The RGM Inbox: April 2023

April 14, 2023 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Country, singer-songwriter, Folk, AOR, Classic Rock, Melodic Rock

Welcome to the latest edition of the RGM Inbox. For this instalment, we check out four singer/songwriters. Two are still at the start of what will be successful careers; one has an Ivor Novello award on the shelf, while our final artist has sold millions of records and earned multiple Grammy awards but is still probably best known for his skills as a guitarist. They may work in a range of genres, but the one thing they all have in common is impressive new music to share.

Two 1990s Steve Hackett albums set to make vinyl debut June 2nd 2023

March 31, 2023 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Melodic Rock, News, Prog Rock, Reissue, Vinyl

With the resurgence of interest in the good old LP showing no signs of slowing down, it’s great to see albums from the 1990s getting the reissue treatment or being released on the format for the very first time. Those of us of a certain age can remember when you might have liked to buy an LP but a CD or even the dreaded cassette tape was your only option. Steve Hackett will see two of his 1990s solo albums make the leap to vinyl for the first time on June 2nd with newly remastered, gatefold sleeve 180g 2LP releases of ‘Darktown’ and ‘Guitar Noir’

The Vinyl Inbox: Re-Skinned .38 Special coloured vinyl reissues from Snakefarm Records

July 08, 2021 by David Vousden in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, News, Reissue, Southern Rock, Vinyl

RGM’s occasional look at the world of collectable vinyl returns with Re-Skinned from Snakefarm Records an ongoing series that looks to re-visit classic Country, Blues, Americana and Southern Rock albums. The Re-Skinned titles will feature brand new sleeve-notes, vibrantly coloured vinyl (hot pink and orange are the colours this time out) and “audio specially prepared for vinyl”, Today’s recipients of this enhanced reissue treatment are Southern Rockers .38 Special, a terrific band who added a dash of AOR to their Southern Rock influences and enjoyed considerable chart success with their ‘Wild-Eyed Southern Boys’ and ‘Special Forces’ albums now set for reissue on July 30th 2021. More details about Snakefarm Re-Skinned and .38 Special follow:

The Hard Place #8

June 17, 2021 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, News, Video

You have reached The Hard Place. A place where the hair is just a shade more voluminous. A place where the trousers are, on average, two belt holes tighter. A place wherein it is perfectly normal for guitars to begin spontaneously spewing fireworks. Or lightning. Or both. We bring you the choicest, freshest cuts of retro-metal on offer. And, in a scene where wrongness so often prevails, The Hard Place offers a distillation of all that is currently right with the world of melodic hard rock. Quite a lot of it is, as you might expect, from Sweden.

The Vinyl Inbox

March 30, 2021 by David Vousden in Vinyl, AOR, Classic Rock, Melodic Rock, Prog, Americana, Blues, Pop

With the resurgence in vinyl sales in recent years, the humble record is back and seemingly here to stay. With this in mind, RGM takes a look at some recent and upcoming releases for those who love the sound or possibly just need the images to be bigger as we’re getting older and a CD sized booklet presents a problem. Please read on for releases by Downes Braide Association, Ali Maas & Micky Moody and League Of Lights.

The Hard Place #7

March 17, 2021 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, News, Rock, Video, Melodic Rock

Ever since big-haired hard rock was criminalised in the spring of 1993, those with a medical dependency on the genre have found it increasingly difficult to know where to turn. Thankfully, for these broken and desperate souls there is finally a sanctuary. No longer must they endlessly search for misfiled contraband in the planet’s fourteen remaining record shops. No longer do they need to be sat in front of eBay, fruitlessly entering euphemistic search terms like “perm noise” in the hope that they might score a forbidden fix. No longer. These unfortunate creatures – perhaps you are one of them – now have a refuge and that refuge is The Hard Place. Welcome, friend. Here, finally, you are understood. Everything you are about to sample is pure rock of the highest quality. And, best of all, it’s all legal.

