Steve Morse

Photo by Ross Pelton

The new album “Triumphant Hearts” from JASON BECKER will be released on December 7th, via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. The album features Marty Friedman, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert, Joe Bonamassa, Uli Jon Roth, Richie Kotzen, Gus G., Jake Shimabukuro, and many more.

Watch the lyric video for the stunning ‘Valley of Fire’ ft. The Magnificent 13 here:

The Magnificent 13 are: Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Paul Gilbert, Neal Schon, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Mattias IA Eklundh, Greg Howe, Jeff Loomis, Richie Kotzen, Gus G, Steve Hunter and Ben Woods.

Pre-Order Live Here: http://smarturl.it/JasonBecker

Mascot Records are extremely excited and honored to present the new album ‘Triumphant Hearts’ from Jason Becker, which will be released on 7th December 2018.

Jason Becker’s story is one of brilliance, talent, determination, adversity, and, ultimately, triumph. A child prodigy on guitar, Jason rose to prominence as a teenager when he was one half of the technical guitar duo Cacophony, with his great friend Marty Friedman. In 1989, at only 19 years old and after wowing audiences all over the world, the young virtuoso became the guitarist for David Lee Roth, following in the huge footsteps of Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. He wrote and recorded on his 3rd solo album ‘A Little Ain’t Enough’ and was poised for superstardom when a nagging pain in his leg was diagnosed as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). A fatal condition with a life expectancy of maybe five years. Maybe.

That was 29 years ago. He lost the ability to play guitar, walk, talk, and breathe on his own. But never lost his will to live or his desire to create music. Communicating through a series of eye movements with a system developed by his father, Jason spells out words as well as musical notes and chords. He imparts his musical vision to his team who then can input the notes into a computer, edit the parts to his exacting standards, and then generate charts for session musicians. His inspiring music and life story have been the subject of countless news articles, magazine cover stories, and an award-winning documentary, Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet.

The album’s 14 tracks showcase Jason’s gift for melody and his deep knowledge of classical composition and orchestral arrangement. Many of the guitar parts are performed by a who’s who of 6-string gods including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert, Joe Bonamassa, and many others. And, in what will absolutely delight his fans, Jason’s amazing guitar playing—recorded in the ’80s and ’90s—features throughout.

The first song to be released from the album is the beautifully mesmerizing 9 minute and 5 second instrumental ‘Valley of Fire’ that features The Magnificent 13 – Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Paul Gilbert, Neal Schon, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Mattias IA Eklundh, Greg Howe, Jeff Loomis, Richie Kotzen, Gus G, Steve Hunter and Ben Woods. A phenomenal cast to feature on a single song.

The album opens with the title track, featuring Jason’s old bandmate Marty Friedman and an astounding violin performance. “I wrote ‘Triumphant Heart’ and it made me feel triumphant,” says Becker. “When Marty found out I was making this album, he told me he would play anything I needed. I sent him this, and his wife, Hiyori Okuda, who is a cellist, also offered to play on it. The great violinist, Glauco Bertagnin, recorded my violin parts in Italy. That fast solo section I wrote is way too hard; I don’t know how Glauco pulled it off. He put so much soul in the whole song.”

‘Hold on to Love’ is the first vocal song on the record, although it didn’t start out that way. “It was going to be an instrumental,” explains Jason, “but after I wrote the chorus with lyrics, I knew I had to tell my story, to explain how I can continue living without feeling hate. I hadn’t written many lyrics before.”

In addition to its beautiful, gospel-tinged choir, the heartfelt song features Bay Area singer Codany Holiday on lead vocals.

‘Fantasy Weaver’ displays the 4-string magic of world-renown ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro and harp arpeggios that were written back in his Cacophony days. ‘Once Upon a Melody’ not only features two Jason Becker guitar solos from his Cacophony era, but also audio of him as a three-year-old. The full-circle nature of having little boy Jason, guitar virtuoso Jason, and modern-day composer Jason all on the same song is a breathtaking accomplishment while ‘We Are One,’ features soulful Flipsyde vocalist Steve Knight, and more Jason Becker guitar delights.

Uli Jon Roth appears on ‘Magic Woman,’ along with ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick who counts both Uli and Jason as big influences. Fans of Jason’s work with David Lee Roth will be thrilled by the inclusion of two previously unreleased outtakes from the ‘A Little Ain’t Enough’ sessions, the hard rocking ‘Taking Me Back’ and the blues-infused ‘Tell Me No Lies.’ There are also performances by Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, Steve Morse, Trevor Rabin, and many others.

“Some people feel sorry for me,” he concedes, “and I understand that. I really feel lucky though. I don’t miss playing guitar anymore. I’m sure that’s out of necessity, but I am grateful for so much more. I am surrounded by loving people, and I can still make music.”

