Refestramus’ third studio album, “Morri’s Rock Boutique,” is available through Melodic Revolution Records. This nine-track release is available on all streaming media. Fans can order a the CD with two bonus tracks (“Wasteland Pt. 1” and “Another Country”) at refestramus.bandcamp.com/album/morri-s-rock-boutique .
Prog UK calls “Morri’s Rock Boutique” “enjoyably
vibrant and hooky.”
Echoes and
Dust praises the
album’s “cinematic landscape with its surrealistic wonders, ghost-town
amusement parks, and the haunting ghost that spooks the location”!
Powerplay writes the album features “Grown
up prog full of Great musicianship and songwriting.”
“Morri’s Rock Boutique” charts a path through collapse and
illusion toward clarity—where the joke turns serious: right and wrong still
exist, and you still answer to them.
A concept album
about surviving the absurd—emotionally, spiritually, and politically—
“Morri’s Rock Boutique” moves through storms of loss, collapse, and memory
toward moments of humor, tenderness, and human connection. Blending folklore,
mental health, myth, and modern life into an eclectic progressive-rock
soundscape, the record explores the fragile beauty of becoming: not perfection,
but refinement.
Across the
album, each song presents its own vignette. “Storms” frames a human life like a
thunderstorm—powerful, beautiful, and temporary. “The Lucky Ones” nods to the
Sermon on the Mount’s upside-down blessings and features Crack the Sky
guitarist Rick Witkowski. “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight,
Tonight” (feat. Lynx of Old Blood) plays like a David Lynch
noir—dreamlike, unstable, and haunted by the question of what’s real and what’s
remembered—until the only way out is forgiveness.
“The Cossack’s
Dream,” featuring Kansas electric violinist Joe Deninzon, is
Refestramus’ English-language adaptation of a traditional Slavic song.
“Lakeview Samurai” is a surreal character sketch set in Chicago—part satire,
part fever dream. “Hell or NYC?” features Van der Graaf Generator
saxophonist David Jackson, leaning into the album’s vertigo and
dark comedy.
The record’s
culminating epic, “Deathless,” draws on Slavic folklore’s Kashchey the
Deathless—a figure who feeds on conflict and feels at home in the smoke of
war—unfolding as a three-part suite: “Above Volokov’s Mill,” “Goodbye,
America!,” and “And He Always Will.”
“Morri’s Rock Boutique” is produced by Ian Beabout, mostly in Dan Bozek’s studio at Aardvark Productions in Steubenville, Ohio. The group Refestramus is a Chicago-based progressive rock project blending literate songwriting, political reflection, and classic prog influences. Led by Derek Ferguson (songwriter, drums), Refestramus features Jan Christiana (vocals/keys/guitars/bass) and Dyanne Potter Voegtlin (keys/vocals) of Octarine Sky, with Mitch Lawrence (saxophones, clarinet).
Refestramus are booking concerts and have confirmed they’ll
be returning to the International Pop Overthrow in Chicago at the Montrose
Saloon on April 25.
Track-list:
1. Storms 04:33
2. The Cossack’s Dream (feat. Joe Deninzon) 05:37
3. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (feat. Lynx) 07:37
4. Lakeview Samurai (feat. Nam Chumo) 04:15
5. Hell or NYC? (feat. David Jackson) 06:02
6. Deathless (incl. Above Volkov’s Mill, Goodbye America! and He Always Will
08:32
7. The Lucky Ones (feat. Rick Witkowski) 04:21
8. Wasteland, pt1 04:19
9. Another Country 04:02
Total Running Time: 47:98 Minutes
Musicians
Ian Beabout – Production, Mixing, Mastering, and Screaming “Watch out for
the katana!”
Derek Ferguson – Drums and Screaming “Hey buddy, shut the fuck up!”
Mitch Lawrence – Clarinet and Saxes
Associated Artists – Special Guests:
Jan Christiana – Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, and Vocals (Tracks 1-3, 5-7)
Dyanne Potter Voegtlin – Keyboards and Vocals (Tracks 1-3, 5-7)
Dyanne Voegtlin and Jan Christiana appear courtesy of Octarine Sky
octarinesky.com
Arrangements by Refestramus and Jan Christiana
Derek Pavlic – Additional Guitars (Tracks 1-4) and Viola (Track 2)
Dan Bozek – Additional Bass (Track 4)
Tanaka Seijin ( ⽥ 中 正 ⼈ – Shamisen, Koto, and Shakuhachi (Track 4 ）
Cover art by Refestramus and Veseli ć &Veseli ć
Produced by Ian Beabout and Refestramus
All words and music by Derek Ferguson, except:
“The Cossack’s Dream” – traditional Russian song, lyrics translated by Derek
Ferguson
Mixed and Mastered by Ian Beabout at ShedSounds Recordings
Recorded Feb-May 2025: Aardvark Productions & The Rec Room, Steubenville,
OH: Studio L, Weirton, WV; Uberwald Elektroakustik Chicago, Il
Engineered by Ian Beabout, Jan Christiana, Dan Bozek, and Rick Witkowski
©2025. Published by Refestramus Music Publishing.
Licensed to and Distributed by Melodic Revolution Records
