Transatlantic concert at TLA a week from tomorrow!!

Roine Stolt

Ready for a total PROG-stravaganza with cousin Steve, Dr. Dave and new friend Dara.  We’re going to ge there early and get right up front.  We’re getting a bit old for the standing-all-show deal, but, thankfully, there is no opening act and this is a special show in that it represents the mightiest prog-rock super-group in the land.  Roine is a legend, the godfather of swedish prog.  Neal Morse is the happy warrior, a missionary of prog and evangelical Christianity!  Michael Portnoy is, as of this date, the greatest rock drummer out there.  When he plays with his band (Dream Theater), the kit is the size of a small school bus.  Who knows what he’s bringing to the TLA next week?  And finally, Pete Trewavas, he is the glue that brings order to the ferocity of the others’ passion.

Transatlantic will, presumably., be performing their entire new album The Whirlwind as well as some of their back catalog and a couple covers.

It’s gonna be a great night.  Here’s a sample of the new record:

p.s. I’m pleased to say, after the chaos of my recent relocation, I have finally found our tickets, so we are ready to go!

First thoughts on Transatlantic – ‘The Whirlwind’ (promo version)

While getting ready for various Court appearances preparing documents to be filed, I’m not in the best environment to evaluate the ‘promo copy’ of Transatlantic’s The Whilrwind, but I am able to make the following observations:

  1. I happy to say that I already paid for the album and bonus disc, so I have no hesitation about enjoying this promo version nearly a month before the album comes out.  It should be noted that this copy does not have the bonus material, although those of us who pre-ordered got an advance download of ‘Giant Hogweed’ and it’s just great, extra giant.
  2. The promo copy is separated into 12 separate tracks.  That’s not supposed to be the case with this record, and I’ll be pretty disappointed if that’s how the official version turns out.  The whole deal was that they were going to hit us with a 70+ minute single track.  In my mind that’s exactly what they should be doing – go BIG or go home!  Is it kind of a dick move that forces you to by the ‘bonus disc’?  Sure, but everyone’s free to pass on the extra expense and just make themselves comfortable for over an hour every time they want to listen to any part of this new work.  Personally, I admire their prodigious marketing ability
  3. Which brings us to the promo copy itself; they have ingeniously ‘watermarked’ it with vocal interruptions that remind the listener this is a promo copy and not the real deal.  This is a great example of how to front load all your marketing and hold on tight to the finished product until the last minute.  These guys know that, once it’s out there, it’s gonna get passed around like a hot potato, and that’s just the way life is right now.  I’m not going to be the guy to put it on bittorrent or rapidshare, but I’m pretty sure I know exactly who will, and I don’t begrudge them that conduct.  Until the artists can find a way get their fans to actually want to pay for music, the file sharing and downloads will continue.  Transatlantic have done a great job – they’ve got my money, don’t they?

So, those are my thoughts for now, or my meta-thoughts.  The audio reminders are annoying, but they are strategically positioned to cause minimal interruption to the flow of music.  I’ll hold off on any deep thoughts and observations about the drama, the poetry and the goosebumps, but, knowing this crew, that’s coming soon with the real copy of The Whirlwind, touching down on October 27.

Mpomy kicks your #musicmonday into high gear!

Let’s get #musicmonday started off just right with the flat-out coolest music gadget.  Go ahead, play with that browser!  WARNING – very addictive!!

Tons of great new music came in this weekend:

Paris DJs are smokin’ with a Hip-Hop/Reggae mix that is the perfect way to start your monday off with a BANG!  About one-half hour of all solid mixes, featuring Ghostface Killah and  People Under the Stairs

Other stuff includes:

  • Weather Report radio ‘cast from 1975, courtesy the Genesis-Movement Torrent site;
  • Cult / Hare Krishna inspired music from ile Oxumare, including Santana and Alice Coltrane;
  • If you pre-0rder the new Transatlantic record Whirlwind from RadiantRecords, you get a download of their take on ‘Return of the Giant Hogweed’ (courtesy Spleen Arcana‘s Tweet feed).  This is a great marketing move because the track is righteous and many proggers hate to wait;
  • Recently off the Dime – Bruce Springsteen  1973 (either radio or soundboard) and  ELP Santiago ’93 – brilliant quality right of the radio!
  • We saw The Sounds at TLA on Saturday night, this was a mighty Swedish dance-rock outfit, fronted by Maja Ivarsson, who brings the voice, the sexy, plenty of F-bombs and a blow-dried blond ‘do that would make Madonna proud.  this was a high energy show that did a nice job of bringing new-wave into the 21st century.  Check out the music and get a free download at their website.
  • Stephen Stills has two  release coming shortly; the first is a collection of Manassas outtakes, and, since the two studio albums are tremendous, this will be a must-have.  The other is a recent concert from the UK where the Stills featured solo-acoustic and full band renditions from throughout his career.  The live set is not expected until mid October, but the Manassas title is available starting tomorrow.  Here’s a taste of what the first Manassas record sounded like:

There’s all kinds of other stuff going on, including Philly budget, house hunting, a guest post/letter about some totally screwed up aspects of the state budget, Formula 1 racing going crazy, but maybe coming to New York City (?!!) and I’m finally starting to piece together my own mixtape #1 using Apple Logic.

More on all that good stuff later.  For now, we got one more music post – the link for ya!  Check out the latest talent brewing over at Fretbuzz.net.

October is shaping up to be a big month for prog heavyweights

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Marillion (pictured above) is betting that their fans will still shell out the bucks even though the ‘new’ record doesn’t have any new music. ‘Less Is More‘ (October 2) contains acoustic arrangements for older tracks – some favorites and some obscure. They’re emphasize that they really worked hard on doing something new with these songs. I’ve already placed my order.

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Steve Hackett looks to get up off the mat after his ex wife Kim Poor metaphorically shattered his jaw with a lawsuit that could cost him his Genesis royalties. As a result of the hard times, this electric rock album, featuring hall-of-famer Chris Squire, had to be completed in Hackett’s apartment. ‘Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth‘ is available on October 5.

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On October 27 we’re all going to be crushed by Transatlantic’s ‘Whirlwind.’ No word about touring yet, as bass player Pete Trewavas will be busy promoting Less is More with Marillion (see above). And you can decide for yourself whether it’s genius or a dick move to have the record as one track. this pretty much forces us all to buy the ‘bonus disc’, which has the rest of the songs and some covers. Of course, that bonus disc will, no doubt come at a premium.

You will notice that only the Transatlantic title is slated for a Tuesday release. Hackett’s record is due on a Monday, which is, I think, normal for UK releases. But the Marillion release on a Friday is just more proof that, no matter how many years you have in this business, traditional distribution rules don’t hold up for prog records – unless you’re Dream Theater.

You know, because 30 minute prog-rock epics are starting to feel too short…

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So let’s try a 77 minute track!  That’s right, proggers!  One disc, one song.  That’s what we’re in for with the new Transatlantic album ‘The Whirlwind’ slated for an October 27 release this fall.  We knew from back in April that the band had gotten together for a new record, but a project of this scope was not anticpated, nit by me, at least.  Plus, there will be a 2CD version where the extra disc has four more originals and four covers.  Oh, you know, what, that’s OK – I didn’t want to hear Mike Portnoy play Return of the Giant Hogweed, anyway.  I mean, in these trying economic times it’s better for me not to know what that’s going to sound like.

Get the details at Transatlantic’s homepage, and mark your calendar for a very proggy Fall.