The Hard Place #6

January 25, 2021 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Metal, News, Rock, Prog Rock

If you like to hibernate over the winter then it’s likely that these words are reaching you as you continue to languish in an eiderdown-enrobed soft place. You’re cosy, you’re warm and you may well be under the impression that there is precious little to get out of bed for anyway. The Hard Place is here to tell you the f**k otherwise. The Hard place is a bucket of cold water hurled over your snoozings. The Hard Place is here, now, to drag you out of that pathetic torpor into a world where leaping from drum risers is de rigeur and staying up all night to a soundtrack of deafening guitars is a raison d’être. So, stop snivelling and get yourself dressed, preferably in something black and butt-squeezingly tight. Good. Now, ready yourself to rock.

DBA to release 'Halcyon Hymns' CD/DVD February 5th 2021

December 04, 2020 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Melodic Rock, New Single, Prog Rock

Downes Braide Association aka DBA will release their fourth studio album on February 5th 2021 as a CD/DVD set with a 2LP white vinyl pressing to follow on March 26th. DBA features Geoff Downes (The Buggles/Asia/YES) and Chris Braide who has spent the majority of his career in the USA writing and producing music for film scores, advertising campaigns and working closely with a host of big-name artists including Sia, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears and Marc Almond. If the first single from the album ‘Love Among The Ruins’ is any indication of quality then ‘Halcyon Hymns’ will be high on my list of albums to investigate in 2021. A slightly odd spoken word introduction opens out into a wonderfully melodic song blessed with intricate overlapping vocals and some gloriously expansive guitar breaks. Much more about DBA and the lyric video for ‘Love Among The Ruins’ follows:

The Hard Place #5

December 02, 2020 by David Vousden in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Metal, News, Prog Rock, Rock, Video

We all knew this winter was going to be hard. But nobody could have foreseen just how hard. Here, at the never-beating, black granite heart of The Hard Place, we’d like to think we can make it just that little bit harder. Just for you. “How hard?” you ask, expectant and not a little apprehensive. And the answer is “None. None more hard.” Walk with us now, barefoot, through the broken-bottle-strewn wasteland of rock’s best new releases.

The Hard Place #4

November 09, 2020 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Metal, News, Rock, Prog

It’s dark. You blink your eyes to try and take in some light but you realise that there is only black. You can barely move, surrounded by rock on all sides. Your heart races but then suddenly you realise you’ve been here before. Yes, you have come again to The Hard Place; you’re not sure how it happened but here you are. Here, and only here, will you satisfy your (understandably secret) desire to discover the very finest new things in the big-haired realm of melodic rock. Relax now, and let us show you the way…

The Hard Place #3

September 02, 2020 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, News, Prog, Rock

If variety is the spice of life, then today’s Hard Place menu is, we must warn you, hotter than ever before. We’ve got hard bits, soft bits (sue me) and even prog bits but, as usual, all of our bits are exceedingly good. There are no specials on the board because everything here is gourmet. We have assembled the tastiest new treats on the scene so, get as comfortable as you can in those leather trousers and prepare for a four-course feast of sizzling melodic rock delights.

RGM presents The Hard Place #2

May 11, 2020 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Metal, News, Rock

Welcome back to The Hard Place, where the hair is big, the guitars are pointy and the teeth have almost certainly undergone a recent whitening procedure. In this, our second all-killer-no-filler roundup, we aim to pleasure you guiltily with the news of the latest melodic hard rock from all four corners of the globe; and we know that - for you - only the best will do. So, sit back, relax and remember, in The Hard Place, no-one can see you playing air guitar.

Free Frontiers Music sampler to download or stream

April 10, 2020 by David Vousden in AOR, Classic Rock, Free Download, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, News, Rock

Italian label Frontiers Music has been forced to delay their release schedule as the COVID-19 continues to impact the world. Not wanting to let a day pass unnoticed when they had five new releases planned they’ve put together a 20 track sampler that features recent and upcoming releases from the label. The tracks are available to download for FREE via the official Frontiers website or to stream via Spotify and Youtube. This seems like an ideal time to check out a slew of melodic hard rock as you never know what you might discover. Full details and a little more about Frontiers Music follows:

RGM presents The Hard Place #1

April 01, 2020 by Rich Barnard in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Metal, News, Rock

Welcome to The Hard Place, a tight-trousered treasure trove of new melodic hard rock from all over the world. Here at RGM we’re pretty picky when it comes to our big hair and braying guitars so, as ever, our focus is on quality over quantity.

