Other Mothers

One of the songs I'm plugging this week (and for the rest of the year). "Other Mother" by Emily Hurd

https://youtu.be/jrSR4C1Gv3c?si=Mz9kgSnQcvv9Nq77

Days Between Stations’ “Perpetual Motion Machines” and Music Video “Being"

Los Angeles’ Days Between Stations have released their fourth album, “Perpetual Motion Machines (Music For A Film).”   

“Perpetual Motion Machines” is the result of DBS founding members keyboardist Oscar Fuentes Bills and guitarist Sepand Samzadeh working on the music for a documentary film about Jean-Paul Bourdier in the mid-2010s. As the music reached completion, the group was offered the opportunity to release their music as a “proper” album. Sepand says, “Jean Paul’s artwork was our muse, and we scored the music to pictures and to existing films.” Ultimately the changing roster of film producers developed new goals for their project, and the band focused on turning “Perpetual Motion Machines” into an album now available digitally, on CD, and vinyl.

There are two music videos for the album. The latest (was released on November 29) is a performance video “Being” which features the band and vocalist Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd, Flashdance).  

"Being" felt unfinished when the group decided to release this music as an album. Oscar had written a melody that lent itself to vocals, and “we based them around the general concept of existence and trying to inject Jean Paul’s poetic philosophy.” Ultimately, the lyrics came from a more personal place, “this is what Jean-Paul’s art inspired us to do, and we let the music speak for itself.  Pink Floyd backup vocalist Durga McBroom sings on “Being,” which will be released as a video on November 29, the same day as the album.

The first video “Seeds” features artist Jean-Paul Bourdier at work, painting models, was a favorite on prog radio and won “Track of the Week” by Prog Magazine when it was released this past September.

Produced by Navon Weisberg, who helmed the project “as a fan. I removed the technical hurdles and allowed Sepand and Oscar to focus their energy on the music, allowing their emotions to be captured.”  

The album is dedicated to the memory of "Big" Bill Kaylor who engineered early sessions of “Perpetual Motion Machines” and worked on the group’s second album, “In Extremis.”   

Formed exactly 20 years ago in Los Angeles, Sepand and Oscar named the band after Steve Erickson’s novel “Days Between Stations.” The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord inspired the band to work on their music after he used some of Sepand and Oscar’s musical experiments as the basis for “Saturday” on The Pineapple Thief’s “12 Stories Down” album.  The duo continued to work with a range of musicians on what became their first release, “Days Between Stations,” in 2007.  Their 2012 recording “In Extremis” was produced by Yes’ Billy Sherwood. In 2020 they released “Giants,” which included vocals from Durga McBroom on “Witness the End of the World” and voted as Prog Magazine’s Track of the Week.

The band has a history of music in films-dating back to “Radio Song” (from the debut album) licensed in the independent film “Young, Single & Angry” in 2006 and then in 2023 in “Paul & Trisha: The Art of Fluidity,” now featured on Apple Movies. They created the score for a short Mexican movie, “Y Recibir Tu Aliento” in 2017.     

 Perpetual Motion Machines (Music For A Film)
1. Waltz for the Dead  (1:53)
2. Proof of Life (2:49)
3. Seeds (2:39)
4. Unearth (4:21)
5. Intermission 3 (0:52)
6. Stone Faces (3:15)
7. Paradigm Lost (6:24)
8. Ascend (3:14)
9. Being (featuring Durga McBroom) (9:00)

DaysBetweenStations.com

Richard Skipper on The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show

I enjoyed this interview with Richard Skipper for my show. He'll be performing at New York City's Green Room 42 on Dec. 27.

Richard Skipper on The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show

I'm thrilled that Richard.Skipper will be joining my #YouTube #podcast, The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview show, broadcasting starting 6 pm ET/3 pm #PalmSprings time/11 pm UK time on Tuesday, December 3, and the two became friends. She encouraged him to work on creating his "Hello Dolly" show.

