Robert Jon & The Wreck are back and ready to tear up the UK and Europe all over again with their new record, Shine A Light On Me Brother. The impressive new album, written and recorded during the COVID pandemic, and self-produced by Robert Jon & The Wreck, and will be released on Friday September 3, 2021

Shine A Light On Me Brother, will be released as a single on Friday June 25th. Pre-save the single on Spotify and pre-order the Robert Jon & The Wreck are back and ready to tear up the UK and Europe all over again with their new record, Shine A Light On Me Brother. The impressive new album, written and recorded during the COVID pandemic, and self-produced by Robert Jon & The Wreck, will be released on Friday September 3, 2021.

The title track Shine A Light On Me Brother, will be released as a single on Friday June 25th . Pre-save the single on Spotify and pre-order the album from https://ffm.to/rjtwshine . Shine a Light on Me Brother will be available on CD, Vinyl, limited Deluxe Vinyl (coloured) and in limited edition bundles – including a deluxe bundle including the Signed Deluxe Edition Vinyl, Ltd Edition T shirt, signed CD, Ltd Edition retro California vanity plates, and signed Ltd Edition photos of Robert Jon & The Wreck. The album can be preordered from https://ffm.to/rjtwshine  and www.robertjonandthewreck.com . 

Robert Jon & The Wreck is comprised of Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Espantman (drums, b. vocals), Steve Maggiora (keyboards, b. vocals), Henry James (lead guitar, b. vocals), & Warren Murrel (bass, b. vocals). 

ON TOUR IN THE UK IN SEPTEMBER 2021 WITH SPECIAL GUEST ‘TROY REDFERN’ TICKETS – www.alttickets.com  and www.planetrocktickets.co.uk  

Robert Jon & The Wreck will take the new album on tour in September/October 2021 and February, April, May, June, and July 2022. The tour will hit the UK in September with special guest Troy Redfern. Tickets for the UK dates are available from www.alttickets.com and www.planetrocktickets.co.uk. 

Robert Jon & The Wreck has been writing songs and releasing albums since the band’s conception in 2011. During this time, this quintet of follicular proficient gentlemen has been busy fine-tuning their sound playing to packed houses across Europe and the United States. RJTW has received accolades and rave reviews for years now, from nominations of “Best Rock” and “Best Blues” and winning the title of “Best Live Band” at the Orange County Music Awards in 2013, to numerous top 10 chart placement on Southern Rock Brazil’s Top 20 Albums to being praised as “Classic and fresh at the same time” by Rock The Best Music, “Raising the bar for the Southern genre” by Blues Rock Review, and “keeping the history of classic 60’s and 70’s rock alive for newer generations” by blues guitar legend Joe Bonamassa. Robert Jon & The Wreck have supported the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, Living Colour, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Walter Trout, Rival Sons, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, The Cadillac Three, Black Stone Cherry, Devon Allman Band, Billy Sheehan, Sturgill Simpson, and many more. 

Album Track Listing: Shine A Light On Me Brother, Everyday, Ain’t No Young Love Song, Chicago, Hurricane, Desert Sun, Movin’, Anna Maria, Brother Radio 

ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK BY ROBERT JON BURRISON 

1. SHINE A LIGHT ON ME BROTHER 

Shine a Light on Me Brother is the title track from our new studio album. It is a hard kick of rock and roll mixed with the gospel roots that the band grew up on. Shine a Light on Me Brother deals with the obstacles, hurdles, and hardships brought on by 2020, while keeping a positive perspective of moving past the pandemic and challenges that all of us in every culture have faced and crying out with hope to be “saved” by the new year. It cries a soulful hope of normalcy that we’ve all been missing for far too long. This song is also the first single from the new album. 

2. EVERYDAY 

This is an all-out good-time jam track that was born out of frustration due to lack of freedoms that we had grown used to pre-pandemic and were subsequently denied during lockdown. It speaks to the desire to get together with friends, play music, have some beers, and just spend time with each other in person again. This track, as well as Shine a Light on Me Brother, Ain’t No Young Love Song, Chicago, Movin’ and Brother feature additional background vocals from the all-star team from Australia - Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins, and Prinnie Stevens. Together with Henry James’ soaring guitar licks and Andrew Espantman’s undeniable groove, this track is one to be listened to on repeat and sung along to! 

3. AIN’T NO YOUNG LOVE SONG 

This is Robert Jon & The Wreck’s love song anthem for a new age. Inspired by the greats that have preceded RJTW, Ain’t No Young Love Song is a stand up, straightlaced rock song with a sensitive lyrical style about knowing who you want to spend your life with and who you want to fight for. No doubt this track will be on a radio station near you in the very near future. 

4. CHICAGO 

Every relationship goes through trial and error; sometimes it works and sometimes the love that you cherish moves halfway across the country. Chicago is a classic song about love and loss, but also sides with the hope that one day both parties with be okay, no matter if separate or together. This song, as well as Shine a Light on Me Brother feature the 504 Horns from New Orleans, LA that provide a beautiful sonic landscape to this beautiful song. The heartache and championing of this lost love is made apparent in the emotional lyrics, at times asking the very city of Chicago itself to “look after her when I’m gone” and to “keep her warm”. 

5. HURRICANE 

Hurricane is an acoustic ballad that deals with the struggle of loving someone who is a beautiful mess. The song asks the question, if the relationship’s timing were different, could it all have worked out with a better outcome? Good friend of the band and co-writer of Oh Miss Carolina as well as many songs on this album, Ian Cullen was a crucial part of this humbling ballad. The minimal arrangement makes this track stand out as an emotional and integral piece of the sonic tapestry of this album. 

6. DESERT SUN 

Desert Sun is a tune straight out of guitarist Henry James’ songbook. This lyric driven song touches on personal experiences that deal with unrequited love and a lot of uncertainty. Written from a place of uninhibited honesty during an unresolved situation, and eventually realizing that resolution and closure are in fact not commonplace and very rarely guaranteed. The honesty in Henry’s lyrics also speak to our own faults for not heeding warning signs or recognising patterns from previous experiences. Henry had been playing it acoustically for some time and when the song was presented in the writing room, it was the band’s unanimous decision to include it on the album. 

7. MOVIN’ 

The song starts off with a guitar-driven riff that provides a foundation for the whole song, with its psychedelic droning presence permeating through the entire track. This song is the hidden gem of this record. Co-writers Nick Foster and Josh Weathers help tell the story of being in a relationship slump, where moving forward is the only viable option. It asks the question, “When we’re are always fighting, how can our love shine through?” It is a simple message brought to light with dazzling guitar lines and a groovin’ chorus that puts you in a trance. 

8. ANNA MARIA 

Anna Maria started off as what was thought to be an acoustic track. It found its own path once the band made the decision to plug in and make it more aggressive. This track provides soaring vocals and piano driven lines. It tells the story of a relationship that was doomed for some time, where the offended party offers straightforward, honest, and emotional lyrics defending their position and calls the aggressor out for being “so cruel”. 

9. BROTHER 

Brother is a gut-wrenching story of experiences dealing with loved ones exhibiting mental health problems. We all know someone that may be struggling with mental illness. We wanted to shine a light on this topic in an honest yet positive way. This is the true story of someone very close to the band that has been living with this for some time, and we feel that the song, both lyrically and musically, was executed in a beautiful and poignant way, reassuring our loved one that their “muses haven’t given up”. With the imagery of the lyrical line “The house burns slowly on a Friday night” brought to life by Henry James’ transcendent guitar solo, you can almost palpably feel like you are in that actual burning house. This track is bound to set fire in the hearts of all who can relate. 