Cats In Space 'My Kind Of Christmas' lands December 6th + Tour Dates

December 04, 2019 by David Vousden in AOR, Christmas, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, New Single, News, Tour Dates

Here at RGM, we try our very best to get into the festive swing of things. Which can be easier said than done, but luckily Cats In Space are back with a Christmas single to warm the cockles and generally bring a warm fuzzy glow to all classic rock fans and lovers of a festive tune. ‘My Kind of Christmas’ could well join the greats and pop up in every shopping centre in December for years to come. No doubt the band will be performing ‘My Kind of Christmas’ when they get the party started on their upcoming festive dates. ‘My Kind of Christmas’ is released on December 6th and much more about the single, Cats In Space and the tour follows:

Airrace preview 'Untold Stories' with a little 'Summer Rain'

April 10, 2018 by David Vousden in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, New Single, News, Tour Dates, Video

UK AOR/Melodic rock act Airrace are back with a new single 'Summer Rain' which is a pleasing antidote to the British weather as I type. The new single is a slight change of direction for the band as it exhibits a soulful charm that was unexpected but welcome. The band have a new album 'Untold Stories' in the can for an August release (10.08.18) with tour dates set for September. Please read on to check out 'Summer Rain' and learn a little more about the upcoming album and tour:

Missed some great music in March? Check out the RGM Spotify playlist

April 04, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, AOR, Classic Rock, Compilation, Country, Folk, Melodic Rock, Playlist, singer-songwriter

Well, it's that time again. March is behind us and we're now in April but March was another strong month musically. We had a stunning release from the legendary Joan Baez and Bennett Wilson Poole demonstrated that the UK was up to the task of presenting Americana with an English twist and plenty of 12 string Rickenbacker guitar. The UK was also represented in the field of melodic rock/AOR by FM who continue to release quality records 30+ years into their career. The UK country scene is again featured in our playlist courtesy of Holloway Road who go from strength to strength while Greece is featured for the first time via Gadless and his excellent 'Falling' single. There's plenty of musical variety this month so please don't be shy and give our playlist a go to discover some great new music.

Praying Mantis are defying 'Gravity' on new album.

March 09, 2018 by David Vousden in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Metal, New Single, News

Here at RGM we're not opposed to listening to things of a heavier nature musically, but it must have plenty of melody. Praying Mantis have managed to tread the fine line between silk and steel for over forty years. In 2015 they released the excellent 'Legacy' and they're back in 2018 with new album 'Gravity' set for May 11th via Frontiers. The guys have released the title track from the album as a single and you can check it out and learn more about the band by reading on:

Frontiers Music presents The New Breed

February 20, 2018 by David Vousden in Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, News, Tour Dates

The roots of the Italian Frontiers label can be traced back to 1996 and over the years they've expanded to become a major player in classic rock / hard rock / melodic rock / AOR circles. Previous label releases include some of the biggest names in the genre including Whitesnake, Yes, Def Leppard, Rick Springfield, Journey etc. The label recently opened offices in London and announced the first edition of 'Frontiers - New Breed Night' which will showcase three British acts recently signed to the label. The event takes place at The Black Heart in London's Camden on April 26th with Doomsday Outlaw, Dirty Thrills and The Brink turning up the volume. Much more about Frontiers and The New Breed follows:

Kansas find 'Rhythm In The Spirit' and announce European dates

January 12, 2017 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Tour Dates, Video, Prog

Legendary rock act Kansas recently put together a video for 'Rhythm In The Spirit' one of many stand out tracks on their recent 'The Prelude Implicit' album. The video is a tantalizing taster for a run of European shows set for later this year. The video and those all important European dates, which include a UK show at the Rambling Man Fair, follows: