Greetings One and All, It's been an eventful November for Edensong…we have started rehearsing again for some potential shows in '09, started working with a new flutist and cellist , stopped working with a drummer (seems to be an unfortunate pattern), become the featured artist on www.progarchives.com, and have brought "The Fruit Fallen" into its second pressing! But before I elaborate on any of this, please take a moment and go here:
http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116553
…and vote for Edensong's "The Fruit Fallen" for the best prog album of 2008 on the Gagliarchives annual poll (of course you need only do this if you truly believe we deserve such an honor…I wouldn't want to shadily stuff the ballot boxes. That said, feel free to pass this link on to your proggy or not-so-proggy friends as well). Voting stops this Wednesday at 11:59am, so hurry! And, if the link doesn't work (which is the case as I'm writing this) please bookmark it and stop by again at a more fortunate time.
OK, back to the other stuff: The rehearsals are going extremely well. It's really great to hear this music in the live setting once again after such a long hiatus. We're revamping some of the live arrangements and restoring some of the details from the album never before heard on the stage. We've taken this time between drummers to do a little work on our "unplugged" set as well, so stay tuned.
Speaking of drummers, do let me know if you happen to be a talented drummer based in the NY area with some free time on your hands (or if you know anybody else who fits this description). It was but days after the last collective e-mail went out that we parted ways with Dave (For this very reason, I'm always hesitant to make personnel announcements. My bad!). Anyway, E-mail me at info@edensongtheband.com if you have any leads!
As I mentioned before, we're the featured artist on www.progarchives.com so head over there between now and the end of November to check out a recent interview, some exclusive sound clips (full songs not up on our myspace page!), some news, some reviews, and weigh in on the Edensong discussion.
I must say that one of the major highlights of my month was a recent meeting with Phideaux Xavier at my studio in New York. We've long followed each other's music, but this was our first face-to-face. True to my expectations, he's as great a man as his music indicates, and I hope this paves the way for future collaboration. For those who haven't yet heard his music, check out Phideaux's recent work "Doomsday Afternoon." I was able to wrestle a few short sound clips out of him, while he was here, from the upcoming "Number Seven"… fans of his music have A LOT to look forward to.
November has also seen more than its fair share of new reviews of "The Fruit Fallen." Thankfully, the word of the critics has been overwhelmingly positive. Look for 2 new reviews shortly in the upcoming issues of Progression Magazine and The Music Street Journal (both great publications!). So, thanks to them and thanks to you we've been fortunate enough to bring "The Fruit Fallen" into its second pressing. There are still a handful of originals left, and that needs to change (It makes a wonderful Christmas present…but so do McDonalds gift certificates as I learned from last years advertisements. I apologize for such a hackneyed sales tactic). But seriously guys…
Wishing you an excellent Holiday Season (assuming there's nothing to report in December),
-James and Edensong