I Recommend...

I will settle for several things:

 

1) pointing you in the direction of my latest band additions to PA (read the bio's I wrote, they should say it all): Nudes, The (Ec) ; Sólstafir ; Sleeping People ; Pochakaite Malko ; Ma Banlieue Flasque ; Panzerballett ; Virgin Black ; Larval

 

 

3) I've come across in Myspace with this talented musician (which has nothing to do with rock, so take that into account): http://www.myspace.com/kennyjaworski   

Just listen and "see" for yourselves.

 

Have a good week everybody

 

 

 

EDIT - I'd like to add this band for you to try:

They're the American band Speechless which released this year the album called Time Out Of Mind. As their name says, their instrumental.

Listen to them here:

They will be added to PA.

 

 

I would like to recommend a new record for all the mellotron's fans in general and for all who looks interested into the italian prog scene in general:

 

The Watch latest album "Primitive" is basically builded around this mythic instrument!

Counter World Experience >  Progressive/Metal Instrumental

 

The Gourishankar > Highly creative progrock (a mix of modern and classic prog)

 

 

 

 

Here's their Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/speechlesstheband 

Here's what they say there about themselves:

 

Instrumentation
Paul Rusek - Basses
Robbie Hamil - Keyboards
Sean Tonar - Guitars
Derik Rinehart - Drums & Percussion

Biography
SPEECHLESS -- It's all about the music. This band is a unique combination of artists focused on wrapping their audiences up in exciting sounds.  Drawing on an extremely diverse array of musical influences and an "anything goes" approach to composing, SPEECHLESS  brings a unique musical hybrid to the table, with a style stretching across the musical spectrum:  funk, hard rock, fusion-jazz, classical, metal, world, reggae and more - all mixed with a healthy dose of excitement... It's all the focus and centerpiece of their live sets and CD.

Although the music is as diverse as a multicultural festival, there's something here for everyone.  It's easily accessible.  Their appeal has been proven across the musical board.  One look at the comments their fans have shared shows that they appeal to many types of music fans.  Young and old, all over the globe.

The artists of SPEECHLESS bring considerable experience to the Atlanta music scene.  They are a quartet of bass, drums, guitars and keyboards who have played all over the Southeast and, in some cases, even toured the United States as professional musicians.  The members of SPEECHLESS have all been long-time participants in the Atlanta music scene - they know how to entertain an audience… From the Roxy to the 10 High, from The Masquerade to the Hard Rock Café, these musicians have 80+ years of COMBINED musical experience to draw upon.

 

We are an Atlanta based instrumental quartet who draw upon a variety of inspirations and influences. Our music is a hybrid of many different styles. It is groove oriented and varied within that. Some pieces are like small epics which are cinematic in scope. Imagine a soundtrack to a film yet to be made.... Others are shorter and offer up a concise punch. We could go on trying to put into words what we sound like, but better yet, read the comments left here on our page by listeners and fans. They articulate our sound better than we can. Prog Rock? Jam Band? Groove Oriented Rock? Your mileage may vary... Hear it for yourself now!

OUR DEBUT CD "TIME OUT OF MIND" IS NOW AVAILABLE!! You can find it at these fine online vendors- Wayside Music, Laser's Edge, Big Balloon Music, Of Sound Mind and CD Baby. Also, if you are in the Atlanta area you can purchase the cd in person at Decatur CD in scenic Decatur, GA!

 

 

 

The following is taken from Progressive Ears.com (Sean Tonar the founder of PE is the guitarist of Speechless) - www.progressiveears.com

This is a post Sean made which he took from their drummer Derik Rinehart about the making of the album:

"

First, this CD was written and recorded over a year and a half or so. We recorded one batch of tunes when we first got together- In The Clouds, Spidercrawl, and Spaghetti Junction (then known as Slammer but later renamed as Derik drove across the famous interchange here and inspiration struck). These were tunes our bassist Paul and drummer Derik had been working on before Robbie (keys) and I (guitar) arrived. Some were demoed already, with some other guitarists. We didn't pay much mind to their parts and were free to add whatever we felt was best- they were merely demos to show us the arrangement. We were free to play whatever we wanted, and did. In the process these songs became "more" than they were previously. They went from having a typical guitar rock trio sound to the fat, colorful, cinematic sound we have now. Suddenly they sounded like a BAND!

