news - archive

January 30, 2003

Caravan

Don’t forget: If you want to see a progressive rocklegend and buy their limited album (only available on-line and on their tour), come to:
(the gig in the Zenith in Lille (february 4) has been cancelled)

SPIRIT OF '66

Verviers

www.spiritof66.com

zondag 02/02       20h00

CARAVAN

http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/

LIMITED EDITION CD AVAILABLE ON LINE AND ON LIVE GIGS
The album 'Green Bottles for Marjory': the Lost BBC Sessions is a mail order CD only (as well as being available at live gigs), not obtainable in the shops. It is limited to 3,000 pressings so don't delay, order today! It consists of material, never before released on CD and included in the CD is an 8 page booklet. The CD is 62 minutes long, with art work by Phil Smee and remastering by Paschal Byrne.

4 songs recorded on 31/12/1968 and broadcast on the BBC on 5/1/1969-Green Bottles for Marjory, Place of My Own, Feelin' Reelin' and Squealin', Ride,

3 songs recorded on 16/5/1971 9 Feet Underground, Land of Grey & Pink,Feelin' Reelin and Squealin' (recorded in concert to promote the album L of G & P),

1 song recorded on 11/4/1972 and broadcast on 2/5/1972 for the John Peel Sessions Love in Your Eye.

The cost of £13.25 including postage and packing.You can order via the merchandising site.

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A.C.T.

As promised, to mark the release in Japan of 'Last Epic', A.C.T. bring you an exclusive preview of the album for the rest of the world. From zero hour on January 27th, visit either the front page or News Pages of Today's Report to hear the song. (Flash is required.)

'Mr. Landlord' is track 3 on the album and tells the tale of a central character on the album.
The official band site, A.C.T World, will also shortly bring you another exclusive from 'Last Epic', so check there for details!

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Camel

Camel to voyage to the East Coast for the first time in 28 years
NEARfest is overjoyed to announce the headliner for their fifth annual festival: CAMEL! Camel will perform last on the second day of NEARfest, Sunday, June 29, 2003.

With a history dating back over 30 years, this legendary and beloved band has attracted generations of fans with their unique style of epic and melodic music. Many of Camel's albums are deemed essential by progressive rock lovers the world over. From classic, genre-defining albums such as "Mirage", "The Snow Goose", and "Moonmadness" to sweeping concept albums such as "Nude" and "Dust & Dreams" to the strong recent song-based efforts "Rajaz" and "A Nod and a Wink", Camel's music has always been anchored by the emotionally stirring lines and solos of guitarist/flautist Andrew Latimer.

The current lineup of the band, with Latimer being complemented by Camel veteran Colin Bass on bass and vocals, and French-Canadians Guy Le Blanc on keyboards and Denis Clement on drums, "brought down the house" at venues all over the world during Camel's last tour in 2000 with its fiery energy and passionate musicianship. It was widely considered that this is the best lineup of Camel since the early Latimer/Bardens/Ferguson/Ward days. Circumstances prevented Camel from reaching the eastern part of the United States during the past several tours. But now, finally, the long wait for legions of Camel fans on the East Coast is over. This summer, a life's dream will come true for many.

Line-up this far for Nearfest 2003: Camel, The Flower Kings, Magma, Änglagard, Glass Hammer, Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum, High Wheels, Tunnels, Amamaailman Vasarat.

www.nearfest.com

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Karda Estra

New album

CONSTELLATIONS

Due March, 2003

Featuring a suite of six new compositions by Richard Wileman plus a new arrangement of the Steve Hackett instrumental - Twice Around The Sun.

CYCLOPS - CYCL 130

Performed by: RICHARD WILEMAN (classical, electric and bass guitars, keyboards and percussion)

with: Ileesha Bailey (vocals), Helen Dearnley (violin), Caron Hansford (oboe, cor anglais), Sarah Higgins (cello), Zoe King (flute, alto and soprano saxophones), Rachel Larkins (viola).

www.kardaestra.co.uk

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Arjen Lucassen

Arjen Lucassen will be guest musician on the new Ars Nova. He also plays a guitarsolo and a keyboardsolo on one song of part two of a project called Beto Vazquez Infinity (Argentina). On the first album some of the guests were Tarja (Nightwish), Candice (Blackmore) and Fabio (Rhapsody).
Also keep checking www.ayreon.com for news about the DVD and probably a double live CD from the Star One Tour.

