Today I've launched my new home page: ronaldwahle.com
Everything you EVER wanted (and didn't want for that matter) to know about me and my projects can be found over there.

Well,........... that's it really. Go check it out!  

Hi there , Ghosties! Thought I might jump in with a bit of an update on the goings-on at Stuffy Room Studio while GC takes a bit of a break:

Looks like I'm done with my parts for the upcoming Roswell Six album,(Terra Incognita: Beyond The Horizon) now, as far as playing. I will also be mastering the album once Erik is done with the final mix. In total I'm on six of the songs on the album, playing both electric and acoustic guitar. Amazingly, the "guitarsenal" here at the studio proved invaluable,(again!) as I used all but one of the guitars here for these songs. I love it when I can put all the twang boxes to work! Contributing to this album has been a phenomenal experience, and I've made some great friends with the folks involved! I still can't stress enough how good the vibe was with everyone who played on this one. Everyone brought their "A" game and there was just a massive positive energy throughout the course of the recordings and correspondance.

Head on over to www.progrockrecords.com and pre-order a copy of both the CD and Kevin J. Anderson's novel, The Edge Of The World - for which the CD is an accompanying piece,(Kevin and his wife Rebecca wrote all the lyrics). It's very much a Prog all-star event with contributing members from Rocket Scientists, Dream Theater, Kansas, Asia, Shadow Gallery, Ghost Circus,(cheap plug!) and more! I'm beyond honored to have been asked to contribute to this great work!

Now that my playing is done on Terra Incognita, I'm focusing my attention back on my solo instrumental project. Yes, I am doing a guitar album, it's official! I've sorted through a lot of material and ideas and have found the direction I need to make, what I feel will be, a truly unique and entertaining album. The big struggle, writing-wise, has been finding just the right piece of music to open this sucker with. I'm happy to report that, after much trial and error, I finally had the "eureka!" moment yesterday! It's a fantastic, high-energy piece that has a bloody difficult lick near the end... just what I needed! Um, remind me again why I like to make things like this so difficult on myself with fast groups of notes that must be played perfectly?!?! Oh yeah! 'Cause I'm crazy!

Anyway, the way the rest of the album is shaping-up it looks like it'll be one hell of a rollercoaster ride for those of you who like guitar music! One thing about many guitar albums is that they tend to be pretty much the same from one end to the other. Not saying anything negative about that type of stuff,(as some of my favorite albums are such guitar records) it's just not the approach I wanted to take when I finally made my own attempt at this sort of thing. I'm going more for a funhouse approach: where you don't know what's around the next corner. The challenge, of course, is to make it all work together. I feel that I've selected just the right pieces of music for that. We'll see when I'm done, I suppose!

Somewhere in the middle of all this I'll also be cutting some parts for the next Factory Of Dreams album. I've already got a couple of solos done and sent to Hugo for mixing. Very shreddy stuff from me, so far, but I'll also be adding some good ol' fretless bass work as well. From what little I've heard of teh early mixes, this sounds like it's going to be a nicely heavy addition to Hugo Flores' catalog!

As for Ghost Circus; I got a new long-form song from Ron - which happens to be one of his best ever - a couple of weeks ago. I gotta tell you; this little break we're taking has done both of us a world of good! I can tell that Ron's batteries are getting re-charged to full, and I'm able to get all this other non-GC stuff out of my system. Beyond that, we're both working very hard to improve every aspect of how we go about recording our stuff. What that means to all of you who follow what we do, when resume full GC operation in a few months, you should expect a new milestone album from us. We're constantly working,(even when on break) to make sure that the next Ghost Circus album surpasses the one before it on all fronts. Things are starting to shape-up in such a way that we'll do exactly that, when the time is right to get back to it!

Allright! Enough rambling from me for now. Back to work I go!

Later:
Chris

Folks, I am one happy little camper here! I've spent the past year-and-a-half trying tons of amps, looking for the one that would give me the tonal options, gain, and flexibility that I need; both here in the studio and out on stage,(yes, I do play live from time-to-time). I'm happy to report that I have found EXACTLY what I needed: The brand new Peavey 3120!




I tried everything from Marshall to Bogner, from Diesel to the outstanding EVH 5150III,(made by Fender, if you're wondering). In the end, I was torn between the Bogner Ecstacy and the Peavey JSX heads. The Bogner was WAY out of the price range,(over three thousand bucks JUST for the head!), and lacked something I couldn't quite put my finger on. The JSX was great but still had overtones of Satriani's sound,(I'm trying to forge my own sound here, folks).