Once those three were in the can we had a pretty good idea what Speechless sounded like. We all equally contribute to the writing so Robbie and I wrote and arranged a couple tunes each for the CD as well. His were Something Green and Stella and mine, Vader's Boogie and The Big Majestic. Also, an old tune from Paul's last band, Shaker Day was included and revamped. What was once known as Rolling Rock became Hangover once it got "the Speechless treatment".

In The Clouds- This made a great opener and was one of the tunes we put up early on MySpace to get feedback on. A lot of people loved it and it seemed to offer up a good cross section of what we do. This tune was written by Derik's brother (who is an excellent guitarist), Keith. It was instantly catchy but needed a little extra something so I wrote a bridge that cycled through chords rising in minor thirds for some call and response work from the guitars and keys. While it is it's own thing, I always got a Rush-y vibe off parts of this one… Signals meets Presto? The bridge has been called "The Cinema Show" bit by some- the "Anthem" bit by others… I find these comparisons amusing since I wasn't thinking of anything beyond "let's go to the relative minor" at the time. But then, I never write with any other band's music in mind (that would be pretty lame), if anything I try to avoid it. These comparisons come after the fact anyway though. The fact that it wound up in 7/8 was purely accidental. It was just the way the riff flowed out as we jammed it up…. The sample of the plane in the middle was added last. The only "real" sound effect on the CD- the rest were all done with synths and sounds in Derik's Roland Octopad electric drums. I played the verse melody on the Ebow on this tune. There isn't much Ebow on the cd, but that is the most obvious use. Other times it's deep in the mix.

Spidercrawl- This is one of Paul's tunes and features his slap technique that is a big part of the Speechless sound. This one seemed to call for a 70s funk/fusion treatment over that. Robbie plays some cool Clavinet licks and I do sort of a choppy blues/funk thing… Then it veers into symphy territory with that big choir sound. The wobbly bit that follows reminds me of something you would hear in a old horror flick, especially with that synth melody over the top. Then comes the big guitar solo spot. I debated on what to play here. I went in with the urge to play a lot of notes but in the end I think less was more. The groove and tempo just didn't feel like it was the right thing to add, so I went for something more lyrical. It was all improv on the spot and I think it turned out pretty nicely- comments on it have been positive and for some it's one that must be played note for note, which I do. The solo goes from the low A to the high D and all points in between. It's interesting how it winds up in a major key before it ends, I didn't expect that! Interesting twist and a good chance to slip in some greasy country bends. The outro features what may be my fave keys solo on the CD (though every one is a stunner). Robbie did a great pass at this the first time, but wasn't totally happy and went in and did another, and maybe a third. Each time our jaws dropped a little lower until he arrived at this smokin' mutha.

Stella- This is maybe the most layered tune on the CD. There is a lot going on here and the way it's mixed I am sure some of it comes off more on a subliminal level than anything. Lots of ear candy here. This song was named after Paul's big black dog Stella, fyi. Robbie really had a great vision for this one and it grew from a mere demo with everything played on keys to what we have here, one of our most engaging tunes. It opens with a bizarre flanged drum patch played by Derik on the Octopad. You hear a strum in the right channel that sounds like a "whiff of magic" over that- that was me picking the chromatic drone strings on an electric sitar. Then I use the sitar to play the decending riff. Fender Rhodes enters next before the whole band kicks in with big riffs. I used my Les Paul on the majority of this one… You can hear a lot of swooshing sounds in the far edges of the channel here too. Everything drops out for a sec and a big analog synth riff follows. Once the band joins in the guitar plays a jazzy melody over the top before the riffs return. About 3 minutes in things relax a bit and the guitar solo takes place. There's a lot going on here at first. A couple droning Ebows in harmony, a reg guitar playing harmonics, electric sitar playing chords, another guitar playing some delayed single string licks and then the solo proper kicks in. I was going for a really saturated sound here for the lead, but I also added some clean guitar swells under it at the same time. Different chord inversions. These pan from left to right as the chords change. I particularly like the sliding, decending lick at the end in 7ths, thought that was pretty crafty if I do say so… There's a quick guitar harmony on the outro lick leading into the keys solo as well. Atop this is a funny lick. Since the tune was about a "black dog" Robbie suggested tossing a Jimmy Page lick in there, so I did the first one that came to mind, a little blues scale lick he does in "Whole Lotta Love". This is the only lick on the whole cd played on my SG- not sure why, just never got back to that axe. The keys solo here is big and fat, another dollop of analog goodness. There's a couple at work here actually, if you listen close- one plays the melody, the other kinda hangs there and sounds menacing. The section that follows was a pure left turn. The sitar jumps out front and plays a melody while Derik dubs in hand drums and percussion. After that we kinda back out the way we came in. While it may not be apparent at first, this tune has more odd meters in it than any on the CD. It really flows like it isn't though and we consider that a plus.

