Critically acclaimed and six-time GRAMMY Award nominated musical virtuosos, THE DIXIE DREGS (a.k.a The Dregs), are gearing up for a national U.S. tour starting February 28. The performances will mark the first time in 40 years the original band--Steve Morse (guitar), Andy West (bass), Allen Sloan (violin), Steve Davidowski (keyboards) and Rod Morgenstein (drums)--will share the stage. Tickets are on sale now.
The "DAWN OF THE DREGS" 25-date tour--with additional dates to be announced soon--will take the band across the country starting on February 28 in Clearwater, FL and make stops in Atlanta, Charleston, Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Boulder and Phoenix, among many others,before wrapping April 25 in Dallas, TX. For more information about the "DAWN OF THE DREGS" tour and to purchase tickets, visit:http://dixiedregs.com/.
"This tour is the result of the overwhelming requests we've received from a loyal audience of diehard Dregheads, and new fans who have never seen us perform live, but discovered the band for the first time through Steve's membership in Deep Purple, or Rod as the drummer for Winger," said Dreg's bassist, Andy West. "We can't wait to playfor them all," adds West.
For guitar aficionados, Steve Morse needs no introduction, and his place in the pantheon of guitar greats is certain. But in fact, his career started with the DIXIE DREGS. The band traces its true beginnings to the band Dixie Grit, which started in a Georgia high school with Steve on guitar and Andy West on bass. Dixie Grit morphed into the DIXIE DREGS at the University of Miami School of Music, where Allen Sloan (violin) and Rod Morgenstein (drums) joined up with Steve and Andy, who were the "dregs" of Dixie Grit.
The members of the DIXIE DREGS remained committed to attending the University of Miami School of Music, which hosted a lively and talented musical community during their tenure, including future greats Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, T Lavitz, and Bruce Hornsby, among manyothers. In 1975, the group's demo album, The Great Spectacular, was recorded at the University of Miami and then re-released on CD in 1997.
After graduation, the band moved back to Augusta where Steve Davidowski (keyboards) completed the band. The band paid its dues and honed its skills playing in bars and venues throughout the South in the mid-70's. They established themselves in the firmament of American instrumental music, seamlessly fusing rock with progressive and jazz elements to create a uniquely instrumental-driven style that has stood the test of time.
Based on a short demo and a tip from former Allman Brothers keyboardist Chuck Leavell along with legendary Allman/Dregs tour manager Twiggs Lyndon, Capricorn Records signed the DIXIE DREGS to record Free Fall (1977). The success and critical acclaim of Free Fallannounced the DIXIE DREGSto the world, and after its release, they would become a cult-favorite band that would have a lasting influence on much of modern rock.
Catch DIXIE DREGS on the road in the following cities with more to be announced:
DATE CITY VENUE
Wed 2/28 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theatre
Thu 3/1 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Fri 3/2 Augusta, GA Bell Auditorium
Sat 3/3 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
Mon 3/5 Charleston, SC Charleston Music Hall
Tue 3/6 Durham, NC Carolina Theater
Wed 3/7 Washington, DC Lincoln Theater
Thu 3/8 Wilmington, DE The Grand Opera House
Fri 3/9 Collingswood, NJ Scottish Rite Auditorium
Sat 3/10 Newton, NJ Newton Theater
Wed 3/14 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse
Thu 3/15 Huntington, NY The Paramount
Fri 3/16 New York, NY Town Hall
Sat 3/17 Woodstock, NY Bearsville Theater
Mon 3/19 Boston, MA Wilbur Theater
Wed 3/21 Albany, NY The Egg
Thu 3/22 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall
Fri 3/23 Cleveland, OH Kent Stage
Sat 3/24 Chicago, IL The Vic Theater
Wed 4/11 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
Sat 4/14 Boulder, CO Boulder Theatre
Fri 4/20 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House
Sat 4/21 Agoura Hills, CA The Canyon Club
Sun 4/22 Phoenix, AZ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
DEEP PURPLE RELEASING inFINITE (GOLD EDITION) + THE inFINITE LIVE RECORDINGS, VOL. 1 ON DECEMBER 8 VIA earMUSIC
Due to the world wide success of the Deep Purple's latest album, inFinite, earMUSIC is issuing a special, two-CD release of the project, titled inFinite (Gold Edition), on December 8. Disc 1 contains inFinite + Disc 2 features The inFinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1.