Tracklisting:
Triumphant Heart (feat. Marty Friedman, Glauco Bertagnin, Hiyori Okuda)
Hold On To Love (feat. Codany Holiday)
Fantasy Weaver (feat. Jake Shimabukuro)
Once Upon A Melody
We Are One (feat. Steve Knight)
Magic Woman (feat. Uli Jon Roth & Chris Broderick)
Blowin’ in the Wind
River of Longing (feat. Joe Satriani, Aleks Sever, Guthrie Govan, Steve Morse)
Valley of Fire (feat. The Magificent 13)
River of Longing (feat. Trevor Rabin)
Taking Me Back
Tell Me No Lies
Hold On To Love (feat. Codany Holiday) [Chuck Zwicky Remix]
You Do It

Available formats:
2LP
CD
Digital
MFiT Digital

More information at http://jasonbecker.com – https://www.facebook.com/jasonbeckerofficial

Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse’s FLYING COLORS Releases Video From Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 29, 2015

Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: "Second Flight: Live at the Z7", Casey McPherson, Dave LaRue, FLYING COLORS, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Steve Morse. Leave a comment

FlyingColors-2015

Super group FLYING COLORS – featuring Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Dave LaRue and Casey McPherson – will release a new live album “Second Flight: Live At The Z7” to be released in November 2015, via Mascot Label Group, as 3LP+MP3/2CD+DVD/2CD+Blu-ray. Now you can watch the video for “Mask Machine” here:

FLYING COLORS’ debut in 2012 auspiciously challenged conventional wisdom about fusing complex music with mainstream songwriting. Teaming the talents of such heavyweights as guitarist Steve Morse (Deep Purple/Dixie Dregs), drummer Mike Portnoy (Transatlantic, Winery Dogs, ex-Dream Theater), keyboardist/singer Neal Morse (solo artist, Transatlantic, ex-Spock’s Beard), bass wizard Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai), with new pop singer/songwriter Casey McPherson, the band quickly established itself as one of rock’s most dulcet enigmas.

The mission was to join virtuoso players, a pop singer/songwriter, and the right producer—to create sophisticated music that was accessible. In 2009, executive producer Bill Evans brought the idea to Morse, Portnoy, Morse, LaRue, and music producer Peter Collins. Having helmed enduring works by progressive artists (Rush, Brian Wilson), as well as mainstream ones (Elton John, Bon Jovi), the renowned Collins was a perfect fit. The band was incomplete, though, even after Evans and Collins considered over 100 singer/songwriters.

Then Mike Portnoy, one night on tour, heard Casey McPherson’s “Colder Months” in rotation on his iPod. McPherson had recently released New Morning (Hollywood Records), dominating the Billboard Top-10 for 17 weeks, and VH1’s Top-20 Countdown for four months. Portnoy realized, soon followed by everyone else, that McPherson brought the perfect tone to FLYING COLORS.

The band, mostly strangers at that point, converged on Neal’s Nashville studio in in January, 2011. Working within a nine-day window, the eponymous FLYING COLORS quickly took shape, and captured a moment in time.

The results were extraordinary: creatively vivid, phenomenally performed, subversively mainstream, and strikingly different from its members’ previous work. Released to boisterous acclaim and commercial success, the debut appealed to a wide range of listeners. Mainstream fans searching for something deeper were rewarded with a musical treasure trove.

Progressive rock and jazz/fusion fans were treated to a refreshingly song-centric experience. FLYING COLORS grabbed Top-20 chart positions around the world, and concluded the year in both progressive and mainstream Top-10 lists.

In late 2012, the band toured the United States and Europe, dazzling fans with FLYING COLORS originals and selections from the catalogues of the five members. The chemistry can be heard on Live In Europe, their first live album. The Blu-ray/DVD hit the mainstream charts at number #1 in Europe, briefly knocking One Direction out of the Top-10.

For FLYING COLORS’s second studio release, there was far more time at their disposal. From the first writing session to final delivery of the masters in July 2014, the process took almost a year and half, albeit 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.

“The first album was very much a blind date,” Mike Portnoy explains. “Although we already had ‘Team Dregs’ of Steve/Dave and ‘Team Transatlantic’ of Neal/myself, it was the first time that the five of us – seven if you include Bill Evans and Peter Collins – had collaborated together as a group. This time there was an existing chemistry, we had not only the prior experiences of making the debut album but also the 2012 tour as well.”

“Second Nature” was released in September of 2014, debuting in multiple Top-10 charts, worldwide. In addition to numerous other accolades, the album received a Prog Award nomination for Album of the Year, with FLYING COLORS being nominated for Band of the Year. (The results were not announced at the time of this writing.) Adorned with artwork by Hugh Syme (Aerosmith, Stone Sour, Rush), mixed by prog rock stalwart Rich Mouser, and bookended by two tracks of truly epic stature— “Open Up Your Eyes”, and the anthemic “Cosmic Symphony” —Second Nature was a fitting release for the band’s sophomore outing.

The band took to the stage with a vengeance in the fall of 2014. On only the eighth show of the tour, at Switzerland’s storied Z7 venue, they captured an electrifying live performance. With “Second Nature” out for only a week, the concert recorded an exceptional rarity: band and audience, together, discovering an album for the first time. That freshness is palpable in every frame of their subsequent Ultra-HD/Blu-ray/DVD release, “Second Flight: Live at the Z7”, to be released in November 2015, via Mascot Label Group.

FLYING COLORS also explored technological innovation with the album, with unique ways for fans to experience it. Viewers can listen in 5.1-surround from the two best seats in the house: at the soundboard, or in the front row. For audio-only listeners, a specialized encoding process brings the full surround mixes to just headphones. All the show’s audio was processed with a new engineering system, developed specifically for “Live at the Z7”, which creates stunning detail and separation. The video was mastered by famed special effects company, Cinnafilm, using their revolutionary Dark Energy technology (Star Wars, IMAX). The result is unparalleled realism from the concert’s 24 cameras, as well as eye-popping Ultra-HD and IMAX versions of the concert.

More information at https://www.facebook.com/flyingcolorsofficial

Watch the EPK here:

Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse & Co in FLYING COLORS To Release New Album In November

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 12, 2015

Posted in: News. Tagged: "Second Flight: Live at the Z7", FLYING COLORS, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Steve Morse. Leave a comment