10. RADIO 

The last song on this record, Radio, is one that you can just sit back and enjoy. A fun-filled, wild track that on first listen might speak to the listener as a song about a relationship with a crazy person, when in fact it is the story of every young musician’s battle with the music industry. It speaks to the struggle of “Miss Hollywood” consistently swooping in, sucking them in and spitting them out until they’ve had enough, and are relinquished to try and get away from it all. At some point, every road leads back to “Miss Hollywood,” and we couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the album than with this barn burner of a track that will undoubtedly leave you singing along. 

'My Name is Suzie Ungerleider' released August 13 2021 via MVKA.  Stream / buy ‘Mount Royal’ suzieungerleider.lnk.to/MountRoyal

Two-time Canadian Juno Award nominee Suzie Ungerleider releases the second single, titled ‘Mount Royal’, from her upcoming 10^th studio album. The album My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider, due August 13^th 2021, officially opens a new chapter of her already distinguished and highly successful career, being the first release since the artist formerly known as Oh Susanna announced that she would now record and perform under her birth name.

‘Mount Royal’, following on from the single ‘Baby Blues’, is a characteristic folky Americana tune with roots influences that follows another personal tale from the chronicles of Suzie’s life, “It’s a romantic song about my time in Montreal when I was just at the end of my teenage years.  I had never lived away from home and here I was thousands of miles from where I had grown up.  I was still in Canada but I felt like such a foreigner in this French-speaking city.” 

The atmospheric and haunting instrumentals frame Suzie’s cinematic lyrics, spinning a tale of colourful young characters dealing with their insecurities, “My roommate Zoe was beautiful and tough with a mane of black curly hair, always playing pool at Bar St. Laurent with a cigarette in her mouth.  She was emblematic of how we were all trying to pretend we were in control.  Meanwhile I was longing for love and a life in music, but feeling so alone and unable to get there.  All the people I knew were trying to act cool yet grappling with impending adulthood and our place in the world, “Who in the hell do we think we are? Shooting for the moon and the stars.”

Bursting with trademark evocative melodies and trenchant lyrics, My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider is the tenth solo studio album by the American-born, Canadian-raised artist revered for such landmark records as Johnstown, Sleepy Little Sailor and A Girl in Teen City. Now based once more in her hometown of Vancouver, the album was made with producer Jim Bryson, whose assured touch amplifies the atmospheric dreamscapes contained in Suzie's reflective, intimate songbook.

The decision to say “so long” to her long-time moniker Oh Susanna represents her recognition that the “exciting, dark, funny, charming” character that she thought was Oh Susanna was actually Suzie Ungerleider all along. “So here I am, leaving behind the trappings of a persona that gave me the courage to climb up onstage and reveal what is in my heart,” she reflects. “It once protected me, but I need to take it off so I can be all of who I am.” 

The name change is both a personal and political decision, fuelled by her realisation that 'Oh Susanna,' the Stephen Foster song of 1848, contained racist imagery and a belief system that she wanted no part of. She came to understand its historic associations to Minstrelsy, a tradition both demeaning and dehumanising to black people. Leaving Oh Susanna behind, she's become her true self with a wonderful record that marks a fresh beginning, a collection of new compositions that refresh and redefine who Suzie Ungerleider is.

The new album is introduced by the characteristically searing 'Baby Blues,' a song about how the traumatic events we witness when we're young can haunt and indeed shape our older selves. It's a deep subject with an upbeat punchline. “Like ghosts,” she says, “sometimes you just need to just sit with them, feel their power, and, because they feel seen, they release their hold on you for a little while.” Elsewhere, the album depicts an older and wiser artist and mother sometimes writing for her daughter, both at the time of her dramatically premature birth and miraculous survival on the achingly pretty 'Summerbaby' and, now a teenager herself, courageously dealing with her own identity on the intimate 'Hearts,' on which mountains of blue watch over her.

‘Baby Blues’ was accompanied by a stunning hand animated music video from fellow Canadian creative Christine Fellows. The labour-intensive video was created by cutting up hundreds of individual images in an animated collage that beautifully interprets the lyrical themes of the song, which Christine says offers, “a unique way of connecting with the songs underlining elements of rhythm, lyrics, and dynamics, taking the song apart and putting it back together from a visual perspective. It gives us an opportunity for a deep listen. It’s also really fun. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with Baby Blues. It’s a perfect song. I hope you love it as much as I do.”