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John Petrucci

Solo CD

"DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci served as the opening act for the 2001 G3 tour, for which he wrote and performed a great deal of new material. He subsequently entered the studio to record his debut solo album with DIXIE DREGS bassist Dave LaRue and Boston-based drummer Dave DiCenso, but then came the release of DT's Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence and a year-long world tour. But don't think he's forgotten about the project. "I'm continuing work on it," he says. "I started it a year ago, went on the road from January to November or so and (just) got back into the studio. I hope to finish it up very, very soon. Dream Theater's going to go into the studio around March, so I want to have mine wrapped up by then and get it out in the summer, so we could do a G3 thing or something like that." Expect Dream Theater's new album to surface in late fall, with a tour to follow in January."

DVD

Warner Brothers has re-released John Petrucci's instructional video "Rock Discipline" on DVD. In addition to the instructional material, the DVD includes:

• Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage with John
• G3 Tour footage
• Petrucci's Interactive Guitar
• Much more...

Click here to order John Petrucci's "Rock Discipline" DVD.

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OSI

Both the regular edition as well as the limited edition of "Office of Strategic Influence" are now available for pre-ordering online:

OSI is:
Jim Matheos -- Guitar, keyboards, programming /   Kevin Moore -- Vocals, keyboards, programming /   Mike Portnoy -- Drums.   Also featuring Sean Malone -- Bass, Stick / Steven Wilson -- Vocals on shutDOWN

Track Listing
1. The New Math (what he said)   2. OSI   3. When You're Ready   4. Horseshoes And B-52's   5. Head   6. Hello, Helicopter!   7. shutdown   8. Dirt From A Holy Place   9. Memory Daydreams Lapses   10. Standby (looks like rain)

Bonus material for Limited Edition 
The material on the Bonus CD of the limited edition of the "Office of Strategic Influence" album will be as follows:

1. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (8:49)
2. New Mama (2:22)
3. The Thing That Never Was (17:21)
4. Multimedia Section

"Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" is a Pink Floyd cover performed by Kevin Moore and Mike Portnoy. "New Mama" is a Neil Young cover performed by Kevin Moore. "The Thing That Never Was" is the original "Looks Like Rain" demo performed by Jim Matheos and Mike Portnoy.

The Multimedia Section is approximately 19 minutes long and includes a concept piece directed and edited by Kevin Moore for "Horsehoes and B-52s" as well as two separate documentary style clips shot at Carriage House Studios during the recording of the album.

http://www.osiband.com

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Progressive Music Management

Here are a set of short updates from Progressive Music Management;

   After a period of relative inactivity there is a flurry of news to report from indie label Progressive Music Management. First off, the GRATTO cd "Anakin Tumnus" , released in October of 2002, has sold over 500 copies in four months time. Positive reviews from many online and print prog 'zines and a strong word-of-mouth buzz in the prog community are to thank. (see the review on our site)

Next up for PMM is a reissue of the first Leger de Main release, "Concept of Our Reality". This CD has been out of print for awhile and has always cried out for a remix. PMM has teamed up with noted mix engineer John Trevethan (Echolyn, Grey Eye Glances, Queensryche) to offer up an audiophile sounding remix. Check out John's site at playerie.com.

In the pipeline for 2003 - 2004 are newcomers Mythologic, Razor Wire Shrine and Andeavor. First is Mythologic who are set to release their first CD in Fall of 2003. Mythologic play a complex form of progressive hard rock and combines the members of Leger de Main with Steve Matusik of Andeavor. As you'd expect, elements of both bands are prominent but the soaring, melodic vocals of Melissa Blair are of special note here.