Then, out of nowhere, came this bad motherfucker right here! Peavey debuted the 3120 at Winter NAMM in December and I had heard absolutely nothing about it until I tried it. Melinda,(a.k.a. Mrs. Brown) and I were killing time at the store,(Guitar Center, Nashville - where I once worked)and I spotted it on a Gear Guide display. My buddy Travis helped me get it all hooked-up and it took all of three minutes for Melinda and I to be absolutely blown away by this amp!

Beyond all the stuff listed above, it did the one thing no other amplifier had previously been able to do: I sounded like me when I played through it. No overtones, no references to someone else's tone. Just me - 100%!

With three channels and 120 watts, it's got exactly what I need in both selection and power. It comes stocked with four 12AX7's in the preamp section, and four matched JJ EL34's in the power section,(swap-able with 6L6's, should the desire ever arise). A dampening switch on the back allows me to go from ultra-tight to loose at the drop of a hat. There's also an effects loop with level controls for both send and return, a direct out, and it comes with the footswitch.

All this stuff for just $999 at your local Guitar Center!!! Seriously, Peavey could have set the price higher for this amp but there, apparently, is still a company in this country who still believes in giving the customer every single "bang for the buck" possible. A damn fine policy in these days and times!

I matched it with a Peavey JSX cab for two reasons: Firstly because it's a solid, great-sounding cabinet that can handle all the power you can throw at it! Secondly, because of the great mic-simulated XLR out on the back. Once again; tonal options. I have a small home studio, and it's nice to know that I can record without running mics, should I need to.

BIG thanks to "Gimli"(Zach Bohanon - Guitar Center asst. manager AND the drummer on the upcoming Chris Brown solo album!), Chuck Tate, and Coach for helping to get this puppy into my hands! It was a busy day and these guys went the extra mile to hook me up!

I'm using this setup for the first time on the Roswell Six album - www.myspace.com/roswellsix - and am looking forward to cutting new tracks for both next Ghost Circus album and my upcoming solo album in the near future. I have a feeling the Peavey 3120 and I will be together for a long time to come!

Later:
Chris

Hi there GC fans! Chris here. It's been way too long since I've posted a blog here on the GC MySpace. Mostly because I've been incredibly busy for quite a while. I have a lot of things cooking right now, and I can finally tell you about one of the biggest things going on!

I'm appearing on a project called Roswell Six, playing acoustic guitar. The press release is below, and let me say that I am humbled and honored to be involved in this project! Working along-side such great musicians is a real treat for me, and helping to create something that will go along with a Kevin J. Anderson book makes it even better! Enough of my rambling, here's the official press release from ProgRock Records:

ProgRock Records has joined
forces with internationally bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson for
a groundbreaking crossover novel and progressive rock project, TERRA
INCOGNITA. Anderson has created an incredible fantasy universe with
sailing ships, sea monsters, and the crusades. The first novel, THE
EDGE OF THE WORLD, hits stores in June from Orbit Books.

Anderson says, "My work work has always been heavily influenced by
music, especially progressive rock -- but TERRA INCOGNITA truly takes
this into new territory." Anderson developed and expanded one of the
novel's storylines to form the basis of an epic rock CD, under the
band name "Roswell Six." He and his wife, bestselling author Rebecca
Moesta, wrote all the lyrics to the songs.

Accomplished keyboardist/composer Erik Norlander (ROCKET SCIENTISTS)
came aboard at the beginning of the project to write the music. His
wife Lana Lane, the "Queen of Symphonic Rock," provides the female
lead vocals. Bassist Kurt Barabas (UNDER THE SUN) and Executive
Producer Shawn Gordon from ProgRock Records round out the members of
"Roswell Six."

"This project checked off about half the items on my bucket list,"
said Gordon. "Imagine what kind of fantasy world I feel like I'm in
when I get to work with one of my favorite authors, favorite
vocalists, and favorite musicians. Hearing the story come to life is
really an amazing experience and I think there are going to be a lot
of new crossover fans from this project."

The CD's male vocals are by James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER), Michael
Sadler (SAGA), and John Payne (ex-ASIA). Additional artists on the CD
include David Ragsdale (KANSAS), Gary Wehrkamp (SHADOW GALLERY),
Chris Quirarte (PRYMARY) and Chris Brown (GHOST CIRCUS). Together,
the creative team has sold over 40 million copies worldwide.