I discovered Richard in 2023 from a friend Princess Wow, who still leads a podcast on #Facebook. Richard used to run a podcast on YouTube. He interviewed two of my artists (Elliott Murphy and Sharon Katz). All of us were blown away by how well he prepared for their interviews.

Enjoy this interview. We talk about preparation, his work as a Carol Channing imitator, inclusion, and--of course-- Dolly. here's a lot I've learned from him; you will too!

RichardSkipper.com
CallonDolly.com

Christmas Music, 2024

 

The Light  Elliott Murphy acoustic, Christmas sounds melding with chime-y guitars, male vocalist kindred to Tom Waits, "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel" living in hope, "break from the news" "this world is so transitional," "metaphysical." "cross over that mystical boundary." 

 

I Ruined Christmas  Refestramus  Contemporary art-rock band, female fronted-vocals like Miley Cyrus, bells, "I ruined Christmas this year...It's like I told you before, it won't happen again, my dear."  This is a list of things she's done to reindeer, family members, and the eggnog!  

Today and All The New Year Dan Berggren “Greensleeves,” acoustic guitar and tambourine, sung by a tenor and backup voices with updated lyrics for the New Year, “may we all of humanity live in harmony and find strength in diversity….”, aiming for good deeds Today and All the New Year | Dan Berggren

Joy to The World Rachael Sage  gentle soprano like a young Olivia Newton John’s delivery, music like Regina Spektor’s “Joy to the world” with pulse, cello is rhythm instrument and strings, guitar, light accordion “Joy!Joy!”    

Joy to the World I Guess  Rebecca Loebe and Findlay Napier  This song is about people’s arguments through during the holiday season, and the resolutions we make to fight less, “Joy to the world I guess….  There are friends we no longer will see in the holidays, because they’re shadows in the moonlight on the lawn.”   

loebenapier.bandcamp.com/track/joy-to-the-world-i-guess-2

Happy Merry Everything John Roy Zat  talking country folk w/ bells and guitar, conversational male vocals, "we're all a little different,we're all a lot alike" benediction for Happy Merry Everything, "I wish the best for you." joyful attitude w/ Christmas bells!  soundcloud.com/roy-zat/happy-merry-everything

Why Can’t Everyday Be Like Christmas? - Tang  female vocals.  Pop: Denny Colt sings in a sweet, girl-next door voice and range similar to Cassadee Pope’s or Emma Roberts.  (We have punk hard rock and pop versios of the song, too!)https://soundcloud.com/bad-pacrecords/why-cant-everyday-be-like-christmas_ballad?si=250657e72707477eaa94e926ed06ba38&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing  

Christmas in My Pocket  Lillias White, vocals theatrical pop, declarative female vocals (proclaiming and belting) that all the gems of Christmas in her pocket. "Fill your pockets"  "dig in dig in, what do you see? Santa wants what's in her pocket! "A Christmas wish for all mankind!"  

One Wish Michael Veitch w/ Kirsti Gholson male & female duet, midtempo, light pop, one wish for Christmas day is peace. 

 

ProgGiving with Robeone

“Optimistica”

In these crazy times there’s still so much to be thankful for…

Where do I Begin?

I am thankful for so many things: my wonderful wife and children and to be blessed to share music. I have been so honored to have been part of ProgStock every year and to have so many wonderful music collaborations.

I’m thankful to be able to support the wonderful Bob Moog Foundation with giving them 100% of my music income. I’m thankful for the contributions people are giving this Asheville-based organization that teaches music and math to children.

Here are a few of the wonderful musicians that I have been so honored to be able to play with at a number of Progressive rock festivals that have supported my work since the release of my Robeone albums: Dave Bainbridge, Martin Schnella, Rachel Flowers, Erik Norlander, Ronald Bienstock, Matthew Parmenter, Mike Visaggio, Christina Burbano-Jeffrey, Joe Deninzon, Dyanne Potter Voegtlin, Mike Keneally, Gregg Bendian, Lee Sebel, Mark Truey Trueack, Andrew Colyer, Fernando Perdomo, & Dave Kerzner.

