Lions Pride Music is extremely pleased to announce the immediate release of the first single from From the Fire's new album, "OctOpus".
"'Madman' is one of the harder-edged tracks from the upcoming album", says Carsten Nielsen, president of Lions Pride, "and because of its political message, we decided it would be a good first choice for release".
"What started out as very cool riff and bass line evolved into a message song", says Tommy Lafferty, co-author of the tune, "and it was a song we've been dying to record properly for a long time".
J.D. Kelly, who co-wrote the song, says "It's a song about madmen - despots, emperors, dictators, men of absolute power, or those who seek absolute power at any cost. Over the years it's existed, the song could have been about any one of dozens of bad people in modern history. It just happens that it fits perfectly into the current political climate of the United States, and we sort of expanded on that."
The song is available for download on CD Baby (visit the Lions Pride web site, and the From The Fire web site for more info), and will also be a part of the new album when it is released in a couple of weeks. The release also officially marks the first of several planned between From The Fire and Lions Pride.
Lions Pride Music is ecstatic to have signed a classic act like FROM THE FIRE for their up and coming new studio album, “OctOpus”, due out late 2016. Also to follow will be re-press of the band’s first two albums, “Evil Men Do”, and of course the classic debut album, “Thirty Days & Dirty Nights”.
A LITTLE HISTORY
In August 1990, a band was formed to showcase the songwriting talents of New Jersey native Nadine Arel. Michael Sciotto was going to be the drummer; Paul St. James (Drive She Said) would play bass, and Arel would play keys.
Mike called Long Islander J.D. Kelly to check out the material. Since he'd been a fan of Sciotto's talents for a while, Kelly was anxious to meet the band - and it only took a few moments of listening to the songs to realize that the group's potential was huge. Kelly joined on the spot, and brought some songs of his own.
Only one piece was missing. Voodoo X Guitarist Tommy Lafferty - who had been in cover bands with Kelly, and was a friend of Sciotto - was contacted to see if he knew of any guitar players looking for a gig. Tommy replied "Yeah... me". That reply started a series of events that would take the band from an unknown, unsigned act to a top-flight AOR outfit with a record deal, all in the space of less than a week.
The magic started when the newly-formed band was spotted at their very first gig a tribute to the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughaan, only weeks after his passing by indie-label execs Mark Brian Levine annd Steven Marder, who approached the group after their set and offered a contract with their label, Metropolis Records. The timing was right, the label offer was a great one, and the band members knew that opportunity was knocking loudly.
GO TIME
What happened next was a blur of contract signings, packing, and flying out to Los Angeles to meet producer Jean Beauvoir and co-producer/Engineer Pat Regan at Fortress Sound. The first week saw intense rehearsal, and the choosing of nine songs for the album, including two covers: the Lafferty/Beauvoir composition "Same Song", and a cover of Eric Carmen's classic "Go All The Way".
Rough mixes were promising. The strong performances of the band had set a great foundation for Beauvoir and Regan's polish and finesse, and the combination gave the album a slick, top-class feel. As Christmas approached, the band prepared to return to the New York tri-state area. Beauvoir and Regan stayed behind at Fortress Sound to reset the studio and mix the album. It was around that time that a late night session of a different kind took place at the band's condo: the long days and even longer nights of recording, publicity, and activities of the unofficial kind had inspired a simple name for the upcoming release: "Thirty Days and Thirty Nights". During a loud playback in the control room Record Exec Mark Levine asked the band what the working title of the album was, Tommy replied Thirty Days and Thirty Nights, Mark chuckled at the title. When asked what was so funny Mark replied, “Great title, Thirty Days and Dirty Nights..huh??? A Classic was born, thx Mark!
TRACTION
In late 1991 a European label called Music for Nations grabbed the chance to distribute the album across the Atlantic. Active Records pressed the release, and put it on the market in the UK, Spain, Germany, France, and throughout the continent. Initial press was phenomenal; "Raw", "Kerranng", "Metal Edge", and the Belgian magazine "Rock Report" all praised the record - the last, in Flemish - and it seemed that things were looking up. The band continued to rehearse and write songs, some of which were demo'd in a crude home studio in Kelly's apartment. The recording gear was nothing special, but those songs - including a cover of Brett Smiley's "Blame it on the Moon", delivered to the band by none other than legendary rock impresario Andrew Loog Oldham himself, were... so much so that a leaked copy of the home studio sessions resulted in a bootleg release via Japan.
Despite the great press and solid response, the pre-Internet distance between the band and its fan base took its toll, and From The Fire started to fragment into smaller projects, as members pursued opportunities outside of the group.
On the night of October 17, 1992, at NYC's Rocketeria, From the Fire performed what would be their last live show for over 20 years.
PHOENIX RISES
A re-release of "Thirty Days" in 2009 sparked talk of a reunion, but the actual re-assembling of the band would take place in 2013, when Sciotto, Kelly, and Lafferty converged on Sciotto's upstate New York studio to record "Evil Men Do". The album was ready literally just in time for the band's live performance at the 2014 "Firefest" in Nottingham, UK. Containing strong AOR and melodic rock elements, it remains a collectible that has seen a very limited pressing.
In late summer of 2015, Kelly and Lafferty took up production of From The Fire's third album, "OctOpus", going so far as to release two songs from the album onto social media for their fans to enjoy. The first song, "You Will Survive", is a tribute to the late singer Jimi Jamison, who had a tremendous influence on Kelly both as a singer and songwriter. The second, "The Night I Made You Mine", is a haunting piece about a tryst between lovers - and the heartbreak it ultimately causes them both.
With the balance of the songs to be recorded leaning heavily toward the style of classic American AOR, "OctOpus" is slated for completion in early 2016, with some "familiar names" in the production credits. As of this writing, Lafferty and Kelly are assembling a top-shelf live band to support the album with American and European tour dates to be announced upon the record's release. Stay tuned.
From The Fire have completed work on their new album and will release Evil Men Do in October.
"Pat Regan, who co-produced and engineered the first From The Fire album, "Thirty Days, Dirty Nights", has signed on to mix and add his ear to the finalizing of the upcoming From The Fire release, "Evil Men Do", slated to emerge immediately after the mixing and mastering are done. A single, "In Your Dreams", will be available for download prior to the album drop, in early October.
It's been a long process - far longer than the band anticipated, but the result of our collective efforts, helped greatly in the studio by the talents of Nicky Moroch, is one that we're proud of, and that we think our fans will enjoy.
We look forward to having the album in our hands in time for Firefest in late October, and we can't wait to see "Evil Men Do" join our first record in the collections of AOR fans everywhere.
Pat Regan, whose many credits include production, mixing, engineering, and musical contributions to albums by Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple, Saga, Warrant, Weird Al Yankovic, Crown of Thorns, and most recently, Mr. Big, is a perfect fit for the band's sound.
From The Fire will keep everyone updated as we move closer to the release. God bless you all, and thank you for the years of being there. We'll see you in the UK in a few weeks. We love you."
