Quecia (UK): Crossover Prog maybe?

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This suggestion follows on directly from Svetonio's earlier suggestion for Chris Picton: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=90434.  
Quecia was the band in which Chris played a big part prior to the release of his current solo material. 

Formed in 2001. The band have released two albums to date. The debut album 
"This Is Where We Are" in 2002 and "Quecia II" from 2004.
"This melodic rock music at its best, with soaring vocals, plenty great 
guitar solos and strong rhythms, but best of all is the quality of the song 
writing". Quecia were voted "Best New Band 2002" by the readers of "Classic Rock 
Society Magazine" in the UK.
As yet they remain undiscovered by the masses, but have had fantastic 
critical acclaim -"Once in a blue moon a band comes along and simply blows you 
away, Quecia is that band" - Simon Gausden - Powerplay UK Rock Mag
A review of each of the band's two albums so far, taken from www.myspace.com/queciamusic:

POWERPLAY  ROCK & METAL MAGAZINE REVIEW OF  'THIS IS WHERE WE ARE'

"Just occasionally, a brand new band comes along and simply blows you right away. They shouldn't by rights; it should take years to get this good, but once in a blue moon one band breaks that golden rule. Quecia is that band. Taking a leaf from the book of new British classic rock currently being written by the likes of Mostly Autumn, Kirsty McCarrick and Co are a very special proposition indeed. Add to the MA reference a fusion of All About Eve, Debbie Bonham, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, with tiny hints of latter day Marillion and even Deep Purple showing through too, and you'll be getting close to what Quecia are all about. 

Fronted with grace, poise and élan by the aforementioned fragrant and angelic Kirsty McCarrick, this young British outfit simply shine with style, class and mature elegance. What is truly remarkable is how, why, and where of how this album came about. In a nutshell, it was recorded in a pub! Yes, it seems like a good idea to me too! Recorded on their own 32 track desk, the recording quality is nothing short of excellent, as is the whole package in fact. Aside from Kirsty, Quecia is compromised of three very fine musicians: Paul Ayre (guitar and vocals), Chris Picton (bass and keyboards) and new boy Roy Taylor (drums). Paul in particular shows himself to be a fluid and talented player, displaying a lovely, expressive touch throughout the album. All the music and lyrics are written by Kirsty, Paul and Chris as a unit, which is how the band came together almost by default but that's a story for another time and place. 

Messrs Ayre and Picton have also produced this album with great style. Is there anything this band cant do? There are 14 divine songs on offer here, each one as enticing as its predecessor. While this release is not from the heavy end of what Powerplay covers, it is simply exquisite in every way and should be an album that every one of you owns. This is an utterly sublime debut by a wonderful band, and totally essential to boot. ....Simon Gausden ....

FIREWORKS ROCK MAGAZINE REVIEW OF 'QUECIA II'  

Quecia have returned with a second album that is much more focused and featuring performances that clearly demonstrate a greater surety, awareness and a generally much harder edge. Nowhere is this more evident than in Kirsty McCarrick's voice, as the performance captured here is far more redolent of the gusto, verve and sheer strength evident in the live environment. Paul Ayre's guitar work is also gutsier and dirtier and he has taken numerous opportunities to really let rip during the course of the album. There are many really strong songs here, but the one that really demonstrates how far Kirsty has matured as an accomplished and assured front woman is 'New Dress'. It also highlights the quality backing vocals from younger sister Hayley, now a permanent feature of the band. 

A recent Classic Rock Society concert headlined by the band revealed this song to be a new live favourite. However, there is one track on the new album that is head and shoulders in calibre above anything else that the band has written and recorded and this received a quite ecstatic reception when performed at the CRS concert back in January, despite it being previously unknown to most of the audience present. 'Rescue Me'. This song features a particularly fine performance and huge choruses and I found myself listening to this song on a work-in-progress promo of the new album repeatedly on my journey home across the Pennines from Rotherham. The version released on the finalised album also has an extremely atmospheric introduction and a virtuoso lead guitar performance from Paul Ayre. This is far and away the heaviest song on offer: I would love to hear more in a similar vein in the future. 

The extra time spent rehearsing and recording (in their own new studio in Wigan) the songs featured here has really paid off. Whereas I was a little uncertain about some of the production values on the work-in-progress promo, there are, I feel no major concerns with the final version which has captured a band - still relatively in its infancy - starting to gel very nicely indeed. Besides those mentioned above, other stand out songs include opener 'Hide Away' which immediately introduces and demonstrates the excellent harmony vocals of Hayley McCarrick. 'The Rhythm' which reminds me a little of Karnataka and has a very different feel from anything else on the album, fun track (and shortest on the album) 'Bird In A Cage', the keyboard led and highly charged ballad 'Too Late To Say Goodbye' and bitter sweet album closer 'Line In The Sand' and another of the ones that will clearly be a crowd-pleaser in the live setting with Kirsty's soaring vocals and Paul's emotional guitar solos. 