I’m incredibly thankful for being able to be part of a wonderful music project called Red 32 with my great friends Tony Romero, Steve Bonino, & Eric Confer.

For this holiday season please help me support the Bob Moog Foundation

They have the wonderful Bob Moog school, the Moogseum and the Bob Moog archives keeping the legacy of Bob Moog alive. This is done with an innovative, experiential 10-week curriculum that teaches second-grade students the physics of sound using both acoustic and electronic musical instruments.

https://moogfoundation.org/

Sales of my music goes to the Bob Moog Foundation at: https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/robeone

https://bobmoogfoundation.myshopify.com/collections/music

and

https://bobmoogfoundation.bandcamp.com/album/optimistica...

I also give the Foundation, what little there is of any streaming income. All my music is available on all streaming services so please add me to your playlists. It would be greatly appreciated “Robeone”

Have an absolutely wonderful holiday season and a wonderful new year.

Keep the music flowing,

Robeone

Jaclyn Bradley on The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show Talking abo...

My interview with Jaclyn Bradley on leadership and education for the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview show premieres on YouTube this Tuesday evening at 6:00 pm ET/ 3 pm LA time / and Wednesday morning at midnight in Amsterdam.

Joe Deninzon Live Performances

 "Game of Chicken" Live at ProgStock

"Frame by Frame" live at ProgStock

w/ Kansas "Can I Tell You" (Joe's solo at 1:40)

 

With Old Westbury High School students, Electrify Your Strings performance

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius Live

Impromptu Jazz Performance at ProgStock of Chick Corea's "Spain" with Testament's Alex Skolnick & Multi-instrumentalist Rachel Flowers

Live With Kansas "Song for America"

Excerpts of Joe's electric violin concerto, "Dream Diaries," with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra

Joe Deninzon Performing with a Traditional Violinist

Singing the Eagles' "Seven Bridges Road" & Playing Mandolin with Fellow String Players

Looping the DNCE's "Cake by The Ocean"

 

Bronx Historical Society Presents the Kindness Session, a Poetry Writing Workshop

Bronx Historical Society is presenting "The Kindness Session," a poetry workshop on recognizing the difference between kindness and cruelty to channel that in our writing on November 18 at 6 PM till approximately 7:45. The Poetry Workshop takes place at the Poe Visitors Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, in the Bronx. Subways near the Visitors Center are the 4, B, and D train at the Kingsbridge stop.  Buses to the Center are Bx9, Bx22, Bx28, Bx38, and BxM4 (Express bus). The Poe Visitors Center is up the Hill from the Fordham Metro North train stop.

Led by area poets Elisabeth von Uhl and Anne Leighton, the Kindness Session will include sharing works from classic and contemporary including Edgar Allen Poe, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gaye, Maya Angelou, as well as selected poems from attendees.

Once the attendees discuss poems, they’ll be encouraged to think of incidents where they recognize kindness from life experiences, friends and acquaintances, and how it affected their lives. From there, writers will be encouraged to create a first draft of poetry. Writers will read their poems, and be encouraged to revise a first draft by the first week of December.  We’ll have a Zoom get-together with feedback from each other. By Christmas we’ll have created the first part of an online anthology on blogspot, which poets will study, and make “final” corrections. The anthology will go live in 2025. Over the next few years, we’ll be adding more poems to the anthology from other workshops.

Elisabeth von Uhl earned an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Her work has been published in Lunch Ticket, The Cortland Review, SHIFT, cream city Review, The Watershed Review, and other journals and anthologies. She won a 2021 "Bronx Recognizes Its Own" Award, Her chapbook Ocean Sea, and was published by Finishing Line Press. She’s won scholarships and fellowships to Vermont College's Postgraduate Writing Conference, Prague Summer Writer's Seminar, and Greenwich Village Writing workshop. Visit www.elisabethvonuhl.com.