Connect with Suzie HERE

Arielle is pleased to confirm that she will be special guest on Dan Patlansky’s April 2022 UK tour. Tickets go on sale at 10am UK on Monday June 7 th from www.thegigcartel.com , www.planetrocktickets.co.uk  and www.imarielle.com/tour .

The news follows the release of Arielle’s second single “Inside & Outside” that was released on Friday April 16, 2021. The single coincided with the news of livestream sessions that she will undertake on June 17, July 22, and August 19. Tickets are available from www.noonchorus.com/arielle.

Arielle’s new album ‘Analog Girl In A Digital World’ is available on vinyl and CD from www.arielle.store .

“When I was recording the new album ‘Analog Girl In A Digital World’, I thought this was the closest song in sound and production that I got to what my goal was in my head,” reflects Arielle. “Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ meets something new. The song is about finding the balance between the external, dense physical world we live in, as well as countering it with the spiritual and emotional connection of love.”

Arielle’s four live streaming sessions will enable fans to experience four completely different concerts with full album run-throughs, in-studio recordings, acoustic storytelling sessions and much more. Each live stream will be broadcast in North America and the UK at 8pm local time. A portion of the proceeds from the live streams will go to Arielle’s The Tonewood Forest nonprofit, a charity that conserves the life and well-being of trees. For the first two streaming sessions, Arielle will perform her new album ‘Analog Girl In A Digital World’ and previous album ‘Suspension/Dimension’ front to back. Says Arielle, “Since touring is out of the question, I wanted to make sure people could experience these albums the way they were intended. Both albums feature succinct stories from beginning to end. During the live streams, I will be speaking about the meaning of the songs, and some of their deeper history to take people on a journey that has yet to be told about both albums, maybe even beyond what I could do live.” Arielle is a 21st century classic rock artist who recorded half of the new album in digital, and the other half in tape, to try and capture the impact the music of the 60’s and 70’s had on her.

As a writer, guitarist, and vocalist, when Arielle produced this album, she insisted on recording each song in one take. Recording the album in studios in Nashville and Austin, Texas, Arielle’s main objective was to capture the energy of each city and their musicians. The album features her new guitar, The BMG Arielle, released by Brian May Guitars. Arielle will plant a tonewood tree in honour of the first 24 guitars sold. The first batch of guitars sold out in 90 minutes. Order the guitar from https://shop.brianmayguitars.co.uk/products/bmg-arielle.html

"This is the very first guitar that Brian May guitars has ever offered that is not based on my original Red Special,” says Brian May. “Designed by and named after Arielle, it’s a new dimension. To understand why this guitar was irresistible to me, you need to hold her in your hands. The guitar is light, and smooth and agile. She sings like a bird.” Continues Brian, “Arielle is an awesome musician. She is a truly phenomenal player, with an ability to produce the most beautiful tones as well technical mastery. Of course, it is in the fingers, but I was keen to discover how she had fashioned her own instrument to achieve her sound. We collaborated in making the Arielle a new mission to guitarists everywhere - to open up a new door to excellence!” “Arielle’s playing reaches places I never knew existed,” says Brian. “I believe this guitar will do the same.”

Arielle is a young woman born in the wrong generation. As a child of the new millennium, Arielle has often faced depression, versus the music boom and creativity that emerged in the Sixties and Seventies. And on a broader basis, a time even earlier where things were done by hand, with a level of craft that could not be hidden behind technology. “I project those principles inside my music,” says Arielle.

"The new album takes you on a journey through the trials, tribulations, and confusion of an old-school artist in a fast-paced world.