As a companion piece, The inFinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1 will also be made available on the same date in a limited 3-LP 180-Gram Gatefold vinyl, as well as digitally.
The inFinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1 was recorded at this years Hellfest 2017 in France and contains "Bloodsucker," which is a Deep Purple classic that is rarely a part of the band's setlist.
To celebrate these releases, the band has shared two videos.
Watch the "Bloodsucker" lyric video here.
Watch "The Surprising" video, which premiered via Ultimate Classic Rock, here.
Deep Purple reveal title, release date and first song from their new album “inFinite”, the highly anticipated follow up to their most recent worldwide chart topping album “NOW What?!”.
“inFinite” will be released on April 7th by earMUSIC.
“Time For Bedlam”, an up-tempo classic Deep Purple song, has just been made available via a lyric video:
The song will be available as instant grat as part of the digital album preorder as well as on all streaming platforms starting from Thursday, December 15th, midnight worldwide with the physical preorder of the album to start at the same time.
A limited edition EP for “Time For Bedlam”, with non-album songs and unreleased recordings will hit the shops on February 3rd.
A documentary movie, witnessing the songwriting process and the recording of the album with producer Bob Ezrin, has been produced, allowing for the first time for the fans to be part of the private band member interactions in the studio.
The movie will be included in some editions of the album and it will be presented before release in various fan events worldwide.
Deep Purple have recently announced their “Long Goodbye Tour”, which will bring the legendary live show once again all over the world.
Deep Purple have not yet answered, in fact, the many questions received by fans from all over the world who are speculating about the meaning of the title “inFinite” and "Long Goodbye".
Singer Ian Gillan has in fact declared:
“If you take it literally you may, quite reasonably, think the ‘Finite’ part of the word describes the life of Deep Purple, with a clear beginning and a nebulous end; but what of the ‘in’ bit? The word infinite is a three-dimensional double edged sword. It describes something that goes on forever in all directions; not unlike its temporal equivalent ‘Eternal’ What’s that all about?
Stephen Hawking declared (in ‘A brief History of Time’) that, before the Big Bang there was nothing. That would put the kybosh on the idea of our universe being Infinite, as he provides a starting point, which is not acceptable to the concept. So, Hawking’s universe in ‘Finite’; by definition; whether he agrees or not.
Ironically, he is quite wrong (scientists always are eventually), therefore the Universe is infinite, which means it will never end, and also means that it never started, and the corollary to that of course is that we don’t exist.
There is a metaphysical solution to all this, but it will have to wait until the tour is over because (thanks heavens) there are only 24 hours in a day (for the time being) or 10 hours in a metric day.
More on that later…”
* * *
NOW What?! has charted at #1 in 5 European countries.
NOW What?! has charted in the Top 10 in over 15 countries worldwide.
NOW What?! has gained Gold Status in Germany for over 100.000 copies sold.
The two video releases “From the Setting Sun… (In Wacken)” and “…To the Rising Sun (In Tokyo)”, released on the same day, charted at #1 and #2 in the UK on the same week in the Music Video Charts, witnessing the success of the NOW What?! tour.
Flying Colors have released their new video for the song Mask Machine. View it here:
Mascot Label Group and Flying Colors have announced a September 29 release date in Europe and the U.K. for the band'sSECOND NATURE album via the Music Theories label.
The music press acknowledged the eponymously titled debut album from Flying Colors among the most compelling releases of 2012. Combining the talents including Deep Purple/Dixie Dregs/ex-Kansas guitarist Steve Morse, drummer Mike Portnoy(Transatlantic, Winery Dogs, ex-Dream Theater), Neal Morse (Transatlantic, Spock’s Beard and a prolific solo artist), bass playerDave LaRue (Dixie Dregs, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and more) with a comparatively new talent, singer/songwriter Casey McPherson, the band mixed virtuoso music with melodic songwriting by crafting new-fashioned music the old-fashioned way.