Razor Wire Shrine is an insane instrumental project from Chris and Brett Rodler. Scheduled to be released last year, this cd titled "Going Deaf for a Living", has been pushed back to allow for some revisions in the mix and to add some parts integral to it's success.

Lastly, the 2nd Andeavor CD is also in the final stages of tracking and set to be released in 2004. There is a definite maturity in the songwriting and arranging department for this release.

Check http://pmm-music.net for frequent updates.

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Colin Bass

The new Colin Bass Album
We are pleased to announce the imminent release of the new Colin Bass album: "In The Meantime"  Colin Bass is known to many for his distinctive bass guitar and vocal work with the English progressive rock group Camel

Official release date is February 17th. Orders can now be made in the shop. (www.kartini-music.com )

We appreciate your pre-ordering and all orders received before the official release date will receive a free "Gently Kindly" CD-single.

Track listing :
1. dissident song                  5.19
2. so hard to say goodbye          8.57
3. as we say goodbye              4.13
4. slow train blues                 4.43
5. talk to me                      5.38
6. in the meantime                4.35
7. bridge of sighs                   1.05
8. when will you ever learn?        8.58
9. one small moment              3.06


Colin Bass: vocals, bass guitars, guitars, keyboards, drums
Featuring guest appearances by
Zbyszek Florek, Andreas Hirche (keyboards),
Maciek Meller, Michal Wojtas, Hendrik Maass, Ben Mandelson (guitars),
András Tiborcz (violin),
Admiral von Schneider (drums)

Pre-order now at the Kartini shop!

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AFM RECORDS:

Release Schedule

Winter/Spring 2003

www.afm-records.com
www.rockinc.nl  

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January 19, 2003

Spock's Beard.

"Here we are, just a few short months since the startling news that band founder, Neal Morse, was leaving the group to pursue his own spiritual path. The remaining members (Nick D'Virgilio, Alan Morse, Ryo Okumoto and Dave Meros) wasted no time and have already assembled at the scene of the crime (Lawnmower and Garden Supply studio) to start work on a brand new record.

The excitement was evident in all their faces as they explored new territories musically this week. Song contributions from NDV, Ryo and the new writing team of Alan Morse and John Boegehold (more on him later) provided the raw material and a jumping off point for the band as they wrote and arranged a new collection of songs in the studio. Sounding edgier, and more fusion/hard rock oriented, they are defining a brand new Beard sound and style.

At the board again for this project is Rich Mouser, the engineer who masterfully crafted the ground breaking concept album SNOW. He is bringing his considerable expertise to the project providing just the right amount of continuity with prior Beard works, while helping them to invent a fresh new sound.

Here are some pictures from the first day of work in the studio. Check often on www.spocksbeard.com over the upcoming weeks for the latest information on this exciting new project including more photos, sound clips and the latest information. Also visit our messageboard here at spocksbeard.com to join in on discussions with other fans."

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Headway Festival.

On Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th in the P60 in Amstelveen (The Netherlands)
there's the Headway Festival with the following bands:
(last act for saturday is still unknown)

Friday April 4th

Main stage:

    19:30 - 20:00 - Carthago
    20:15 - 21:00 - Loch Vostok
    21:15 - 22:15 - Zero Hour
    22:45 - 00:15 - Freak Kitchen

Saturday April 5th

Main stage:

    14:30 - 15:00 - Day Six
    15:15 - 15:45 - Atmosfear
    16:00 - 16:30 - Miscellane
    16:45 - 17:30 - Sahara Dust
    17:45 - 18:30 - Bumblefoot
    Dinner break
    19:30 - 20:30 - Sun Caged
    21:00 - 22:00 - Prototype
    22:30 - 00:00 - TBA

Clinics in the lounge:

    15:30 - 16:00 - Mattias IA Eklundh
    16:30 - 17:00 - Rob van der Loo

www.headwayfestival.com

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ELP

Available now on our Manticore page http://www.artist-shop.com/manticore
Emerson Lake and Palmer/The Manticore Special; Works Orchestral Tour ....DVD NTSC $29.99
Many fans have been anxious for The Manticore Special and Works Orchestral Tour videos to come out on DVD's.  Well finally it's happening.  But the news is doubly good as they've been combined on a single DVD!  As an added bonus, also included is the music video for Black Moon! 