ALBUM CREDITS Arielle – Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic and Electric guitar, Synths, Harmonium Justin Weaver - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar Kate Haldrup - Drums Michael Davila - Drums Bill Levsey - Keyboards, Piano, Synths, Organ, Rhodes, Harmonium AJ Vincent - Hammond, Piano, Synths Nick Byrd – Bass Guitar Devin North – Bass Guitar Guthrie Brown - Backing Vocals Engineered by Chris Mara (Welcome to 1979, Nashville, TN) Michael Wagener (Wireworld, Nashville, TN) Frenchie Smith (The Bubble, Austin, TX) Assistant Engineer - Jeremy Bernstein (Welcome to 1979) Mixed by - Chris “Frenchie” Smith Mix Assisted - Christopher Messina & Jas Nowicki Mastered by Dave McNair

TRACK LISTING

1. Dialup

2. Digital World

3. Peace of Mind

4. This Is Our Intervention

5. Still A Man

6. Inside & Outside

7. I’d Rather Be In England

8. Living In A Fortress

9. Reimagine Redefine

ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK

DIAL-UP

A familiar sound only some of us remember, with a strong message. Where would music be without the internet?

DIGITAL WORLD

Warm analog sounds and lyrics explaining the wondrous time where communication was direct without a reliance on phones. Where times were slower and meant more.

PEACE OF MIND

This song’s a reminder of the potentiality of a moment. “It could break you, but it very well might free you.”

 THIS IS OUR INTERVENTION

When writing the lyrics, I was articulating how uneasy I am with the thought humans have somehow inherited that we must work relentlessly at something we hate, make money, and eventually die. This is for the people who desired and longed for something different, but just needed a sign or an intervention.

STILL A MAN

There are undeniable challenges in the male/female dynamic in the music business and in general. “Still A Man,” is merely my moment to share a shoutout to all whom have navigated less than ideal experiences.

INSIDE & OUTSIDE

What we all see on the outside is one of our most cherished and cared for areas in our society. Enough merit is not given, in my humble opinion, to the interior heart of a person. This song is about that duality between the physical and the ethereal.

I’D RATHER BE IN ENGLAND

“A simple song for my love of England. I have always had a complete fascination and near obsession since I was six years old. The fun part is the solo in the middle where my British musical roots and my American ones has a conversation. A little ditty dual!

LIVING IN A FORTRESS

Everyone has an opinion no one asks for, yet most seek acceptance from. I want to hide under a rock somewhere, away from all the chaos.

REIMAGINE REDEFINE

I wanted to trip you out and make you feel like you are on a safe healthy drug, and that you are in control. Open your mind. Reimagine time and life as we know it. A reboot of the mind. A calibration of the soul.

Celebrated Montreal rock’n’roll band The Damn Truth are pleased to announce they will embark on a 13-date UK tour kicking off at the York Grand Opera House on February 10th 2022 and finishing at Southampton The 1865 on February 25th 2022.

In addition to them supporting King King on various dates, The Damn Truth will headline their own concerts including Leek Foxlowe Arts (Feb 13), Leeds Lending Room (Feb 15), Bristol Exchange (Feb 16), and Southampton The 1865 (Feb 25). Tickets are available from www.thegigcartel.com/Artists-profiles/The-Damn-Truth.htm .

The tour follows the recent release of The Damn Truth’s third studio album “Now or Nowhere” released by Spectra Musique/Sony Music. The album, produced by legendary Grammy Award winning record producer, Bob Rock, is available from www.thedamntruth.com. The Damn Truth’s latest single, “This Is Who We Are Now” has taken flight in the UK with ten weeks of airplay on Planet Rock and a spot play on BBC Radio 2’s Rock Show with Johnnie Walker. The single also won Tracks of the Week on Classic Rock’s Louder Sound. The band have also been championed by the British music press with extensive magazine coverage in Classic Rock, Blues Matters, Guitarist, Powerplay, Guitar Techniques, Record Collector, Fireworks, Blues in Britain, Hard Rock Hell, MNPR and R’N’R Magazine.

