ASIA: New guitarist announced after departure of STEVE HOWE

ASIA 

announces that 

SAM COULSON 

will replace the recently departed 

STEVE HOWE

If 2012 was a year to remember for ASIA, with the release of the acclaimed studio album ‘XXX’ marking the band’s thirtieth anniversary, then 2013 is set to be another. John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer are delighted to announce that not only do they have an incredible talent in place to step into Steve Howe’s shoes, but also that their first international show with newcomer Sam Coulson will be a high profile performance at Sweden Rock 2013. Sam is a wonderful player, world-renowned amongst guitar virtuosos. Additionally, a new studio album, to be entitled ‘Valkyrie’, will be recorded for Frontiers Records during 2013 continuing the band’s relationship with the label.

John Wetton said, “ASIA is ready to take its next steps along this remarkable road. We cannot wait to perform again for the fans and also to unveil some of the new material, of which we are very proud”. Geoff Downes said, “We look forward to writing another chapter in Asia's history”. Carl Palmer commented, “We’re all looking forward to the next decade of great ASIA music”.

ASIA formed as a supergroup of stunning pedigrees, bringing together songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton [King Crimson, UK], keyboardist Geoff Downes [Yes, The Buggles], drummer extraordinaire Carl Palmer [ELP] and Steve Howe [Yes]. Their self-titled debut album was the biggest selling album in the world in 1982 and monopolized the Number 1 slot in the Billboard charts for 9 weeks. The album is still in the top 3 Geffen sales of all time, with Guns ’n’ Roses and Whitesnake! With tracks like mega-hit ‘Heat Of The Moment’, ASIA helped to create the MTV phenomenon. The band’s work perfected the use of videos that encompassed stories and messages, examples being the work for ‘Wildest Dreams’, ‘Only Time Will Tell’, ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’ and ‘Don’t Cry’. ‘Heat Of The Moment’ is still a radio fixture and has been in top TV and films including ‘40 Year Old Virgin’, ‘South Park’, ‘Cold Case’, ‘The Matador’ and countless others.

In 2006 the original band reunited for a tour of USA, which was followed by four world tours and several continental tours. The reunited band has played over 300 shows and released three new studio albums, three DVDs and a number of live albums. The track ‘An Extraordinary Life’, from 2008’s album ‘Phoenix’ was chosen as the theme music for America’s Got Talent. This is a band with plenty more to say.

With a new guitarist in place, Sweden Rock confirmed and more high profile live dates to come, plus a new album slated for release, the ASIA trajectory continues: onward and upwards!

HARLIS: The reissues on SIREENA RECORDS

HARLIS

HARLIS

NIGHT MEETS THE DAY

While German Prog/Art rockers JANE may be a familiar name outside of the Prog arena, HARLIS were a tremendously talented offshoot of the band who recorded two albums that didn’t conform to the Prog Rock rulebook, but didn’t stray to far from it either. Led by former JANE member CHARLY MAUCHER, Harlis were a bit looser than their contemporaries, which added a raw edge to their sound.  While the band features excellent musicians, Harlis’ sound is more about the band as a whole as opposed to the skills of the individuals.  Adding a bit more Blues and British and American Rock influences into the mix may have turned away some Prog fans, but in doing so, their sound has a timeless quality to it.

Harlis’ 1975 self-titled debut was a joyous slice of Rock that didn’t really belong to any defined genre.  The opening track, “BMW”, straddles the line between the Blues and Pub Rock, while “Free” sounds like a Joe Cocker-led Gospel nugget. “Grey Rain” veers towards melodic Pop territory. “Runaway” is another bluesy rocker that adds a little Lemmy to the Cocker-esque vocals. “Bells Of Bothfeld” is a nice instrumental that does showcase the great musicianship without sounding like a pretentious noodle-fest.  The album closes with “Michael” and ‘Time Will Run”, which are both spacious Pop tunes with Prog flourishes.  While the band may sometimes sound a little unsure of themselves in a few spots, the album is a breath of fresh air.

Night Meets The Day (1976) is a concept album with a nautical theme and is a far more adventurous album than their debut. The band is tighter yet more spacious in their playing, which allows them to express their musical vision with more feeling. The atmosphere of the album is more melancholy, although not dark or depressing. On songs like “Shipwrecked Stranded”, Harlis sound even more like a band working together as a unit, playing live together in the studio and capturing the moment on tape. While the individual players are exceptional, it’s interesting to hear their understated and relaxed interaction.  The album’s instrumental, “Endless Sea”, sounds like it’s floating about the room instead of bouncing off the walls.  Sure, there are rockers here (“Ruler Of The Island”, “The Last Sea Battle” and “King Of The Pirates”), the album is more about atmosphere, feeling and vibes. 

Both albums are recommended to fans of Jane, Prog Music and German Rock.  While the albums are not as slick as records by like-minded bands, that is the core of the band’s charm.  They may not have been destined for Top 40 success in the U.S., it sure would have been nice if FM radio had embraced them all those years ago…. 

Both Harlis albums have been reissued by SIREENA RECORDS.  I'll be covering a lot of the label's releases here on the Discussions Magazine blog in the near future.