Anne Leighton appears on the Grammy-nominated album, Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat, (Audio & Video Labs) reading her poem “Feed Your Parents Well.” She’s contributed to The Indie Collaborative, The Literary Parrot, Elephant Journal. Her poetry book The Leighton Explosion made enough of a profit to use her earnings to record an original song, “Got My Eye on You, Santa,” which found her a publishing deal with Sheer Music South Africa/Downtown Music, USA.  Visit workinggalrockandroll.blogspot.com.

For more information, please reach out to Elisabeth and/or Anne at e.vonuhl@gmail.com and LeightonMedia@aol.com. 

BCHS Home bronxhistoricalsociety.org

 

Freedom's Child (Steven Wilson Mix)

One of the songs I'm plugging this week is #GentleGiant's Freedom's Child (Steven Wilson Mix) https://youtu.be/xZD-iNK-L74?si=d5j4EjVY2IUdd7hy via @YouTube #firsttime #Summer #Love

Symphonic Rock Pioneers Renaissance Featuring Annie Haslam Will Perform Their ‘In Gratitude’ Farewell Tour Fall 2024!

Renaissance, the legendary symphonic rock band featuring Annie Haslam, will be back in the US playing select dates from October 17th through October 31st. This will mark 54 years since the formation of the band and its 16th consecutive year of touring since its reactivation in 2009.

Renaissance leader and vocalist Annie Haslam remarked that “We are very proud but sad to announce our ‘In Gratitude’ Farewell Tour. Where did the time go? Looking back over the years, I believe we have made history in the worlds of Progressive and Symphonic Rock.”

The upcoming shows will include stunning arrangements of “Ocean Gypsy,” “Northern Lights,” “Forever Changing,” “Mother Russia,” “Carpet of the Sun,” “Ashes are Burning” and other favorite classics. Ms. Haslam will be joined on stage by long-time musical associate Rave Tesar on piano, along with Mark Lambert on guitars/vocals, Geoffrey Langley on keyboards/vocals, Frank Pagano on drums, percussion/vocals, and John Galgano on bass.

Annie Haslam noted that “Performing with Renaissance since 1971 has been my whole life. I still love singing these unique, surreal, dramatic and romantic songs and pairing up with some of the finest orchestras in the world. All of this was born from the music of Michael Dunford, John Tout, Terry Sullivan and Jon Camp combined with the emotional and poetic words of Betty Thatcher. Our music has filled the hearts and minds of many thousands of fans around the world. It started for me, with a dream from my childhood that ended in this miracle called Renaissance! Rave Tesar, is an extraordinary man and musician I have worked with in my solo band since 1989 and with Renaissance since 2009. He has also been a very big help in keeping the band 'alive'! Some very talented musicians have stepped into our band, and their devotion and hard work have added to the band’s touring longevity and personality.”

Renaissance is a band with a rich history unique unto themselves as progressive rock pioneers who rose from the ashes of the seminal UK rock band, The Yardbirds. Acclaimed for their unique blending of progressive rock with classical and symphonic influences, the band's career has spanned fifty plus years spearheaded by the 5-octave voice of Annie Haslam and the masterful songwriting skills of Michael Dunford, John Tout, Jon Camp and Terry Sullivan. They are widely considered to be the band that most successfully and routinely utilized the sound of a full orchestra in their recordings.  

The band has toured throughout the world and has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Chorale Society. Renaissance had a top ten hit in the UK with their song “Northern Lights” that still demands airplay to this day.