“We’re looking forward to touring the UK,” says lead singer and guitarist, Lee-la Baum. “Last time we played the UK was a one-night banger in London that left us wanting for more. We cannot wait to come back and hit the road in the UK.” The Damn Truth is comprised of Lee-La Baum (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Shemer (guitar), PY Letellier (bass) and Dave Traina (drums). “The Damn Truth are a fresh revivalism of the psyche music scene from the mid 60’s,” says Jeff Laufer, editor of the Californian website, Rock Bands of LA. “Critics and fans alike praise their regeneration of the hard rock sound and values.” “Bob Rock found a spirit within the band that he hadn’t experienced for many years,” continues Jeff. “He saw something special… an artist with burning talent that needed the right direction to break wide open…like lightning in a bottle.” “The production by the legendary Bob Rock capturing the essence of what the band have without damaging the humanness at its core.

The drums thunder, the bass throbs, the guitar alone could wreak havoc to the solar system and the vocals of Lee-La Baum control the storm, a commanding presence over the hurricane.” – Metal Planet Music

Six tracks on the new album “Now or Nowhere” were produced by legendary Grammy Award winning Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, The Cult, The Offspring) at Bryan Adams’ recording studio “The Warehouse” in Vancouver. “Now or Nowhere” chronicles the band as they navigate life, love, and everything else in a world gone seemingly upside down and sideways during the past year they were unable to finish the album with Bob because of COVID-19 restrictions, the band recorded the remaining three songs with help from Juno Award-winning producer Jean Massicotte who mixed “Everything Fades”; and the rest of the mixing was done by Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton), Nick DiDia (Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against The Machine), and Mike Plotnikoff (Van Halen, Cranberries).

The Damn Truth have extensively toured Europe and North America, and opened tours for Z.Z. Top (and partied with Billy Gibbons in his pyjamas), the Sheepdogs, Styx, and Rival Sons. They sold out the legendary Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles, sold out the Corona Theatre in their hometown of Montreal, and had one of their videos featured on the official Janis Joplin Facebook page. It's a culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and tears that’s come fruition with “Now or Nowhere”.

FEBRUARY 2022 UK TOUR TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM thegigcartel.com  

On Friday May 21st, Troy released his new single Waiting For Your Love. The single is accompanied with an official music video which can be seen HERE.

Waiting For Your Love is the first single is taken from his forthcoming album The Fire Cosmic released by RED7 Records on Friday August 6th. Described by Troy as, “a bombastic, sassy blues rock boogie,” Waiting For Your Love, is available to stream and download HERE. Pre-order the "The Fire Cosmic" album HERE.

"I wanted to try and capture the visceral vibe, atmosphere and swagger of this song," says Troy about the music video for Waiting For Your Love. "It’s dark, moody and is chock full of rock 'n' roll attitude. When we recorded the track at Rockfield Studios we played it totally live to get that raw energy you can only get when you’re all playing at the same time. When we made the video, I wanted a visual representation three guys in a room sweating it out and hitting it hard."

Continues Troy, "What you see in the video is a true representation of this band. It’s a no-frills, honest delivery of a ballsy blues boogie. It was also great to feature my ’29 National Triolian resonator guitar used on the actual recording. That beat up old guitar has so much mojo. Darby Todd (Devin Townsend, The Darkness, Paul Gilbert) brought his vintage, acrylic Ludwig Vistalite drum kit along for the shoot. These kits were made famous by the late great John Bonham and sounds massive. Darby used this drum kit for the entire album, not only does it sound huge, but it looks amazing, we had to have it in the video!"

The new album follows five unprecedented albums that Troy released in 2020. It was recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in North Wales, the same studio where Queen recorded all their early albums including Sheer Heart Attack (1974) followed by A Night At The Opera (1975) – the latter featuring the legendary single Bohemian Rhapsody. For the recording of the new album, Troy enlisted one of the best rhythm sections in the UK, including the legendary Darby Todd on drums (The Darkness, Robben Ford, Martin Barre, Paul Gilbert), virtuoso bass guitarist Dave Marks (Hans Zimmer), and guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Guns ‘N Roses, Asia, Sons of Apollo), in what Troy describes as “the ultimate dream team” what is arguably the British guitarist’s most distinctive and powerful release to date.

