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John Wesley's "A Way You'all Never Be" CD


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Listening to it right now. I will be buying. :ebert:

What do you think of the latest Headspace album?

 

??

Maybe it wasn't you who listed it!

oh ok :laughing guy:

I'm not a fan of what I've heard of it, there's too many annoying tunes!

I have never heard of them so I looked them up on Spotify. The only band on Related Artists that I know is Haken.

They're like a supergroup with Adam Wakeman (son of Rick) and the lead singer from Threshold and others.

I think it was me who listed it. I quite like it but haven't listened to it for a few weeks. They are better live.
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Listening to it right now. I will be buying. :ebert:

What do you think of the latest Headspace album?

 

??

Maybe it wasn't you who listed it!

oh ok :laughing guy:

I'm not a fan of what I've heard of it, there's too many annoying tunes!

I have never heard of them so I looked them up on Spotify. The only band on Related Artists that I know is Haken.

They're like a supergroup with Adam Wakeman (son of Rick) and the lead singer from Threshold and others.

I think it was me who listed it. I quite like it but haven't listened to it for a few weeks. They are better live.

The previous album was pretty good.

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I like this thing the more I listen. Really some cool Rushisms afoot. I hear a little Time And Motion in the title track.

 

Sun.A.Rose is very atmospheric and probably my favorite.

I listened to "By the Light of a Sun" was was immediately reminded of Rush. It has a nice Cygnus X-1 vibe.

 

I'm looking forward to hearing the entire record.

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I like this thing the more I listen. Really some cool Rushisms afoot. I hear a little Time And Motion in the title track.

 

Sun.A.Rose is very atmospheric and probably my favorite.

 

I agree. I have listened to it 3-4x since I got it. :ebert:

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Solid 8 out of 10 A ton of Rushesque themes and soundscapes. A really cool album.
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I liked this disc on first listen and it is actually growing - really great. His best work, IMO. I wonder what he's playing from it live (solo, opening for Marillion at the moment, I understand)

 

I certainly hear the Alex influence - but also certainly Steven Wilson in many of the melodies and variety of sounds (I love the last few hanging notes of "The Silence of Coffee"), and I hear Steven in the delivery of some of the vocals. I also get a progression very similar to a King's X riff in "sun.a.rose."

 

Found some cool comments from an interview conducted around the time of his last disc revealing his Rush influences (http://www.innerview...ner/wesley.html)

How did you get Alex Lifeson to contribute a solo to “Once a Warrior?”

 

He played on the Porcupine Tree track “Anesthetize” and I would cover his solo live. During the 2007 tour, we learned Alex was going to attend the Toronto show. So many of my formative guitar influences came from Rush records. I remember warming up before the show thinking “Oh my God, he’s going to watch me play and know I stole everything from him.” [laughs] But he was a lot of fun, gracious and we became friends. Once, at a subsequent Rush gig, he asked me what I was up to and I said “I’m finishing up Disconnect.” He said “Got any space left for me?” I looked at him and said “Why, yes I do.” [laughs] Dean and I then went back and created solo space in the track that would really allow Alex to breathe and do what he wants while still serving the song. I sent the piece to Alex with no instructions other than “Just play.” Two weeks later, he sent it back and I thought “Wow.” It was such an appropriate solo. He really listened to the song and you can hear its melodies reflected in his solo. He didn’t just blast something out over the chord changes. He created something that really fit.

 

Does Lifeson’s approach also reflect your own personal soloing philosophy?

 

Definitely. For me, guitar soloing is an extension of melodic, vocal ideas. I’ve always gravitated to players who did that, including Clapton, Gilmour and Hendrix. You’ll also hear it in guys like Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks too. How many Lifeson solos can most people sing in their head? Go to a Rush gig and tell me you don’t know all the licks before they happen. So, it’s less about chops and technique and more about a singing guitar approach, which you’ll hear me engaging in across the album.

 

You’re also very close to Neil Peart. How did that friendship emerge?

 

We have a mutual friend named Brian Catterson, who is very good friends with Neil’s riding buddy Michael Mosbach, who is also kind of his bodyguard. When they’re on tour, they ride together. Michael and Neil are also Porcupine Tree fans. I was in LA hanging out at GIT in 2007 taking some lessons and Brian was there and said “I’m going on a Sunday ride with Neil and Michael. Michael said I should invite you.” So, Brian, who was the editor of Cycle World at the time, had a stable of motorcycles and lent me one. So, I went riding with Brian, Neil and Michael. Neil’s a very cautious rider and observed me for a few hours. After that, he was very loose and we became friends. He said “We’ll ride again” afterwards and a couple of weeks later I got a call saying “Can you be in Oregon tomorrow?” I said “Why, yes, I can.” [laughs] And I flew out to Oregon. Michael had to go to LA to prep something for one of the Rush shows, so Neil and I rode for a couple of days through the mountains from Oregon all the way to LA. We really connected and he’s one of my dearest friends. Alex and I hit it off too. It all blows my mind sometimes.

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Who is he again?

 

Touring guitar player in Porcupine Tree is how I discovered him. He is a heck of gentleman as well. Met him at the Snakes and Arrows show in Orlando as he was sitting in the second row with us (and also brushed the chickens on stage...LOL). Very gracious and a great player.

 

I love this album. Really dark and brooding and full of PT and Rush influences all over the place. In my wheelhouse for sure.

Edited by Todem
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Love the album Disconnect as well, for fans of the new album who mightn't know more...

 

Great solo by Lerxst on "Once a Warrior".

 

I liked Disconnect, but the second half got a little tiresome, and is a little noodly. I find the new once much more cohesive.

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I'm digging the album. Not sure it will make my tops list for the year, nevertheless some really solid tracks (By the Light of the Sun, the title track, The Revolutionist, Epic, Pointless Endeavors are standouts).

 

What frustrates me a bit with this album [and some other material I've heard lately] is how it sounds a lot like other bands, but never sounding better than those other influential bands. Ultimately it only makes me long to listen to the other bands and appreciate what they do so well that everyone else emulates. I guess that's what separates a good musician/band from a great musician/band. The uniqueness they bring, and how they shape those style into their own.

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My list of favorite songs from this album is growing really long after many listens. There isn't a single stinker, and as far as picking a few favorites it seems irrelevant at this point since I enjoy all of them. I'm glad I let this one sit for a bit, then came back only to enjoy it with renewed interest. Edited by stoopid
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The uniqueness they bring, and how they shape those style into their own.

 

I think John's contribution to prog/rock music in general, aside from his obvious talents on guitar, is his ability to mesh so many different hard rock styles that are recognizable but do it in a way that sounds fresh. It's not as much that he sounds like those other artists as it is he sounds like them playing at their absolute best on a breakthrough album they haven't recorded.

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