Thank You- This one is the "ballad" of the CD, but comes of as terse rather than schmaltzy. Good! Another of Paul's favored bass techniques is tapping chords with two hands. Sometimes I think he has a Chapman Stick player lurking in him, but actually it's cooler he does this on a regular bass- less obvious. Paul wrote this one as an homage to "all the wonderful ladies" in his life. Past and present. It was wide open for chords of any type. I had been into a lot of extended chords of late- anything higher than a seventh. Mostly 9ths and 11ths and this tune seemed perfect for them! This gave it a uptown vibe harmonically and also added a bit of tension too. Looking back after the fact these verse chords remind me of some Zappa used on the tune Zoot Allures, among others. The chorus bits are mostly 7 sus 4 chords which have popped up on such past goodies as "A Hard Days Night" from The Beatles and "Perpetual Change" from Yes, both as intro chords, or (pick one) any number of tunes by the Police- though their bass note choices usually caused these chords to be more sophisticated than just a 7 sus 4- like on "Walking on the Moon" for another example. Paul asked me to write a bridge and we wound up with the wobbly bit here in B major. The key was a random choice, but seems to be a nice one in hindsight. I had an idea for a melody over the top and asked Robbie to play it. In hindsight I am sure he could have come up with something cooler, I shoulda just shut up, though this is OK- notice it's mixed low though…. There's some tasty Fender Rhodes on this track as well along with some nice strings.

The Big Majestic- This is one of two tunes I wrote and arranged for the CD. While Vader's Boogie was a mix of two old songs meets brand new bridges and chorus, this song here was all written fresh especially for this band and album. I have been writing similar music for a number of years, but I don't feel it's ever reached it's potential like it has played with this band. Sometimes it was real close, but never quite there…. This started with me plunking around on my classical. I came up with a chord progression that had a baroque vibe to it (the verse) and then I started to craft other parts in relation to it. After awhile I went to Derik's with a proverbial "box of odds and ends" (riffs and progressions and licks and such) and played them for him. He reacted really positively to certain ones and I used that inspiration to sort them out and start arranging. This tune was rearranged four or five times before we reached this final version. This was the newest tune on the whole album and one of the few that came to life first in the version you hear on the CD. We later had to go learn it to play it live. It has since blossomed into a real high point in our set, though the CD version turned out well too. But it's kinda like comparing say, Crimson's "Lark's Tongues Pt 2" on the album to the live versions, if you know what I mean. A bit reserved on record but a real ballsy mutha live. The opening chord progression inspired the name of the tune. I think Derik mentioned it was majestic sounding, if I recall right. "We gotta use that!" I do remember. It's another deceptively odd progression. It is major chords moved in a ½ step to whole step way, alternating between Ionian and Lydian modes for the melody on top. In fact that concept inspired the progression. The clean arpeggio section is a bit odd too as it starts minor and then ends major. About 3 minutes in the tune really kicks into the next higher gear with a cycle of non-diatonic triads over a D drone. This section always gave me a bit of a Yes vibe after the tune was done, though I doubt you would find it on any of their cds. A reviewer compared it to something Pete Townshend would come up with and I can totally see that. He did similar stuff on Tommy and Quadrophenia, didn't he? The ascending chord bit next is more fun with 7 sus 4 chords before we hit the "big riffy part". After all that chordal stuff it was time for the tune to rock some. After that we kinda again, back out the way we came in by recapitulating the different sections that came before. Common rule in this band, if there is a good part IT WILL come back around before the tune ends. We apply almost a pop structure to our music- though often on a grander scale.

"

 

 

Some online reviews:

 

Places to buy:

http://www.waysidemusic.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SPEECHLESS 001