Keith Emerson band - new cd!

I don't want to turn this blog into an album review site, but I just want to write a few words about "The Keith Emerson Band - featuring Marc Bonilla" cd (one of my Christmas presents this year :-)

As of right now, the cd hasn't been released in the US yet, so I have the Japanese import version (hey, I've got connections there ;-). I didn't know it, but there is a bonus DVD included which has lots of extras, including concert footage. Unfortunately, I can't watch it because it's Region 2. D'oh! (I really miss the VHS days, because I was able to get all sorts of video goodies from Japan and play them over here, as region coding didn't exist for tape).

Anyway, this is good stuff. Keith's keyboard work is brilliant as usual, perhaps toned down somewhat in order to make room for Bonilla's excellent guitar and vocal work. But this is still a big, heavy keyboard album, with tons of great textures and playing (especially on the piano-driven songs). I like Bonilla's vocal stylings too (I almost always seem to prefer American rock singers, and I'm glad to see Keith go that route).

These guys were playing by me a couple of years ago (on the way to NEARfest), but I skipped it for some inconceivable reason. Hope they come back...

I expect the album to be available in the States sometime during 2009, so look for it if you're an Emerson fan.

Thankyou Progressive Rock Hall of Fame

Received my personal copies of the Progressive Rock Hall of Fame 'Soundscapes Volume 1' cd today.

I just want to thank Laurie Larson, Nick Katona, Jim Roberts and all others at the Progressive Rock Hall of Fame for not only putting this release together at their own expense, but also for their follow-up promotional efforts (the cd is being distributed - at no cost to the artists - to commercial media outlets throughout the country).

'Soundscapes 1' is a fantastic compilation, and I'm honored to have my song 'Fractured' (from the Arisen album) appear on it. Congratulations to all involved!

a look at 'Night Siege'

Back when I was listening to a lot of electronic music, I often became real inspired to fire up my studio and do a little experimenting. One of my experiments resulted in 'Night Siege', which is a rather turbulent and intense piece of music.

'Night Siege' is driven by a left-hand ostinato that has the effect of speeding up and slowing down (or so I've been told...). The unrelenting percussion was derived directly from that pattern, pretty much with each drum hitting on its own specific note of the ostinato, and a few fills thrown in for good measure. If you listen closely, you might be able to hear two different snare drum sounds that are panned to opposite sides. The basic theme is played by the right hand in block chords. The overlapping melodic lines are done canon style, in that they are essentially the same figure, but the entrances are offset by a measure or two. The entire piece is in 4/4 time, but with some syncopation and a few poly-rhythms, it sounds like something more complicated than it actually is.

The title is borrowed from the Phil Imbrogno book by the same name about the well-known Hudson Valley UFO sightings throughout the 1980's. I was lucky to see the lights myself one night, as they moved slowly across the sky.

Listen to Night Siege

Time for Bing

Ah yes, the Christmas season. I love this time of year! At heart, I'm a real winter wonderland, hot cocoa, warm fire kind of guy, and I make no apology for it. In fact, if it didn't snow in New York, I don't think I'd want to live here. I'm pretty sentimental and nostalgic too, and the holiday season always seems to bring that out in me as well. The childhood memories of Christmases gone by are fond, vivid, and plentiful.

So, aside from the usual assortment of favorite holiday movies I absolutely must see this month, something else that has become an annual tradition is listening to Bing Crosby sing those carols! That guy was a great singer. Say what you want about the crooners of yesterday, but Bing's pin-point precision, phrasing and stylings are way beyond anything I can ever croak out. Although I will readily admit that sometimes the musical arrangements tend to bug me - like when Bing lays out for a couple of lines, and the syrupy backup singers take over the lead. What's the deal with that? (Unless it's the Andrews Sisters, of course).

But you just can't listen to Bing all the time, you need some variety. So we like to spice things up with tunes sung by Nat King Cole, Dean Martin (a childhood favorite of mine), Elvis and lots of other classics. But Bing is #1 and has held that spot for a long time now. When the Christmas season is over, it's always sad putting away the music for another year. But you need to take that break from hearing it so much!

(...and then... it's on to New Year's Eve, with my other tradition for the holiday season - watching the Honeymooners marathon on Channel 11 :-)