The other members of the band should not be overlooked as bassist/keyboardist Chris Picton and new drummer/percussionist Steve Atkinson are essential ingredients to the successful delivery of the songs in a variety of styles that are part of the repertoire of Quecia. I love this brave and extremely accomplished album and if the band can consolidate their achievements thus far with increased live (and video) exposure, I am sure they will garner considerable future acclaim. ....Paul Jerome Smith.

Members
Kirsty McCarrick - Lead Vocals
Hayley McCarrick - Backing Vocals
Paul Ayre - Guitar & Vocals
Chris Picton - Bass & Keyboards
Roy Taylor - Drums

Listen to all their stuff here: http://quecia.bandcamp.com/

More glowing reviews and a really in-depth interview about the band with lead singer Kirsty McCarrick here: http://www.musicaldiscoveries.com/reviews/quecia.htm

Interview with bass & keyboad player Chris Picton here: http://www.getreadytorock.com/rising_stars/quecia.htm

Quecia on cdbaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Quecia

And lastly three tubes from each of the two albums:

From 'This Is Where We Are':

From Quecia II:

Anyone who enjoys the music of Mostly Autumn, Karnataka, Panic Room and the like will find plenty of interest here. It may not be outrageously proggy, in fact several of the songs are not really prog at all, but they are all really excellent, and overall I feel the band could well be worth a shot in Crossover.

The band has not officially been wound up - it is currently in a period of hiatus. There was perhaps not the appetite in 2002 for music like this despite the critical acclaim emanating from the Classic Rock fraternity, and the band struggled to get the public recognition it so richly deserved. Maybe the recent resurgence of interest in prog in general will find them a wider audience 10 years on? - Who knows, but even if they don't ultimately get added to the site, this thread will give them a little bit of additional exposure...and that's the least they deserve in my book. 

Enjoy! 

