Artist News: Mostly Autumn, NEO and The Reasoning News...
Bryan Josh of Mostly Autumn writes, "Hi everybody. Well, after a few months with our heads elsewhere I can say that it is very refreshing to get back into the world of Mostly Autumn and we are all very much looking forward to playing live for you again. The line up for the forthcoming shows will include Ann Marie Helder who will have the baton passed to her from Angela, who, as you know, is going to be a mother very soon.
"Angela will be present for the next two shows [Nov 9, Nov 11*] and we all wish her the very, very best. We would also like to welcome Andy Jennings back on the drums for this tour; I would rather not go into any details on the matter concerning Gavin Griffith's departure.
"We will officially start with writing on our new album later this month which is to be released in spring and are looking at the possibility of doing an in depth video diary of the whole process, from the very start to the very end of delivering a record; there will be an official statement in the next ten days on this.
To promote the album we will tour from late April till May; all dates will be listed very soon."
*Nov 11 show at the Tyne Theatre was cancelled and rescheduled for May 17, 2008. Tickets for the Nov 11 show are valid for May 17.
News about The Reasoning:
The band write, "Crikey! I can't believe it has been one whole month since we last spoke! Apologies for that, but I do have a good excuse, honestly. For the past 30-odd days, I have been holed up in my studio with the band, beavering away on the latest tunes for our 2nd album Dark Angel. Everything is very exciting right now, and I love the material we have been coming up with. There seems to be a natural flow happening ? with the music itself and also as far as our writing methods are concerned. On Awakening we were trying to find our feet as writers [and as musicians!], exploring the directions in which the music took us. This time around, however, the music has literally been flooding from within us ? and it?s taught us a lot about who we are as a group of writers and performers.
"So far we have written about 13 tracks, although not all of these will make the final cut. I am very happy to confirm that we have a definite 7 in the bag which are ready to rock ? and these will certainly define the album. There are several more writing sessions scheduled for this month ? and by December we will definitely have completed tracks for this release ? plus a great deal of additional material for future use, too!
"For those of you who?d like a sneaky preview of a few 'working' song titles, the following are for you [in no particular order!] ?
1 - Dark Angel
2 - Breaking The Fourth Wall
3 - How Far To Fall?
4 - Sharp Sea
5 - A Musing Dream
6 - Call Me God?
"The 7th track is called "Song 7" at the moment, so watch this space!
"What do the tracks sound like? On the whole, this album is a lot darker ? and rather heavier, too ? although [as always], we remain true to our core emphasis on melody and vocals. I?m sure you won?t be disappointed - Dark Angel rocks in all the right places, and we can?t wait to play it for you. More news on that subject matter as it happens.
"Other news ? We have a gig with the wonderful Classic Rock Society on the 24th November at Montgomery Hall in Wath-Upon-Dearne near Rotherham. This is going to be a very special gig for many reasons and we hope you are able to attend. We shall be performing the Awakening album in its entirety [and in the CD running order] for what will be the last time in a very long while. We will also be performing a song that myself, Dylan and Rachel wrote for Chris Hudson, entitled 'I'll Be Waiting.' Chris is a talented, young and up and coming vocalist, who has huge potential. We've thoroughly enjoyed working with him, and I just know that you'll love the track! In short, this gig will be a true one-off, so don?t miss it! Since this is our last show before Christmas, we have decided to make it our 'Xmas Extravaganza,' so do come full of festive spirit, ready to celebrate a year that has been amazing for us in many ways ? not least due to your love and support.
"Finally, we have some exciting news about a new licensing deal we have just signed in the USA with Renaissance Records. There will be an official statement released soon, but I can tell you that Awakening will receive its official release in the USA and Canada in January 2008, and will be distributed by KOCH. This is of course wonderful news for the band, and it will allow us to explore the North American and Canadian markets with firm backing from a strong and reputable company, with whom we are very proud to be affiliated. We have already had much interest in our music from these territories and we now hope that we will be able to take our live show to those audiences in 2008 as well.
"See you very soon and speak to you even sooner. Take care, be good and stay in touch. 2008 is approaching fast and it promises to be even better than 2007. If that is at all possible?"
Neo on tour:
The Super Group of members of Arena, IQ, Pendragon and assorted projects will do two gigs:
21 Dec - Weststadhalle - Essen, Germany
22 Dec - De Boerderij - Zoetermeer, NL
Line up:
John Jowitt - bass, vocals
Mark Westwood - guitars
Andy Edwards - guitar
Clive Nolan - keyboards, vocals
Nick Barrett - vocals, guitar
Alan Reed - vocals
John Barnfield - keyboards
[Source: Nick Gielkens, The Dutch Comet Agency]