Renaissance: In Gratitude Farewell Tour Dates 2024

Thursday October 17, 2024 – The Town Hall, New York, NY 

Friday October 18, 2024 – Lewis A. Swyer Theatre at the Egg, Albany, NY 

Saturday October 19, 2024 – The Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT

Sunday October 20, 2024 – City Winery Boston, Boston,  MA 

Wednesday October 23, 2024 – The Theater at Innovation Square, Rochester, NY 

Thursday October 24, 2024 – Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer, NY 

Friday October 25, 2024 – The Newton Theatre, Newton, NJ 

Saturday October 26, 2024 – Lansdowne Theater, Lansdowne, PA 

Tuesday October 29 & 30, 2024 - Edwardsville, IL, Wildey Theatre, Edwardsville IL (St. Louis, MO)

 

Lorain’s Jaclyn Bradley shares new single, “Hometown” at Rockin’ on the River

Jaclyn Bradley performed her newest song, “Hometown” at Rockin’ On the River in Lorain, Friday, August 30.

“Hometown,” penned by Bradley and co-writer Derek Connell, is about returning to Lorain after several years away. Bradley sang the song to thousands at Black River Landing over the weekend, opening for headliner Vegas McGraw.

Accompanied by Dougie Manross on guitar, Bradley introduced the song, stating “I am a proud Lorain girl and it’s an honor for us to share this song with you tonight. It’s for

anyone who has ever left home and found everything they were searching for back where they started.” Both Bradley and Manross teach voice and guitar at Rock Town Music Academy in downtown Lorain. Bradley shared a heartfelt rendition of the song as many members of the audience sang along.

“The crowd went wild” stated Miriam Lugo Kunda via Facebook.

The music video for “Hometown,” which appears exclusively on Jaclyn’s Facebook page, features many local Lorain businesses, personalities and landmarks, has reached nearly 90 thousand views within the first week of its release and has received an abundance of positive feedback:

Chere Mason Cook stated via Facebook, “With all the negative people always talk, THIS video brings a lot of pride for our great city and its people.”

Ann Duchess shared, “I have tears. Lorain is not my hometown but I worked there long enough to keep it in my heart.”

Rachel Cruz commented, “ I moved away from Ohio when I was 19 and moved back when I was 32 and this hit home to me.”

Jaclyn Bradley, along with Mike Neff, will open for Deana Carter, singer of the hit country ballad “Strawberry Wine,” on Nov 16th at The Lorain Palace Theater. Bradley plans to share “Hometown” and its b-side “Burn for You” at the concert. Both songs were released in July and available on music streaming platforms such as iTunes, YouTube Music, and Spotify.

“I am happy people are connecting to their roots through this song,” says Bradley, “Music is so powerful. It is a privilege to make music that has the potential of making a positive impact."

The Kings Still Reign: Canadian Rock Legends Defy 'One-Hit Wonder' Label as “Nowhere to Go But Gone” Climbs U.S. Charts

Forty-four years ago, they declared The Kings Are Here. Now Canada’s cherished rock legends are specifying exactly where “here” is: on the charts and rising.

This week, The Kings’ ridiculously compelling “Nowhere to Go But Gone” climbs to #42 on the Mediabase CHR Activator list—a nigh-on-miraculous showing for a Canadian classic-rock band on US radio. It’s a designation that shows the tune continues to spread like wildfire, receiving airplay in markets from Utah to Florida to Cape Cod. If this keeps up, the group might have to issue an official clarification that the title of their documentary, Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder, was meant with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Because really, The Kings never went away. Yes, they’re still best known for their breakout double A-sided single, “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide,” which peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980 and ultimately spent 23 weeks on that chart—not to mention earning the band a gold single award, a Juno nomination and induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The success of the insanely catchy numbers also eventually drove their debut album, the aforementioned The Kings Are Here, to platinum-level sales in Canada. But in the ensuing decades, they’ve put out an absolute wealth of stellar material, on albums like Amazon Beach, RSVP, Unstoppable, Party Live in ’85, The Lost Tapes of a Seventies Bar Band and Because of You. Unstoppable alone yielded a cornucopia of Canadian hits, including the title track, “Lesson To Learn," "Shoulda Been Me," "Parting Of The Ways," and the killer ballad "If We Don't Belong Together."