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yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Crossover Team Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 7065	Topic: Quecia (UK): Crossover Prog maybe? Posted: November 04 2012 at 00:28
	This suggestion follows on directly from Svetonio's earlier suggestion for Chris Picton: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=90434. Quecia was the band in which Chris played a big part prior to the release of his current solo material. Formed in 2001. The band have released two albums to date. The debut album "This Is Where We Are" in 2002 and "Quecia II" from 2004. "This melodic rock music at its best, with soaring vocals, plenty great guitar solos and strong rhythms, but best of all is the quality of the song writing". Quecia were voted "Best New Band 2002" by the readers of "Classic Rock Society Magazine" in the UK. As yet they remain undiscovered by the masses, but have had fantastic critical acclaim -"Once in a blue moon a band comes along and simply blows you away, Quecia is that band" - Simon Gausden - Powerplay UK Rock Mag A review of each of the band's two albums so far, taken from www.myspace.com/queciamusic: POWERPLAY ROCK & METAL MAGAZINE REVIEW OF 'THIS IS WHERE WE ARE' "Just occasionally, a brand new band comes along and simply blows you right away. They shouldn't by rights; it should take years to get this good, but once in a blue moon one band breaks that golden rule. Quecia is that band. Taking a leaf from the book of new British classic rock currently being written by the likes of Mostly Autumn, Kirsty McCarrick and Co are a very special proposition indeed. Add to the MA reference a fusion of All About Eve, Debbie Bonham, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, with tiny hints of latter day Marillion and even Deep Purple showing through too, and you'll be getting close to what Quecia are all about. Fronted with grace, poise and élan by the aforementioned fragrant and angelic Kirsty McCarrick, this young British outfit simply shine with style, class and mature elegance. What is truly remarkable is how, why, and where of how this album came about. In a nutshell, it was recorded in a pub! Yes, it seems like a good idea to me too! Recorded on their own 32 track desk, the recording quality is nothing short of excellent, as is the whole package in fact. Aside from Kirsty, Quecia is compromised of three very fine musicians: Paul Ayre (guitar and vocals), Chris Picton (bass and keyboards) and new boy Roy Taylor (drums). Paul in particular shows himself to be a fluid and talented player, displaying a lovely, expressive touch throughout the album. All the music and lyrics are written by Kirsty, Paul and Chris as a unit, which is how the band came together almost by default but that's a story for another time and place. Messrs Ayre and Picton have also produced this album with great style. Is there anything this band cant do? There are 14 divine songs on offer here, each one as enticing as its predecessor. While this release is not from the heavy end of what Powerplay covers, it is simply exquisite in every way and should be an album that every one of you owns. This is an utterly sublime debut by a wonderful band, and totally essential to boot. ....Simon Gausden .... FIREWORKS ROCK MAGAZINE REVIEW OF 'QUECIA II' Quecia have returned with a second album that is much more focused and featuring performances that clearly demonstrate a greater surety, awareness and a generally much harder edge. Nowhere is this more evident than in Kirsty McCarrick's voice, as the performance captured here is far more redolent of the gusto, verve and sheer strength evident in the live environment. Paul Ayre's guitar work is also gutsier and dirtier and he has taken numerous opportunities to really let rip during the course of the album. There are many really strong songs here, but the one that really demonstrates how far Kirsty has matured as an accomplished and assured front woman is 'New Dress'. It also highlights the quality backing vocals from younger sister Hayley, now a permanent feature of the band. A recent Classic Rock Society concert headlined by the band revealed this song to be a new live favourite. However, there is one track on the new album that is head and shoulders in calibre above anything else that the band has written and recorded and this received a quite ecstatic reception when performed at the CRS concert back in January, despite it being previously unknown to most of the audience present. 'Rescue Me'. This song features a particularly fine performance and huge choruses and I found myself listening to this song on a work-in-progress promo of the new album repeatedly on my journey home across the Pennines from Rotherham. The version released on the finalised album also has an extremely atmospheric introduction and a virtuoso lead guitar performance from Paul Ayre. This is far and away the heaviest song on offer: I would love to hear more in a similar vein in the future. The extra time spent rehearsing and recording (in their own new studio in Wigan) the songs featured here has really paid off. Whereas I was a little uncertain about some of the production values on the work-in-progress promo, there are, I feel no major concerns with the final version which has captured a band - still relatively in its infancy - starting to gel very nicely indeed. Besides those mentioned above, other stand out songs include opener 'Hide Away' which immediately introduces and demonstrates the excellent harmony vocals of Hayley McCarrick. 'The Rhythm' which reminds me a little of Karnataka and has a very different feel from anything else on the album, fun track (and shortest on the album) 'Bird In A Cage', the keyboard led and highly charged ballad 'Too Late To Say Goodbye' and bitter sweet album closer 'Line In The Sand' and another of the ones that will clearly be a crowd-pleaser in the live setting with Kirsty's soaring vocals and Paul's emotional guitar solos. The other members of the band should not be overlooked as bassist/keyboardist Chris Picton and new drummer/percussionist Steve Atkinson are essential ingredients to the successful delivery of the songs in a variety of styles that are part of the repertoire of Quecia. I love this brave and extremely accomplished album and if the band can consolidate their achievements thus far with increased live (and video) exposure, I am sure they will garner considerable future acclaim. ....Paul Jerome Smith. Members Kirsty McCarrick - Lead Vocals Hayley McCarrick - Backing Vocals Paul Ayre - Guitar & Vocals Chris Picton - Bass & Keyboards Roy Taylor - Drums Listen to all their stuff here: http://quecia.bandcamp.com/ More glowing reviews and a really in-depth interview about the band with lead singer Kirsty McCarrick here: http://www.musicaldiscoveries.com/reviews/quecia.htm Interview with bass & keyboad player Chris Picton here: http://www.getreadytorock.com/rising_stars/quecia.htm Quecia on cdbaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Quecia And lastly three tubes from each of the two albums: From 'This Is Where We Are': From Quecia II: Anyone who enjoys the music of Mostly Autumn, Karnataka, Panic Room and the like will find plenty of interest here. It may not be outrageously proggy, in fact several of the songs are not really prog at all, but they are all really excellent, and overall I feel the band could well be worth a shot in Crossover. The band has not officially been wound up - it is currently in a period of hiatus. There was perhaps not the appetite in 2002 for music like this despite the critical acclaim emanating from the Classic Rock fraternity, and the band struggled to get the public recognition it so richly deserved. Maybe the recent resurgence of interest in prog in general will find them a wider audience 10 years on? - Who knows, but even if they don't ultimately get added to the site, this thread will give them a little bit of additional exposure...and that's the least they deserve in my book. Enjoy!

Andy Webb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: June 04 2010 Location: Terria Status: Offline Points: 13298	Posted: November 05 2012 at 17:35
	Not hearing it with this, I'm afraid. Prog is a scarce commodity in those tracks. Nice stuff, but not fit for PA.