Says Troy, “I chose Rockfield Studios because so much of the music I grew up listening to was recorded at this legendary studio (Queen, Black Sabbath, Mott The Hoople). The studio is hallowed ground for every musician, and the rooms there are charged with so much magic and history of all the iconic, classic albums that have been produced there.” “It was important for me to capture the raw energy of three guys playing live in the same place, at the same time. That’s something that you just can't get if you’re sending files from different locations, it doesn't have the same vibe or feel if you do it that way.”

As soon as we arrived at Rockfield, everyone, including Darby and Dave who’ve recorded all over the world, were excited to be there,” continues Troy. “It’s that kind of place. It has that effect on every musician who records there. Even before we started recording, the energy and vibe was there, which definitely set the tone for the entire album.” Troy has cut his teeth and refined his style over the last few years, playing festival main stages and blazing a trail across Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia. He’s also become a well-known draw on the UK Blues Rock festival circuit, playing alongside rock luminaries including Robert Plant.

“Troy is a passionate, intense, free-spirited musician whose ferocious slide guitar style twists and turns timeless themes and ideas to his own ends. He’s a musical visionary unafraid to trample on the boundaries of restricting labels,” said Blues Matters Magazine.

The forthcoming studio album is a culmination everything Troy has learnt so far on his musical journey, and, more importantly, brings into sharp focus a much tighter song-writing and more visceral, muscular production style. For production duties, Troy enlisted the Brighton- based producer Paul ‘Win’ Winstanley, best known for his epic rock production style, and whom Troy met and had worked with previously on the 2019 RHR album, Hotel Toledo. Troy and Win bonded immediately, and shared the same musical aesthetic, no nonsense work ethic and dry sense of humour. Rockfield’s vintage mics, mixing desk, and analogue outboard gear gave Win options to capture the dynamic performances on the album.

“It was like being a kid in a candy store,” says Win. “It was important for the album to sound massive,” says Troy. “It was a much bigger sound than anything that I’ve released before. As soon as we heard the first takes in the control, we were blown away. We knew that we captured something special. It sounded fantastic.” “For the session, Darby Todd brought his vintage Ludwig Vistalite acrylic drums of John Bonham fame. The drums are renowned for sounding massive. Hearing them in one of the best drum rooms in the world, they sounded out of this world! Roger Taylor’s drums recorded for Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack album at Rockfield are some of my favourite drum sounds on any recording.”

Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal states, “It all starts with the drums, if you’ve got a great drummer, great sounding room, great board, it’s going to sound phenomenal, and it does!” “I met Ron at a festival in Poland that we were both playing at, we immediately hit it off,” recalls Troy. “He let me use his signature double neck guitar to play on Anthony Gomes encore set at the festival, that was an absolute blast. He’s such a cool, generous guy. When I returned to the UK, I emailed him to ask if he’d like to play on my new album. He was totally fired up to do it.” Troy continues, “The album really is a step up. It’s the best album I’ve made. Hiring Rockfield, getting the best players, the best producer – it was a risk, but it paid off tenfold. I’ve made an album I really couldn't be happier with.” “With all the hard work that went into getting this album to sound as great as possible, there was only one option when it came to mastering. I decided to hire Frank Arkwright (Biffy Clyro, Oasis, Iggy Pop, Paul Weller, System of a Down). Frank is the senior mastering engineer at Abbey Road. The mastering at Abbey Road added that final sheen. Frank did an absolutely amazing job in bringing out every nuance of the recording.”

 “When it came to the album artwork, I was originally going to get an artist from Brazil to do it for me, however, I started working on some artwork of my own in the silver age Marvel comics style, based on the four guys that were on the album. I posted a few visuals on the socials and was overwhelmed by the response. It was a huge kick getting responses from Joe Satriani, Richie Kotzen, and my slide guitar hero Denny Walley of Frank Zappa fame. As a result, I created my own comic-style illustrations to package the album.”