The Manticore Special
Step into the rock'n'roll time machine and experience first hand the magic and excitement of Emerson, Lake & Palmer as they were in 1973.  Filmed while the band was writing, recording and touring the material that eventually became the Brain Salad Surgery album, this historic fim captures the legendary British rock band during what was unquestionably one of the most artistically fertile phases of its entire career.  Called The Manticore Special, this 53 minute documentary was originally aired on broadcast television in the UK and Canada in late 1973, and finally in the United States on January 9th, 1974.

Works Orchestral Tour
Shot on August 26th, 1977 at Montral's famed Olympic Stadium, this concert film documents ELP's legendary Works Tour where, in 1977, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer became the first rock band to assemble and tour with a full 65 piece symphony orchestra.   Pulling this concert off was no small feat for the members of ELP who were under enormous pressure when this performance occurred before a sold out audience of 70,000 enthusiastic fans.  At show time, however, it all came together in a powerful combination of musicianship, sound and lights.  This video will put you in the front row for a concert that no one in the audience has ever forgotten!

Live at the Royal Albert Hall
If you prefer to see a more recent show, there’s also the Emerson Lake & Palmer/Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVD. Rock legends Emerson, Lake & Palmer in their spectacular 25th anniversary concert at The Royal Albert Hall.  This video captures the excitement and nostalgia of a superb concert performance, which includes favorites from ELP's classic Gold and Platinum albums plus new material which became part of their Black Moon album.

Limited Edition Japanese Mini-LP Sleeves

“Emerson Lake & Palmer”, “Tarkus” “Pictures at an Exhibition”, “Trilogy” and “Brain Salad Surgery” have been released, packaged in exact replicas of the original LP releases that the Japanese do so well, the runs on these titles were very limited in number so get yours now while you still can!

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Glass Hammer

On www.progradio.net there’s a possibility to win some Glass Hammer prizes.

1 Grand Prize winner will receive:
The Complete Glass Hammer Discography
autographed by Fred & Steve.
(Includes):LEX REX, The Middle-Earth Album, Live and Revived, Chronometree, On to Evermore, Perelandra, Journey of the Dunadan

10 Runner-Up winners will receive: An autographed copy of the album LEX REX

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Medea

The soloproject of Casual Silence keyboardplayer Henry Meeuws.

Individual Unique is a conceptalbum about Michelangelo. The story tells about Florence during the 18th century and about Enzio, a young ambitious artist. Henry Meeuws plays all the instruments on this CD, that has been recorded in Wolfsveld Studio. The album is mixed and mastered in Markant Studio’s, Heeze.
The vocals are done by:
Rob Laarhoven, Ernst Le Cocq d’Armandville, Eric Smits (all three from Casual Silence), Marina van der Aa, Marcel van den Boogaert, Maurice Fende, Loes Jansens, Desirée de Greef and Richard Verhoeven. Michelangelo’s voice is by Ruud Kohlen.

Individual Unique, the music:
1 Ouverture 1564
2 Make The Grade
3 Silhouette of Monuments
4 Day & Night
5 The Blind One Leads The Way
6 Tell Me …
7 FuGA
8 Mirror Man
9 A Dream Left Behind

All songs are written and composed and played by Henry Meeuws, except “FuGA”; composed by J.S. Bach, arr. H. Meeuws.

www.casualsilence.nl

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COLT

Message from Poland:

“We are a small, independent music label in Poland. We wish to introduce our new CD release - the debut album of the young Polish trio COLT called „From the Fridge”. They are playing progressive hardrock in 70s style, with more flute and organ improvisations. All the tracks are their own compostions, except of SLY, which is the cover of an ATOMIC ROOSTER song.