Cleopatra Records To Release Guitars For Wounded Warriors CD Featuring Steve Morse, Billy Sheehan, Hal Lindes, Bumblefoot and Others
'...incredible and innovative guitar playing' - Hal Lindes of Dire Straits
Los Angeles, CA - From veteran multi-Emmy Award winning producer/composer Brian Tarquin comes this very special project featuring an incredible cast of musical virtuosos playing their hearts out for America's fallen soldiers! Tarquin produced, engineered and composed 'Guitars For Wounded Warriors', which showcases Tarquin's guitar prowess on every song along side such world-class shredders as Steve Morse, Billy Sheehan, Gary Hoey, Bumblefoot (Gun n Roses), Reb Beach (Whitesnake), Hal Lindes (Dire Straits), Chris Poland (Megadeth) and Chuck Loeb. The album features exclusively released tracks inspired by those military soldiers who have fought for country.
The Multi Emmy Award winning composer/guitarist Brian Tarquin has established himself as a top rate TV composer/recording artist and owner of Jungle Room Studios. In 2002, 2003 and 2005 he won an 'Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series' and has been nominated for an Emmy 6 times. In 2006 SESAC honored him with the Network Television Performance Award. Tarquin first graced the Top 20 Billboard Charts back in 1997 with the commercial release; 'This is Acid Jazz, Vol. 2' on Instinct Records, followed by several solo jazz albums, which charted Top 10 at Contemporary Jazz Radio in the late 90's. From 1996 to 2001, Brian recorded four solo albums, 'Ghost Dance', 'Last Kiss Goodbye', 'Soft Touch' and 'High Life' and has appeared in over 32 releases, selling over 140,000 records in his career.
'What an honor to be part of this album, to play alongside many of the best players out there! Had a blast trading solos with Brian Tarquin!! And best of all, this album supports an important cause, Wounded Warriors. Love to our Warriors, and to everyone for their support.' - Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal of Guns N Roses
'Absolute perfection!!' - Reb Beach of Whitesnake & Winger
'It is an honor to be a part of this cause. I was just turning drafting age at the end of the Vietnam War, and I still remember that the returning military weren't always treated with the greatest respect. For our modern, volunteer military, we hopefully have learned to show our respect and gratitude. They don't set the policy, but they set the standards.' - Steve Morse
'I had a blast playing bass on Black Hawk! It's a cool riff that pushes the song into a slick overdrive. Nice! Also, and more importantly, the cause it supports is supremely important to me and I'm honored to contribute to our brave soldiers in any way possible. Glad to be involved in this wonderful project!' - Billy Sheehan
'It's challenging, but always fun working with Brian. I feel we both have similar taste in music and in our approach to creating it. We are both searching for that elusive tone or phrase.' - Chris Poland of Megadeth
'I had a lot of fun playing on it, The Band killed....!' - Chuck Loeb
'When Brian Tarquin sent me the song 'Baghdad' to play on I instantly loved it, very Black Sabbath feel. Brian killed it! 5 Licks To Hell by Brian Tarquin is a very riff driven song ala Dio/Sabbath we do some crazy trade off leads Brian is the real deal!' - Gary Hoey
'I'm honored and proud to be part of this!' - Alex De Rosso of Dokken
'A huge credit to Brian for giving us'and the other artists appearing here'the abilityity to practice their craft freely. That vibe resonates deeply with the concept behind this release: recognizing those who've fought and were wounded defending our freedom. Here's to all the freedom fighters that enrich our lives'and our art.' - The Flyyin' Ryan Brothers
' 'Freedom' is freaking awesome...Love the tone from Brian Tarquin & Steve Morse. Thank you for giving Floyd Rose guitars that kind of exposure.' - Mike Plunkett from Floyd Rose
Tracks:
1. Black Hawk feat. Billy Sheehan
2. Taliban Terror feat. Bumblefoot & Rob Beach
3. Charlie Surfs feat. Chris Poland
4. 5 Klicks To Hell feat. Gary Hoey
5. Surgical Strike feat. The Flyin' Ryan Brothers
6. Hunting feat. Chris Poland
7. Baghdad feat. Gary Hoey
8. Broken Arrow feat. Alex De Rosso
9. Sand & Blood feat. Hal Lindes
10. Escape Kabul feat. Chuck Loeb
11. Freedom feat. Steve Morse
FEATURING STEVE MORSE, MIKE PORTNOY, DAVID LARUE,
CASEY MCPHERSON, NEAL MORSE
RELEASED BY MUSIC THEORIES / MASCOT LABEL GROUP UK/EUROPE RELEASE: 29th SEPTEMBER
NORTH AMERICA RELEASE: 30th SEPTEMBER
TOUR STARTS 2nd OCTOBER WITH DATES IN LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO, PHILADELPHIA, BARCELONA, MILAN, TILBERG, FRANKFURT, PRATTELN, LONDON, AND PARIS
Mascot Label Group and Flying Colors have announced a September 29 release date in Europe and the U.K. for the band's SECOND NATURE album via the Music Theories label.