“Nowhere to Go But Gone” proves that their mettle as hitmakers remains undiminished. It’s an appropriately driving little ditty in which lead singer/bassist David Diamond namechecks all the places he’s about to hit on a much-needed jaunt behind the wheel:

Gonna head out on the highway 

The highway is my friend 

Gonna head out west  

Where the highway ends

Then I’ll stop in Vancouver 

Turn south towards LA

Twelve hundred miles of surfers 

Waiting for a wave  

There is no trip like a road trip

Nowhere to go, nowhere to go

Nowhere to go but gone

But what gradually comes into focus is that he’s actually singing about taking a breather from a relationship, to get a better perspective on why it’s one worth keeping. This is a song not of freedom and the endless open road, but of renewal and the journey home.

Oh, but when I return 

The bridges I burned 

Have been reassembled

Good to take a breather

Good to get some air

Good to be reminded 

Of what it’s like out there

As recorded, the entire performance is a tour de force of moxie by Diamond, guitarist/co-composer Mister Zero, keyboardist Sonny Keyes (all three of them cofounders of the group) and drummer Todd Reynolds (who’s been firmly entrenched in the lineup since 2007). The track was co-produced by the band and recording engineer Chris Snow (a veteran of sessions with the likes of Barenaked Ladies, Big Wreck and Arkells) and mixed by Garth Richardson (who has produced Rage Against the Machine and engineered records by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nickelback and numerous other heavy hitters).

The song comes from The Kings’ most recent album, 2023’s The Longest Story Ever Told, which kept the faith with the group’s hardcore following while earning widespread critical acclaim. “Call it a comeback if you will, but regardless, it’s clear The Kings still rule,” raved American Songwriter.

With more than 2,000 live shows under their belt, these boys are perpetually in demand as a concert act throughout the Western hemisphere. The latest jewel in their crown was an August gig at the Kitchener Blues Festival Canada, and come November 8, they’ll be “gettin’ gone” all the way down to Planet Hollywood Cancun for the five-day The Sands festival, where they’ll appear alongside fellow ’80s survivors Rick Springfield, Bret Michaels, The Fixx, Level 42, Lou Gramm and Ace Frehley.

And believe it or not, they’re even bigger virtually: The official video for “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide” has surpassed 6 million views on YouTube. In a further test of the hit’s enduring appeal, Chicago DJ Bob Stroud included it in his audience poll of the greatest one-two punches in music history—songs no listener or programmer would ever dare separate. The Kings landed at #1 on that list, above ubiquitous musical conjoined twins like “Living Loving Maid/Heartbreaker” by Led Zeppelin and even “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions by Queen.

Now, with “Nowhere to Go But Gone,” The Kings are back to prove there’s plenty more gas in their tank. More than four decades later, we’re all still “holding hands as David Diamond sings” (as they once sang on their haunting “Love Store”). To say this beat goes on is an understatement: Once the world switches to glide, apparently, it just never switches back.

###

 

Hank Wedel, “What Happens in Cork”

"Clearly loved by his peers for his generosity, Hank is very happy to share his stage."

-The Irish Examiner 

With songs inspired by good time artists including The Lovin' Spoonful, Grateful Dead, and Richard Thompson, Hank Wedel brings comradery to his music and his fans in both recordings and shows. His new album, the 10-song “What Happens in Cork” –released August 25— was produced by Declan Sinnott (Christy Moore). The album features 9 songs written by Hank, and one song written by Declan. Guest artists on the album are a who’s who of players especially from the Cork County scene. 

"There are a few reasons I decided to give the name, '"What Happens in Cork,'” says Hank. “First, I find myself saying ‘it’s what happens in Cork,’ when I explain nightly events in Cork City and County. I’ve heard it said, ‘if you love Cork, it has a way of keeping you,’ and ‘if you marry a Cork woman, you’ll end up living there…’ ‘Cork City is the only city in Ireland that hasn’t forgotten what it is.’”