COLT „From the Fridge”  Wydawnictwo 21, 21.011 2002

The Songs:
1. Chosen One    5'49
2. Time To Fly    4'00
3. Z Wielkich Walk (From the Great Battles)   5'25
4. Boozies    2'29
5. So Hard    4'48
6. Doesn't Matter    3'11
7. I Want Your Love So Bad (SLY)    3'45
8. Drop    1'50
9. From the Fridge:    13'39
        In the Fridge
        The Escape
        The Battle
        Out of the Fridge

The Musicians:

Radosław Kopec: guitar, organ, piano, solo vocal, bass guitar
Adam Romaniszyn: drums, percussion
Artur Malinowski: bass guitar
Special Guest - Joanna Jaworz-Dutka: flute

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No-Man

'All That You Are' - new EP

No-Man will release a new EP in January 2003. This precedes the release of their new album but otherwise unconnected with it, as it is more of a companion release to the 'Returning Jesus' album.

The EP is called 'All That You Are' and features the remaining unused tracks from the 'Returning Jesus' sessions, plus a single edit of the title track (the final song on 'Returning Jesus'). The full tracklisting for 'All That You Are' is as follows:

• All That You Are (edit)
• Until Tomorrow
• Chelsea Cap
• Darkroom
• Until Tomorrow (lo-fi)

The EP will be released on Hidden Art Recordings - via 3rd Stone Ltd. - as a special limited-edition digipack (catalogue number HI-ART 18). It will be made available from the Burning Shed shop shortly.

Soundclips and full guest musician details will be available soon on www.no-man.co.uk/

'All The Blue Changes' - new album for 2003

No-Man's latest album - called 'All The Blue Changes' - is now complete, with final recording done in October and final mixing in December. No-Man are now aiming for a release date in early 2003.

The album is forty-two minutes long and consists of five tracks. The full tracklisting is as follows:

• Together We're Stranger
• All The Blue Changes
• Things I Want To Tell You
• Photographs In Black And White
• The Break Up For Real

The first three tracks comprise a linked, three-part, twenty-seven-minute segue (similar to one long piece), followed by one ten-minute song and a four-minute closing piece. In their usual prolific fashion, No-Man have several other tracks available from recent sessions.

Guest musicians on the album are Roger Eno (harmonium), Ben Castle (clarinets), Michael Bearpark (guitar), Peter Chilvers (space bass), Stephen Bennett (noise), and David Picking of Rhinoceros (percussion / trumpet / sounds).

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January 11, 2003

Yes

The first European gigs of the Yes tour are confirmed. Other dates have to be confirmed so don’t panic if they’re not yet scheduled in your neighbourhood.

www.yesworld.com

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Mindgames

P&D Entertainement proudly presents:

Presentation debut album  INTERNATIONAL DAYLIGHT

Saturday January 18

Venue De Zwaan - Grote Baan 42 - 3150 Wespelaar Belgium

Tickets: 8,00€ - In advance: 5,00€

Doors: 21.00 - Concert: 22.00u

info@mindgames.be -- www.mindgames.be

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Steve Hackett

At last it's here - The Hackett Live in Buenos Aires DVD! In full Technicolor widescreen surround sound!

This fantastic DVD set comes complete with a bonus of the entire concert on 2 audio CDs for your enjoyment. For the full SP check out http://www.stevehackett.com/somewhere/

A sample of the footage can be had at http://www.stevehackett.com/NewsItems/buenosairespromo/ and audio samples can be found at http://www.mp3.com/Hackett Stock should be available early next week and you can pre order now on http://www.camino.co.uk/sales/secorder.htm#hackettcds  The price is £19.99 and, as always, the first 500 copies will be signed by the man himself.

