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Andrew Colyer – 2014 Summer Update
Andrew Colyer writing original modern progressive rock music with Circuline
Hi everyone, it’s been a busy summer! I hope you are all doing well.
In May I was asked to join one of the newer International Progressive Rock bands (I’m not at liberty to say just yet) as a touring member, on keyboards and vocals. The promise was to open up for a certain Big Famous Band across North America for their two-month summer tour in July and August. How exciting!
With such an offer on the table, I rearranged my summer schedule, and spent six weeks in May and June working on the entire set list. The tour with the Big Famous Band fell through, and the band that asked me to join went on hiatus. Brutal!!
I returned to finishing my next solo CD – which should be released in October – just a few weeks away! I also returned to my modern melodic cinematic progressive rock original band, Circuline, which had been put on hold, and resumed writing, rehearsing, and recording in the studio. Circuline has some upcoming live gigs in November, and have our debut album release scheduled for December. Circuline also has a “House of Prog” Radio Interview scheduled for December. Please check out the Circuline website, sign up for the mailing list, and you’ll get a free song as soon as it’s ready: http://CirculineMusic.com/
Hope to see you soon!
Andrew Colyer on the YES Cruise to the Edge with the Prog Rock Orchestra – Day Four
2014 Cruise to the Edge, Day Four
Another fun day at sea with some of the greatest Progressive Rock bands of all time! I’m so grateful to be here this year performing as an artist with the Prog Rock Orchestra.
We actually got off the ship today in Mexico and had some fun! (Special thanks to Rob Rutz for planning and organizing our private charter.)
Rob Rutz’s private charter in Mexico – #1
Rob Rutz private charter in Mexico – #2.
Rob Rutz private charter in Mexico – #3
Rob Rutz private charter in Mexico – #4. Can you tell which one is me?
Rob Rutz private charter in Mexico – #5.
The MSC Divina! Our ship for the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise and YES Cruise to the Edge.
Andrew Colyer with The Strawbs on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge
The Strawbs on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge
Marillion on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Performance #1 – Day Four
The other bands/acts that performed/spoke today included: YES, Marillion, Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited, UK, Queensryche, Tangerine Dream, Renaissance, Saga, Three Friends (former members of Gentle Giant), Patrick Moraz, PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi), Lifesigns, Stick Men (featuring Tony Levin of Peter Gabriel), IO Earth, The Strawbs, The Pineapple Thief, Soft Machine (Legacy), Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins), Electric Asturias, Presto Ballet, Moon Safari, Pamela Moore, Scale the Summit, The Prog Rock Orchestra, Roger Dean,Heavy Mellow, and Cheap Thrill,
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Oblivion Sun to play Chicago Progtoberfest
Progtoberfest 2014
Oblivion Sun is now scheduled to play Chicago’s Progtoberfest! What a great band – so excited and looking forward to this!
Oblivion Sun (former members of Happy the Man) Offers Keyboard Spot to Andrew Colyer
Oblivion Sun is the brainchild of Frank Wyatt and Stanley Whitaker, founding members of 70’s Arista recording artists Happy The Man. HTM reformed in 1999 to headline Nearfest 2000 and they released their first CD in almost 25 years, “The Muse Awakens” in 2004.
After several different lineups, iterations, and groups, Frank and Stan emerged with a new band…Oblivion Sun. The ensemble features the compositional and performance skills of Stan Whitaker on guitar and vocals, Frank Wyatt on keyboards and reeds, Bill Brasso on drums, and David Hughes on bass and vocals. They have released two albums, both of which garnered great reviews and new fans worldwide. When their excellent keyboardist left the band, there was a void that needed to be filled…here’s where Andrew Colyer enters the picture…keep reading…
Oblivion Sun headlined the U.S. progressive rock festival RoSfest in 2010, and in 2013 headlined at ProgDay (North Carolina) and the New Jersey ProgHouse. They plan to tour in the U.S. and are looking towards Europe in 2015. They are currently fine tuning a live performance set that will combine music from both Oblivion Sun albums and some prime cuts from the Happy the Man days.