TERRA INCOGNITA is a synergistic project unlike anything ever seen in
the publishing and music business -- an original novel and original
CD from the same author. Kevin J. Anderson is currently writing the
second novel in the epic trilogy, TERRA INCOGNITA: THE MAP OF ALL
THINGS. He is best known for his successful DUNE novels with Brian
Herbert, his many Star Wars and X-Files novels, and his original epic
"The Saga of Seven Suns."

"Terra Incognita" is the first release on ProgRock Records and can be
found at http://www.progrockrecords.com/artists/view.php?id=116. This
groundbreaking epic is available now for pre-sales; the CD will ship
in late April and the book by June. The street date for your favorite
brick and mortar resellers is June 2, 2009. Special bundling and
discounting is available on the ProgRock Records site, as well as an
option for autographed copies, only 200 of which will be available.
See http://www.progrockrecords.com/artists/view.php?id=116 for
details. You can also hear two songs in full at
www.myspace.com/roswellsix and make us a friend.

The following is copied from what I posted over at the Ghost Circus forum. I think I might make it a ritual to copy stuff over from there during the recording of the new album, as I don't like typing much. Either way, feel free to swing by the Ghost Circus forum and join in on the fun over there as well: http://ghostcircus.informe.com/forum/ Oh, and, yes, work has begun on the next GC album!

Music never stops around me. If I'm not playing, writing, or recording, I'm listening. Every mood, occurance, activity, or state of mind is tied to music with me, in one way or another. Music deeply affects me in both creative and personal ways.

When I'm working on a GC album, there are basically two primary reasons why I listen to certain albums or songs. The first being that I'm studying what more accomplished composers and writers have done. Usually it's to gain insight into emotive vocal ideas, or to realize how someone connects the dots, musically or production-wise, to make a song come together. The second reason is to give my brain a break by listening to the stellar opposite of what I've been working on with GC.

Today was a "stellar opposite" kind of day. It's days like this that I'm sure will get me some funny looks and rasied eyebrows from the more dedicated Prog fans of our stuff. There are elements from across nearly the entire sonic spectrum of music that I enjoy. When I've been working on something intense or difficult, I need to spend time listening to the antithesis of that when I'm not working.

I've spent the past three days hammering out time trying to find the right sequence of guitar notes for an instrumental track from the new album. Believe it or not, it's rare that any of my guitar soloing is random. Most of it is very meticulously constructed. The difficult part is recording a take that is not only technically correct but also feels spontanious and alive. That's very hard to do when you've already been through thirty or more takes. This new piece, in particular, is very difficult and demanding. It's a Ron song, so there are time signature changes and chord sequences that are not terribly common in run-of-the-mill Guitar Rock - which is one of the best things, to me, about playing on material he writes. It's challenging and I enjoy it, to a point. That point, though, is where I find I have to stop and come back later.

So, today I just took a break from the song, and recording, entirely and just spent some time with some good ol' simple-as-can-be music. So far, I've been stuck on two bands: The Ramones and Kitchens Of Distinction.

Here's something you won't hear from many Prog musicians: I love The Ramones! In fact, I like quite a few Punk bands from the 70's and 80's. Ramones, Sex Pistols, Social Distortion, The Clash, The Damned, 45 Grave, The Cramps... I could go on for a while. I will also be the first to argue that what has passed for "Punk" in the 90's and 00's is about as far removed from the spirit of the real thing that... eh, I'll just shut up about that now.

There's just something beautiful about the simplicity of The Ramones, though. Very legit, very honest, very true to the original spirit of Rock n' Roll; both in attitude and structure. If you look at it from just a musical stand point, it's just a louder version of the music that original Rockers like Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry set out to make. The songs have that quality to them. It's why The Ramones sound equally right playing a cover of "Needles And Pins" as they did playing 'Blitzkrieg Bop". Not to mention the fact that, as a band, they were very tight and very pro.

As for my other,(and current) band of the day, well, they're just a huge influence on me that very few people would ever expect. Not to mention the fact that they're a band very, very few people would have ever heard of. Kitchens Of Distinction were a trio that came about in South London in the late 80's. The best way to describe their sound would be "Dream Pop". At least, that's what I call it. Their guitarist, Julian Swales, created the sound that I based the GC texture guitar sound off of,(as opposed to, as some have guessed, Robert Fripp). His guitar work can sound very much like keyboards due to the way he uses chorus, delay, and reverb. It's simply beautiful stuff.

I've been going through their albums for most of the day. It's such a shame that they never found their audience. They should have been big, and should still be around making music today. Seek their stuff out. If you like the "gargantuan" feel to some of our songs, KOD is the basis for a lot of that sound.

I'll check in every so often with posts like this. They probably won't be as long-winded as this one, though.