The music press acknowledged the eponymously titled debut album from Flying Colors among the most compelling releases of 2012. Combining the talents including Deep Purple/Dixie Dregs/ex-Kansas guitarist Steve Morse, drummer Mike Portnoy (Transatlantic, Winery Dogs, ex-Dream Theater), Neal Morse (Transatlantic, Spock’s Beard and a prolific solo artist), bass player Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and more) with a comparatively new talent, singer/songwriter Casey McPherson, the band mixed virtuoso music with melodic songwriting by crafting new-fashioned music the old-fashioned way.
Album artwork by designer and illustrator Hugh Syme (Rush, Aerosmith, Def Leppard)
Executive Producer Bill Evans assembled a team of virtuoso players, a pop singer/songwriter, and the right producer to create sophisticated music that was accessible. Over 100 singer/songwriters were considered for the role. Portnoy pitched the idea of approaching McPherson, a member of the group Alpha Rev, whose 2010 album called ‘New Morning’ dominated the Billboard Top Ten for 17 weeks.
After an hour-long phone call with Evans, the band found their man. As Mike had quite rightly hoped, McPherson went on to prove the ‘X Factor’ that elevated Flying Colors above the norm. "The idea of having an actual singer as opposed to a musician that also sang, really opened up a whole other world," Portnoy told Prog magazine.
Classic Rock magazine hailed the band’s debut as "fearless", praising its "Journey-sized choruses" and referencing artists as diverse as The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Doors, Muse, and even Frank Sinatra. In late 2012, the band toured America and Europe, dazzling fans with Flying Colors originals and selections from the catalogues of the five members.
Schedules allowing, the protagonists had always viewed Flying Colors as a genuine band as opposed to a side project, hence they began writing a second studio album. From the first writing session to final delivery of the masters in July 2014, the process took almost a year and half, in four distinct stages: writing sessions via Skype in January/February 2013, another burst of writing and recording at Neal Morse’s house in Nashville, a trip to Portnoy’s home that spawned five additional songs, and finally individual recording/arrangement over the internet throughout the spring of 2014.
This time the band opted to self-produce, with Evans, the man responsible for the concept of Flying Colors, reprising his role as Executive Producer and co-engineer. Besides offering a finely tuned set of ears, Evans would remix a track each time an amendment was made, before sending it onto each band member, allowing closer collaboration by the band. "There was no repudiation of producer Peter Collins," clarifies Evans, "but the guys had become a family and they wanted to try something different."
Sporting stunning artwork from the legendary designer Hugh Syme (Rush, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Whitesnake) and bookended by two tracks of truly epic stature – ‘Open Up Your Eyes’ and the multiple-part ‘Cosmic Symphony’ – the album is every bit as breathtaking as the debut. Portnoy stresses that the music’s proggier path was "not conscious at all."
"Direction was never even discussed," continues Portnoy. "We just did what we do. I think perhaps not having a producer to ‘trim the fat’ possibly led to the songs breathing and expanding a bit more."
"This is an album full of many layers," concludes guitarist Steve Morse. "The more you listen, the more you can hear. It’s an album to keep listening to."
Second Nature showcases a compelling and thought-provoking collection of songs written and performed by musicians at the top of their game.