After meeting drummer Bill Brasso on the 2013 Cruise to the Edge, then meeting Frank and Mindy Wyatt on the 2014 Cruise to the Edge and them getting to see Andrew play, the Oblivion Sun band has offered Andrew to join the band as a second keyboard player! Rehearsal dates for next month are now scheduled at Frank’s studio in Pennsylvania! More great news to come – watch this space……
Oblivion Sun members on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge
Oblivion Sun / Happy the Man founder Frank Wyatt with keyboardist/vocalist Andrew Colyer (Prog Rock Orchestra, Circuline)
Oblivion Sun drummer Bill Brasso with keyboardist/vocalist Andrew Colyer (Prog Rock Orchestra, Circuline)
Andrew Colyer on the YES Cruise to the Edge with the Prog Rock Orchestra – Day Three
2014 Cruise to the Edge, Day Three
The Prog Rock Orchestra had its “Storytellers” segment this afternoon. (Look for video of that posted soon.)
Prog Rock Orchestra – Storytellers on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge
I also performed on keyboards/vocals with the Prog Rock Orchestra’s second performance tonight. We were actually performing at the same time as YES! Our previous performances (on the Moody Blues Cruise last week and this cruise yesterday) were on the “Black and White” stage, and we were moved to the “Golden” stage. The show tonight was good, solid, rocking, and the tightest we had ever performed! (Probably because we were physically packed in the tightest onstage we had ever been.) “Think Like Sardines” was the motto for the evening…..
Andrew Colyer and Tom Tutino perform with the Prog Rock Orchestra on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day Three. (Photo courtesy of Rajaniemi Photography.)
Tim Marshall (lead vocals) and Joe Parker (bass, vocals) perform with the Prog Rock Orchestra on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day Three. (Photo courtesy of Rajaniemi Photography.)
Special thanks to Rajaniemi Photography for the photos!
http://www.RajaniemiPhotography.com/
Andrew Colyer’s keyboard rig with the Prog Rock Orchestra on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day Three
Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins) performing on the 2014 Cruise to the Edge – Day Three
Three Friends (former members of Gentle Giant) performing on the YES 2014 Cruise to the Edge – Day Three
DUDE on a PROG CRUISE wearing a BARRY MANILOW t-shirt!! And he’s the Emcee for the Storytellers Q&A Sessions!!
The other bands/acts that performed/spoke today included: YES, Marillion, Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited, UK, Queensryche, Tangerine Dream, Renaissance, Saga, Three Friends (former members of Gentle Giant), Patrick Moraz, PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi), Lifesigns, Stick Men (featuring Tony Levin of Peter Gabriel), IO Earth, The Strawbs, The Pineapple Thief, Soft Machine (Legacy), Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins), Electric Asturias, Presto Ballet, Moon Safari, Pamela Moore, Scale the Summit, The Prog Rock Orchestra, Roger Dean,Heavy Mellow, and Cheap Thrill,
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Andrew Colyer on the YES Cruise to the Edge with the Prog Rock Orchestra – Day Two
2014 Cruise to the Edge, Day Two
Today was another exciting day! There are too many activites onboard to list, so I’ll just share the ones that I participated in.
I performed on keys/vocals with the Prog Rock Orchestra!
Andrew Colyer performing with the Prog Rock Orchestra on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day Two – #1
Andrew Colyer performing with the Prog Rock Orchestra on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day Two – #2
Starting off the day, I was fortunate to have breakfast with Frank Wyatt (Happy the Man, Oblivion Sun) and his lovely wife, Mindy.
Andrew Colyer with Frank Wyatt (Happy the Man, Oblivion Sun)
I also had the good fortune to work with Patrick Moraz, helping him and his crew with technical aspects of setting up his rig – and he used my keyboard stand! (Apparently, there were not any other three- or four-tiered keyboard stands on the ship.)
Patrick Moraz on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge. Three-tiered keyboard rack belongs to Andrew Colyer, who helped the Moraz crew with tech support.
Andrew with Patrick Moraz (YES, Moody Blues)
Andrew Colyer with prog band “The Pineapple Thief”
Composer/guitarist/vocalist Tom Tutino of the Prog Rock Orchestra with his lovely daughter on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge
Composer/keyboardist/vocalist Brook Hansen of the Prog Rock Orchestra with his wife Adrianna on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge
The other bands/acts that performed/spoke today included: YES, Marillion, Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited, UK, Queensryche, Tangerine Dream, Renaissance, Saga, Three Friends (former members of Gentle Giant), Patrick Moraz, PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi), Lifesigns, Stick Men (featuring Tony Levin of Peter Gabriel), IO Earth, The Strawbs, The Pineapple Thief, Soft Machine (Legacy), Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins), Electric Asturias, Presto Ballet, Moon Safari, Pamela Moore, Scale the Summit, The Prog Rock Orchestra, Roger Dean,Heavy Mellow, and Cheap Thrill,
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Andrew Colyer on the YES Cruise to the Edge with the Prog Rock Orchestra – Day One
2014 Cruise to the Edge, Day One
Our first day on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge! There are 26 bands this year – O.M.G. I’m going to try to see as many as possible, because the days I’m performing with the Prog Rock Orchestra (days two and three) are tied up significantly with those gigs.