When Hank saw an image by Cork’s longtime music photographer, “Murphy Kie” of Hank hamming it up like a warrior with his guitar versus soldier statues at Cork’s Elizabeth Fort, “What Happens in Cork” became his slogan, (future) podcast, and this collection of songs! 

Hank recorded “What Happens in Cork” at Declan’s studio in The Hills of Bandon, Co. Cork during the global lockdowns from 2020 into 2023.    

Hank Wedel was born in Dayton, Ohio, USA 1963, raised in New York City and Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland. Based in Cork City, this guitarist/vocalist/ songwriter/recording artist/band leader has performed thousands of gigs from The North Pole to The Canary Islands, all over The USA and Europe as well as recording/releasing albums and singles of his own material, solo or with bands "Princes Street," "Open Kitchen," and "Small Town Talk."  This year 2024, Hank celebrates 50 years of living in Ireland, 40 years of being based as a musician in Cork City and 30 years of a Monday Night residency with mandolin supremo Ray Barron at Charlies Bar, Cork City. In his time Hank has performed onstage with Shane McGowan, Mary Black, Christy Moore, Kila, Philomena Begley, and Bono.

Meet Refestramus’ Main Instrumentalists in New Music Video, “Side Hustle” Stay in touch with Band Muse, the Amazing Agent M!

Refestramus’ new music video “Side Hustle, from the group’s “Intourist” album, introduces the Refestramus’ instrumental members (drummer/composer/wizard Derek Ferguson, guitarist/bassist Derek Pavlic, producer/flute player Ian Beabout, and saxophonist Mitch Lawrence - saxes) and continues exposing the on camera life of the band’s muse, the Amazing Agent Mikrovolnovka! 

The song, “Side Hustle” presents a multitude of entendres. Derek notes that as “side hustles” are “little entrepreneurial efforts that people try while they are working their main jobs – hoping to find some way of becoming their own bosses.  Then there’s the phrase ‘side piece, which I’m told refers to someone with whom someone is having an affair. I think the protagonist of the song is trying to convince the object of their affection – a noble person– to think of an affair not so much as becoming a ‘side piece’ that it’s ‘only’ a ‘side hustle.’”  In the video it’s Agent M when she’s undercover -- first as an accountant and then as a librarian.  Those were her ‘side hustles.’” 
 
The song, which originally recorded on Colouratura’s recent album "WTF Was That?!." Was inspired while Derek was walking his dog, and thinking it was a great piece for his band, Refestramus…. But then he remembered that Colouratura’s Ian Beabout played flute. "So, the song itself has become a kind of side hustle for me.’” 

ProgUK says “Intourist” is “likeable, uplifting… a home-cooked slice of melody rich prog.” They conclude that “… the smile on its face is infectious.”

Progressor.net calls “Intouríst” a “love letter to the music and spirit of the 1970s” that is “worth a check”

Refestramus.  Named after a word his mother made up to mean “rearrange,” Derek and his producer – Colouratura’s Ian Beabout – liked it because it wasn’t a legitimate word. “A web search will only turn up our band!”

Refestramus was born May 2020 as Derek’s home studio project during the COVID pandemic. Having been in a variety of progressive rock bands in his native Chicago and an avid listener of Ian Beabout’s Internet radio program “Prog Rock Deep Cuts,” he reached out to Ian to mix and master the recordings. Ian, who plays flute and sings on some tracks on Intourist, introduced Derek to Colouratura bandmates Derek Pavlic and Nathan James, Saxophonist Mitch Lawrence and Wisconsin multi-instrumentalist Jerry King, who plays bass on Intourist. Adding prog multi-instrumentalist Dave Newhouse, who contributed accordion, helped Derek Ferguson guide the album to completion.

Refestramus’ debut album, "Decoupage," was released in December of 2021. In 2022, Refestramus released the EP, "From the Sublime to the Ridiculous."