MUSICIANS TROY REDFERN – VOCALS, GUITARS RON ‘BUMBLEFOOT’ THAL – GUITARS (TRACK 5) DARBY TODD – DRUMS DAVE MARKS - BASS, PIANO, KEYS, PERCUSSION RECLORDED & MIXED AT ROCKFIELD STUDIOS BY PAUL ‘WIN’ WINSTANLEY ASSISTANT ENGINEER – JOE JONES MASTERED BY FRANK ARKWRIGHT AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS

TRACK LISTING

1. SCORPIO (4:50)

2. WAITING FOR YOUR LOVE (3:34)

3. ONE WAY TICKET (3:50)

4. LOVE & WAR (4:37)

5. ON FIRE (4:09)

6. LAY THAT LOVE DOWN (3:23)

7. GHOSTS (4:02)

8. SAVING GRACE (4:07)

9. SANCTIFY (3:46)

10. STONE (5:50)

THE FIRE COSMIC! TRACK BY TRACK

SCORPIO

A rip-roaring “rockabilly on steroids” opener. Like a tequila-drenched, mescaline-fuelled hot rod race through the Mexican desert at sunset, Scorpio sets up the sonic tonal landscape for what’s to come.

WAITING FOR YOUR LOVE

This bombastic blues boogie has the swagger and attitude of an anti-hero from an old western movie. Driven by Darby Todd’s Ludwig Vistalite drums, Troy’s vintage 1929 National Triolian steel guitar cuts through the mix like a samurai sword to deliver this heavy hitting, sassy blues explosion.

ONE WAY TICKET

It’s a straight up four on the floor rocker, bristling with a fierce slide guitar attitude and a monstrous hook laden chorus, which deals with themes of overcoming obstacles and breaking through.

LOVE & WAR

Love & War is a powerhouse blues/rock tune based in the infamous Purdie Shuffle drum groove. Its verse is a straight up blues field holler morphing into an epic ‘wide open skies’ feel chorus. The guitar solo in this song has a distinct free form feel that builds, twists and turns as it reaches its sonic climax.

ON FIRE

This is the point in the album where the full moon rises, and things turn deliciously heavy and feral. Featuring guitar legend Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal on guitar (Guns N Roses, Asia, Sons of Apollo) who adds his distinctive virtuosic fire brand stamp, playing his signature double neck guitar.

LAY THAT LOVE DOWN

Things turn funky! Like a party Lenny Kravitz threw for the Black Crows, Lay That Love Down is an upbeat slinky rocker with a good time, sunshine feel. Stratocaster vibes and a blistering slide guitar solo along with a big, sing along chorus make this one an instant crowd pleaser.

GHOSTS

Conjuring up visions of the wide-open plains, Ghosts is a western story about escaping a doomed relationship and heading off into the sunset horizon. From the opening ‘train track’ beat, to the searching guitar solo and the epic chorus, this song has that ‘sunshine after the rain’ feel.

SAVING GRACE

This track was recorded using close mic’d acoustic guitars, a Maton six string and a 1929 National Triolian, and has a deeper, intimate, introspective feel. The wistful slide intro, melodic chorus melody and Beatles style harmonies across the mid-section give this track it’s unusual, unique flavour. SANCTIFY Heavy blues-billy boogie stomp that Troy is best known for. This song epitomises everything that Troy Redfern does best - honest heavy weight blues. John Lee Hooker riffs on steroids, thunderous bass by Dave Marks and the ‘foot to the floor’ drums of Darby Todd.

STONE

The closing track fades in on the vintage National guitar, a wide open 3/4 drum groove and whiskey drenched vocal. Building and morphing from an Appalachian style roots rocker to a stratospheric Joe Cocker style anthem, as the slide solo stretches out across the vast sonic horizons. The famous piano at Rockfield Studios that Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was recorded on was used on the outro section, the final, lingering notes you hear on the album is Dave Marks playing that iconic instrument.