TWOMBLEY BURWASH

Crossover Prog • United Kingdom

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Twombley Burwash biography
Old hippy Kevin MCDADE, decided in the noughties that it was about time he recorded the one and only song he'd ever written. He had grown up listening to Neil YOUNG, GONG, HAWKWIND and SOFT MACHINE and had flirted with Flamenco guitar and folky fingerpicking, along with a lot of folk Mandolin playing. Bruce Mcdade, son of Kevin had been in rock bands in the Bradford area during his teens, being a capable electric guitarist and a budding composer. He extended his interest to Psy Trance, being a resident DJ at various events around the North East as Psy-Chi and recording a self-penned and recorded album, 'CHASING THE STATIC'. Having spent too many evenings listening to dull music and saying ''we could do better'' they finally got round to so doing.

There began a mighty battle with Cubase. Bruce was roped into things to help with scoring instrumental parts as imagination outstripped capability. He brought his own musical tastes to the table, spicing up the offering with bits of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and twiddling. A band identity and consistent approach developed, and a belief that they had something that people would like. The band?s goal became to add some interesting and enjoyable music to the world. They think of themselves as ''Prog'' but only because they don't know what else to call it. The band ethos is to make music without consciously trying to sound like anyone else, or any particular genre. Everything is possible. The original one song rapidly became an album, each track starting life as the same song: ''CARAVAGGIO'' (still unfinished) and turning into something else. Everything except drums was recorded at home using Cubase.

GRAK is born:

Five years in the making, mainly at weekends when there was no shopping to do, the album, 'GRAK', is a fusion of all the musical interests of the father/son duo at the heart of the project, but bundled into a fresh and defiantly not by numbers 'prog' - ish album of good tunes.
A proper drummer, Gareth Roberts, whose performing credits include WE WILL ROCK YOU, LES MISERABLES, BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and some bashing about on the SNAKECHARMER album, was tempted with a curry and some London Pride to record the drums for the tracks. Being part of the extended family probably helped to persuade him! The drums were recorded at PEAK STUDIOS in Bradford and the album mixed by the enormously patient Roni SZPAKOWSKI. Mastering was by Dan JAMES.

The album is a journey through a s...Old hippy Kevin MCDADE, decided in the noughties that it was about time he recorded the one and only song he'd ever written. He had grown up listening to Neil YOUNG, GONG, HAWKWIND and SOFT MACHINE and had flirted with Flamenco guitar and folky fingerpicking, along with a lot of folk Mandolin playing. Bruce Mcdade, son of Kevin had been in rock bands in the Bradford area during his teens, being a capable electric guitarist and a budding composer. He extended his interest to Psy Trance, being a resident DJ at various events around the North East as Psy-Chi and recording a self-penned and recorded album, 'CHASING THE STATIC'. Having spent too many evenings listening to dull music and saying ''we could do better'' they finally got round to so doing.

There began a mighty battle with Cubase. Bruce was roped into things to help with scoring instrumental parts as imagination outstripped capability. He brought his own musical tastes to the table, spicing up the offering with bits of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and twiddling. A band identity and consistent approach developed, and a belief that they had something that people would like. The band?s goal became to add some interesting and enjoyable music to the world. They think of themselves as ''Prog'' but only because they don't know what else to call it. The band ethos is to make music without consciously trying to sound like anyone else, or any particular genre. Everything is possible. The original one song rapidly became an album, each track starting life as the same song: ''CARAVAGGIO'' (still unfinished) and turning into something else. Everything except drums was recorded at home using Cubase.

GRAK is born:

Five years in the making, mainly at weekends when there was no shopping to do, the album, 'GRAK', is a fusion of all the musical interests of the father/son duo at the heart of the project, but bundled into a fresh and defiantly not by numbers 'prog' - ish album of good tunes.
A proper drummer, Gareth Roberts, whose performing credits include WE WILL ROCK YOU, LES MISERABLES, BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and some bashing about on the SNAKECHARMER album, was tempted with a curry and some London Pride to record the drums for the tracks. Being part of the extended family probably helped to persuade him! The drums were recorded at PEAK STUDIOS in Bradford and the album mixed by the enormously patient Roni SZPAKOWSKI. Mastering was by Dan JAMES.

The album is a journey through a slightly unhinged perspective on love, regret, hope, anger and dream presented in a framework of Prog Rock, Folk and Psy-Trance all bashed together with orchestral arrangements and good tunes (and the odd mandolin solo). There are five tracks; the album beginning with acoustic guitar picking on ''BUZZARD OF US'' and building up steam through the multiple sections of each track to the twenty two minute finale of ''A SENSE OF TEXTURE'', the latter being the definitive statement of TWOMBLEY and setting the scene for album two.

The sleeve art was drawn by Bruce and turned into a Digipak by Kevin (another battle, this time with Photoshop).

It was released to an unsuspecting world at the end of 2014.

Biography provided by the artist and used with permission
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TWOMBLEY BURWASH discography

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TWOMBLEY BURWASH top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.73 | 11 ratings

Grak
2014

3.14 | 3 ratings

Grak II Blak
2022

TWOMBLEY BURWASH Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

TWOMBLEY BURWASH Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

TWOMBLEY BURWASH Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

TWOMBLEY BURWASH Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

TWOMBLEY BURWASH Reviews

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Grak II Blak by TWOMBLEY BURWASH album cover

Studio Album, 2022
3.14 | 3 ratings
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Grak II Blak
Twombley Burwash Crossover Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Prog Reviewer / Special Collaborator

Back in 2014 father and son team Kevin and Bruce McDade brought together some musicians and released their debut album, 'Grak'. This in turn was brought to the attention of the Crossover team at ProgArchives and in 2015 we duly passed them for inclusion on PA and I contacted them to get a biography etc. Fast forward to 2023 and I heard from Kevin to tell me they had just released their second album, with the title a nod to their debut. I must confess I do not know who plays on this release, but the last time around Kevin provided the vocals and he and Bruce most of the instrumentation while they did have a few guests, most notably Gareth Roberts on drums. Given a drummer who really knows what they were doing, but I can't say if Gareth returned or if it is someone else.

This is a very English album in so many ways, with music which is wonderfully complex yet also somehow somewhat simplistic, which fits in well with the vocals which are not at the same level. I can imagine some reviewers feeling the singing is detrimental to the overall sound but to my ears it works very well indeed and is the perfect fit. There are times when the guys are pushing a lot of orchestral sounds, but also bringing in styles which are more dance in its concept, all with the feeling of an underground British act who would be happier releasing this on cassette tape as opposed to digitally. Although accepted by crossover, which is the right place for them, there are also times when they would fit more happily into neo and the switching of styles within the lengthy "Out of the Shadows" (love the folk mandolin) is just insane but somehow it works. Their outro is a majestic fanfare which oen can imagine Wakeman having fun with.

This is a release which should not belong in the 21st century, yet I am pleased it does as this is a fun ride while never taking itself at all seriously. Available to download from Bandcamp at the princely sum of just �7 GBP, this captures all that is fun about the underground indie progressive scene.

Thanks to kev rowland for the artist addition.