Tracklist

The Floating Seventh - Mechanical Bride - Medley - Serpentine Song - Watcher Of The Skies - Hairless Heart - Firth Of Firth - Riding The Colossus - Pollution - The Steppes - Gnossienne #1 - Walking Away From Rainbows - Sierra Quemada - The Wall Of Knives - Vampyre With A Healthy Appetite - A Tower Struck Down - Lucridus - Darktown - Camino Royale - In Memoriam - Horizons - Los Endos

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ANTIMATTER

Antimatter is an experimental project delving into atmospheric mood rock. Led by multi-instrumentalists Duncan Patterson (ex-Anathema) and Michael Moss and featuring various different singers, Antimatter's 2002 debut, Saviour, is a varied affair, couching delicate, almost gothic voices and melodies into softly pulsing electronic rhythmic foundations.

Antimatter enters the Sun Studio in Dublin on January 13 to record their next album. It will be called “Lights Out” and will be released in May, followed by a tour to promote the album.
Duncan Patterson and Mick Moss will be there of course. Also Danny Cavanagh will be present and they hope that Darren White (ex-singer Anathema) will sing on the title track. Jamie and Les will offer their help on the production.

Also, a live CD from the October acoustic shows will be released through Strangelight Records before the end of the year.

http://www.warp9.to/antimatter
http://antimatter.free.fr/uk

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The Tangent

Andy Tillison-Diskdrive's (Parallel or 90 Degrees) "long time coming" solo album has taken an interesting turn, in that it's not so much a "solo" effort any more. It's become more of a collaboration album, featuring Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold & Zoltan Czsorz (all from the Flower Kings), and ex VDGG sax/flute player David Jackson. All members of Parallel or 90 Degrees make it in there too, along with Guy Manning and others. The album is now called "In Search of the Music that Died Alone", and it's by "The Tangent".  It's a very "English School of Progressive Rock" album, and fans of Canterbury-style music will be delighted with what they hear....

A new website to cope with the Tangent separately will be launched soon. In the meantime, work continues on the project in Sweden and the UK....

Info on: www.po90.com

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Uriah Heep

We dug up some old but very interesting articles on Heep.  Weird and sometimes very funny stories from 1972 and 1975.  The Heep and ex-President Ford at the same hotel... and more...
http://www.geocities.com/joerajahiep/Spruit8.htm
http://www.geocities.com/joerajahiep/Spruit9.htm
http://www.geocities.com/joerajahiep/Spruit10.htm
All from the Monique & Leo Spruit's collection... thank you very much!

The new "Deluxe Extended Versions" of both "Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble" and "Salisbury" are completed now, featuring liner notes by Dave Ling of Classic Rock magazine and new (updated) notes by Ken Hensley. The bonus track and ordering info can be found at http://www.terrapinmusic.com.

 

Work has already begun on both "Look At Yourself" and "Demons And Wizards", and they will probably be mastered next week.

David Amendolara from Belgium went to the John Lawton gig in Verviers on October 4th 2002.  Here we have a few great pictures and review, all by Dave of course: http://www.moreheep.com/jlspiritof66/spirit.htm .  Also, there are reviews by Dave and Staf Pypen on John's own website: http://www.johnlawtonband.com

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Arrow Classic Rock Festival

Never before, we had a festival especially for the classic rock music that keeps growing in popularity.
The Arrow Classic Rock Festival makes it possible for the fans to see all their idols from the period starting in 1964. Venue: de Schans in Lichtenvoorde (Gld), Holland. The Arrow Classic Rock Festival is a one day festival, 12.500 places, two stages and it all starts at 14.00.

www.arrow.nl

Special site for the festival: www.classicrockfestival.tk

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January 03, 2003

Steve Wilson - Blackfield

When your name is Steve Wilson and you have some spare time, what on earth can you do with it? Of course, start a new project and play some music.
There is now a webpage containing audio samples of works in progress from the Blackfield album. Blackfield is the collaborative project between SW and Israeli musician and songwriter Aviv Geffen. The full length album is scheduled for release in spring 2003.

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Porcupine Tree

The new record from Porcupine Tree, entitled “In Absentia” ,finally will see the light in Europe on January 13th. As with the US release the first pressing will be a strictly limited edition. This time the limited version will take the form of a double CD with the bonus disc containing 2 extra tracks from the sessions, “Drown