The endless sea of PROG fans in black T-shirts! Day One of the 2014 Cruise to the Edge
Andrew Colyer with Bill Brasso (Oblivion Sun)
Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited – 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day One
The Pineapple Thief – 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day One
2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – more men in black T-shirts!
PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi) on the 2014 YES Cruise to the Edge – Day One
Andrew Colyer with Jim Gilmour (Saga)
Andrew Colyer with Kendall Scott (UK, Project Object) and Andre Cholmondeley (YES, UK, ELP, Adrian Belew, Project Object)
Andrew Colyer with sound engineer Bob Young (YES, Vangelis)
The other bands/acts that performed/spoke today included: YES, Marillion, Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited, UK, Queensryche, Tangerine Dream, Renaissance, Saga, Three Friends (former members of Gentle Giant), Patrick Moraz, PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi), Lifesigns, Stick Men (featuring Tony Levin of Peter Gabriel), IO Earth, The Strawbs, The Pineapple Thief, Soft Machine (Legacy), Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins), Electric Asturias, Presto Ballet, Moon Safari, Pamela Moore, Scale the Summit, The Prog Rock Orchestra, Roger Dean, Heavy Mellow, and Cheap Thrill,
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Andrew Colyer on the Moody Blues Cruise with the Prog Rock Orchestra – Day Six
2014 Moody Blues Cruise – Day Six
Today we return to port! It’s been a great time, performing on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise, meeting all of the other bands and “fan cruisers”! I hope to be back next year….
The 2014 Moody Blues Cruise featured the Prog Rock Orchestra
Performing Artist Andrew Colyer on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise
Andrew Colyer had the privilege to perform on keys/vocals with the Prog Rock Orchestra on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – the Artist Badge
“Moody-Gram” on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – left on the cabin door!
Ship TV Monitor on the last day of the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise
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Andrew Colyer on the Moody Blues Cruise with the Prog Rock Orchestra – Day Five
Moody Blues Cruise 2014, Day Five
After getting to bed at 3 am last night, it felt great to be able to sleep in until 11 am! Once I finally got up, I had to hustle, because I really wanted to see…………….
12 pm – The Orchestra [former members of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)] Storytellers segment in the Theater
![The Orchestra [former members of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)] Storytellers on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise](http://colyermusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/IMG_20140406_122406_2471.jpg)
The Orchestra [former members of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)] doing their Storytellers segment on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise
Roger Dean’s large canvas artwork from this Uriah Heep album cover was for sale on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise and the YES Cruise to the Edge
“The Inconsolable Secret” for Glass Hammer is one of Roger Dean’s most recent album covers
Speaking of artwork, I had a great conversation with Rudie Baldwin from Carl Palmer Artwork. Carl’s art is truly amazing. He plays with drumsticks that have LED’s embedded in them, and the movements are captured on film. Very cool.
Carl Palmer “performing” his unique artwork
In the afternoon, Brook Hansen and Tom Tutino of the Prog Rock Orchestra performed on the karaoke stage doing some acoustic piano and guitar stuff – Tim Marshall of the Prog Rock Orchestra joined in for a few tunes!
Brook Hansen and Tom Tutino of the Prog Rock Orchestra doing an “Unplugged” set on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise
7:30 pm – Sound of Contact – Show #2 on the Black & White Stage
Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins) on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – Performance #2a – Ronen Gordon (drums) and Simon Collins
Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins) on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – Performance #2b – Randy McStine (guitar), Ronen Gordon (drums), Simon Collins (drums), Matt Dorsey (bass), and Bill Jenkins (keyboards)
Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins) on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – Performance #2c – Simon Collins (drums) and Matt Dorsey (bass).
Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins) on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – Performance #2d – Randy McStine (guitar) and Ronen Gordon (drums)
Sound of Contact (featuring Simon Collins) on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – Performance #2e – Randy McStine (guitar), Simon Collins (vocals), and Ronen Gordon (drums).
11 pm – The Zombies – 11 pm
The Zombies performing on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – #1
The Zombies performing on the 2014 Moody Blues Cruise – #2
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