, the sound of Karfagen is unique and recognisable, but on the other hand, with each consecutive album Antony brings something new and special, and always fresh and innovative. You never know what to expect from the next chapter of Karfagen's symphonic rock poem. So, welcome to the show and to Antony's Magician Theatre!

Antony: `With every album and every track I try to bring the warmth and atmosphere of the Seventies. It doesn't mean that I'm blindly copying it, just that I'm in a constant flow of searching and experimenting. I'm not a fan of the frequent aggression of modern albums, the artificial complicity in much of it or technique and virtuosity over songcraft. For me, melody and the ability to write proper compositions are first. That is something that still makes us excited about the sounds of the `Golden Era' of Prog of the Seventies. I produce music that I would want to hear as listener, who seeks those natural emotions and charm in a boundless sea of sound...'

Biography updated by Michael Hodgson (Aussie-Byrd-Brother)













Hi friends

2023 Work in Progress..ive



These are my best tracks of 2023


Track Title-Group or Artist-Album

I'm Done with You-RIVERSIDE-ID.ENTITY

Life Lines-SUNCHILD-Exotic Creatures and a Stolen Dream

Scanning The Dark Horizon-JOHN IRVINE-Scanning The Dark Horizon

Memories in a Box-SINGLE CELLED ORGANISM-EVENT HORIZON

To_find_the_light_part_two-GREAT WIDE NOTHING-Hymns for Hungry Spirits, Vol. II

Ghosts From The Future-OVERHEAD-Telepathic Minds (Disc 1)

King_of_the_world-RPWL-Crime Scene(Disc 1)

No Man's Land-TNNE-LIFE 3.0

Mysterious Forest, Pt. 1-KARFAGEN-Passage to the Forest of Mysterious











Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Kingfisher and Dragonflies (Part 4) (3:01)
2. Mysterious Forest (Part 1) - World in a Grain of Sand (14:03)
3. Mysterious Forest (Part 2) - The Ominous Ride (4:21)
4. To Those Who Dwell in Realms of Day (2:18)
5. Birds of Passage and the Enchanted Forest (19:02)
6. Through the Whispers of the Wind (1:38)
7. Mysterious Forest (Part 3) - World in a Grain of Sand Reprise (4:15)
8. Birds of Passage and the Enchanted Forest (single version) (9:59)

Total Time 58:37


Line-up / Musicians
- Antony Kalugin / keyboards, vocals, percussion, penny flute, add, electric guitar, arrangements, programming

With:
- Mathieu Spaeter / electric guitars
- Max Velychko / electric guitar
- Konstantin Ionenko / bass
- Viktor Syrotin / drums
- Tim Sobolev / vocals
- Olha Rostovska / vocals
- Aleksandr Pavlov / nylon & jazz electric guitars
- Yan Vedaman / saxophone
- Alexandr Pastuchov / bassoon
- Maria Baranovska / violin
- Elena Kushiy / flute





Mysterious Forest, Pt. 1-KARFAGEN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIV7G0KvGJc



GOOD LISTENING