Chris

It has arrived! The official release date of GHOST CIRCUS - ACROSS THE LINE. :-)

Perhaps a nice opportunity to show you some of the reviews so far (click the links for the full reviews):

WWW.HARDROCKHAVEN.NET
This is a strong, unique adventurous CD that unfolds before you. Allow the CD time to come into its own, but it does so quikly, and within minutes you become part of the storyline, almost as if lost in a movie playing out in your mind. The visuals of this CD are there, and the boys of Ghost Circus are to be commended for using their musical and songwriting talents to bring to life one illustration after another. (rating: 8.5 out of 10)

WWW.HOME-OF-ROCK.DE
With the follow-up "Across the line" they've stepping it up a notch. Naturally they derive from a Prog Rock background, but they dare to use catchy Melodies. These are so good (but nevertheless not overused/repeated in a very short time), that the listener becomes speechless quite a few times. Those who think they're offering "soft and nice" Neo Prog are off the mark. This is rather a masterly mix of atmospheres, melodic rock, partly hard, dark riffs from the New Art rock and a pinch of Alternative. The complete thing arrives in such an easy and groovy way at the listener's ear that it cheers one up and on the whole evolves to a musically treat. The instruments generally reach the right intensity and align to each other. So the sound never gets "mushy" and the production ends up clean on the fan's table. I am impressed and give my absolute buy-recommendation. Out of a few releases these days, "Across the line" steps into the light, being a masterpiece. Recommendation!

WWW.PROG-NOSE.ORG
The music of Ghost Circus is almost impossible to categories. It contains elements of AOR, Prog, Metal, Symphonic/Classic and alternative rock. That quite a mix all right. But fortunately this doesn't mean their music is chaotic; in fact, all songs have a very good structure. Another pleasant aspect is the high production quality of the music. From the instrumental intro "Reflection" till the (also instrumental) last song "Across The Line" the listener gets constantly amazed including the 25 minute highlight "Through The Light (part 1-7)". People who enjoy good music with substance should put this album on their shopping list. They will most certainly enjoy this Cd.

PROGRESSIVEMUSIC-GINFRESS.BLOGSPOT.COM
This isn't just prog. Take a blender, put in some AOR, Prog, Metal and Classic rock, put the blender on for a few minutes then pour Ghost Circus out of it. From the first acoustic riff on "Reflection" until the last notes from "Across the line" this album will pull you away from reality. I can't wait for their next step.

WWW.STRUTTERMAGAZINE.COM
'Across the line' is without a doubt a great follow-up, showing the band's Melodic heavy guitar riff driven Progressive Metal style that somehow reminds me of THRESHOLD, yet a bit rawer here and there and also sometimes drifting into classic 80s MARILLION type of Symphonic Progressive Rock ("To be" and "Losing time"). All together a very nice album mixing 80s Sympho with modern day Prog. (Points: 8.3 out of 10)

WWW.MUSICSTREETJOURNAL.COM
The truth is, though, prog purists will want to avoid this like the plague. There is a lot of metal here. For those who like their neo-prog leaning close to heavy metal, this is definitely recommended. While I wouldn't put it too near the top of the pack, it's definitely in the upper half. These guys have produced an ambitious concept album (a disc about the crossing over into the after life has to be ambitious by definition) that's got some great moments and quite a bit of above average material. I have to say that the multi-track epic is brilliant.

Which brings up an interesting discussion about "Ghost Circus - prog or not?!". Your opinion is much appreciated. You can discuss it at the Ghost Circus message board if you like: Ghost Circus message board


So yeah. Album No 2 is delivered and well received.
Give or take a few "prog purists"!

We'll start working on album No 3 soon. :)

 
Ron and Chris
www.ghostcircus.com

Mindawn is a digital distribution service store (similar to iTunes) and is part of The Kompany which is also the mother company of our record company  ProgRock Records. The Mindawn shop offers individual tracks and full albums in both FLAC and OGG format and currently lists more then 40,000 songs.

There's a Top 5 on the front page for (currently) best selling albums. As with any on line charge this changes every time an album is purchased but this past week the Top 5 says:

1 Across The Line – Ghost Circus (FLAC)
3 Cycles – Ghost Circus (FLAC)
(The OGG version of Across The Line pops up there as well from time to time which makes 3 top listings!)

Along with the Top 5 album list there's a Top 10 list of most purchased songs. That list currently says:

2 To Be - Ghost Circus
4 Holding On – Ghost Circus
6 Reflection – Ghost Circus
(Both songs are from the Across The Line album)

Our guess is we're doing pretty good at the moment!