Touchstone
UK rockers TOUCHSTONE are due to release their first single from the upcoming new album ‘Oceans Of Time’.
The single, ‘Flux’, will have a digital release on September 9 and will feature both a radio edit and full album version B-side.
Oceans Of Time, features 10 tracks recorded and produced at Outhouse Studios by renowned producer John Mitchell (You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis, Funeral For A Friend), and is due for worldwide release on October 7. The album will be the successor to Touchstone’s previous albums: The City Sleeps (2011), Wintercoast (2009) and Discordant Dreams (2007).
On this eagerly awaited new album, the band continue their “Wintercoast” story with the dynamic, moving epic title track ‘Oceans Of
Time’; the sequel to the title tracks of Wintercoast and The City Sleeps. Another familiar theme comes from ‘Shadow’s End’,
the final part of the Shadow trilogy, which started with the track ‘Shadow’, from Discordant Dreams.
Fans will enjoy a more guitar-orientated sound from Oceans Of Time than previous albums due to the nature of the writing process.
Co-headline tour dates with Von Hertzen Brothers Official - October 2013. For info see
tourdates/.
Here some new live pics from summer 2012.
Beautiful pictures from
Touchstone by Howard Rankin,
25 August 2012!
NEWS JULY '12:
Founder member of Touchstone Rob Cottingham set to release solo album.
John Mitchell joins Touchstone at High Voltage 2010.
Picture by Bert Treep, more at this place.
A band based in London. They released their first EP in 2005; CURIOUS ANGEL, followed by another EP
called: MAD HATTERS.
Good wel crafted Prog songs, in the vein of IQ and Landmarq. Excellent EP from a great promising band.
The line-up was:
Liz Clayden - Vocals.
Rob Cottingham - Vocals, Keyboards, SFX.
Adam J Hodgson - Guitars, Backing Vocals.
Paul Moorghen - Bass Guitars, Backing Vocals.
Alasdair Melville - Drums and Percussion.
The band is doing some live shows together with the Reasoning. And they are a really good support act, nice guitars, excellent keyboard and the most fascinating was maybe Moo on his
6 string bass. Liz did an excellent job, but:
But apperently Liz felt unhappy with the band and left. The new stunning leadsinger is called:
Kim Seviour.
Discordant Dreams ('07)
Is their latest release and i may say they have made another big step forwards. Apperently a year of
gigging arround, doing small festivals, changing the line-upp has bring this band to higher level.
A Rocking Prog album with a lots of keyboard and guitar interplay and pounding bass and drums, and Kims voice is
giving these elexcent musicians a boost.
Rob Cottingham - vocals, keyboards, SFX
Kim Seviour - vocals
Adam Hodgson - guitars
Paul Moo Moorghen - bass, backing vocals
Al Melville – drums
Guest:
John Mitchell - guitar.
In January 2008 i saw them again doing the support act for The Reasoning.
And i really liked their act, they've changed and there was a good welcrafted band playing with a hell of a frontlady who
knew what she did and who has a good voice.
Adam on guitar played some really great solo's and Moo on his bass layed down some fabulous loops. Rob on keyboards and vocals
understood his job and builded up a rocky structure to the proggy songs.
Well done!
And by the way the band won at CRS:
Best New Band - Touchstone!
So please keep an eye on those guys and beautiful gal. They're indeed a new promise on the Prog/Rock scene.
Wintercoast album came out late May ('09). As with the band's debut Discordant Dreams, the recordings have been undertaken
at Reading's Outhouse Studio and mixed by John Mitchell (who coincidently guests on the new album). Wintercoast also features a guest appearnce from
"internationally-renowned actor" Jeremy Irons.
Kim Seviour - Vocals
Rob Cottingham - Vocals, Keyboards, SFX.
Adam J Hodgson - Guitars, Backing Vocals.
Paul "Moo" Moorghen - Bass Guitars, Backing Vocals.
Alasdair Melville - Drums and Percussion.
Quotes:
Jeff Wayne (War Of The Worlds);
Stunning, passionate music, wonderful singing...
Geoff Barton - Classic Rock Magazine;
One of our favourite new bands... scintillating amalgam of atmospheric prog and jolting power chords...an album of skyscraper proportions,
Rick Wakeman - Yes - Planet Rock Radio;
Really great new band and great tracks...
NEWS:
Live In The USA
This is the band's first double album and is a selection of fourteen live tracks capturing the energy and excitement of two gigs performed in the USA in 2009 in Philadelphia and California. The album showcases the band's powerful performance of tracks from all three previous studio releases.
The album has been mixed at Outhouse Studios and mixed by John Mitchell and mastered by Tim Turan.
Buy here.
They played on "Winters End": have look here, with
Crimson Sky and others
.
High Voltage Festival 2010 London Victoria Park 24-25 July 2010.
Touchstone mad impression on this super event.
They added a new drummer called Henry Rogers (deep Expus, Final Conflict).
The Festival lines up was something like this; Emmerson Lake & Palmer, ZZ Top, Asia, Foreigner, Uriah Heep,
Focus, Wisbone Ash, Pendragon,
Touchstone & The Reasoning!
More info @ www.highvoltagefestival.com/.
Touchstone at High Voltage 2010.
Picture by Bert Treep, more at this place.
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City never Sleeps ('11).
The release of the new album will be supported by a UK tour in October 2011 with European dates to be announced and a US Tour planned for the second half of 2012.
Founding band member, Rob Cottingham, said in a statement: "TOUCHSTONE are delighted to be signed to SPV's Steamhammer label for the release of our new album, The City Sleeps.
With;
Kim Seviour aka Elkie - lead Vocals,
Adam Hodgson - guitars,
Andre P.Moorghen aka Moo - bass & backing vocals,
Rob Cottingham - lead & Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Drum Programming, SFX,
Henry William Rogers - drums,
and guests:
Heather Findlay - vocals,
Anna-Marie Wayne, actress and daughter of Jeff Wayne, voice over at the tittle track,
Jeremy Irons more voices,
John Mitchel - producing and guitar solo in The City Sleeps.
NEWS 2012:
Touchstone are to have their back catalogue reissued by SPV/Steamhammer on March 26.
These reissues will include the enhanced edition of the band’s first EP Mad Hatters (2006) as well as debut full length
album Discordant Dreams (2007) and Wintercoast (2009), will contain rare and previously unreleased live bonus tracks
recorded at 2010’s High Voltage Festival, as well as additional never-seen-before artwork from guitarist Adam Hodgson.
Oceans Of Time ('13), features 10 tracks recorded and produced at Outhouse Studios by renowned producer John Mitchell (You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis, Funeral For A Friend), and is due for worldwide release on October 7. The album will be the successor to Touchstone’s previous albums: The City Sleeps (2011), Wintercoast (2009) and Discordant Dreams (2007).
On this eagerly awaited new album, the band continue their “Wintercoast” story with the dynamic, moving epic title track ‘Oceans Of
Time’; the sequel to the title tracks of Wintercoast and The City Sleeps. Another familiar theme comes from ‘Shadow’s End’,
the final part of the Shadow trilogy, which started with the track ‘Shadow’, from Discordant Dreams.
Fans will enjoy a more guitar-orientated sound from Oceans Of Time than previous albums due to the nature of the writing process.
Pictures by Neil Palfreyman:
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Pictures by Neil Palfreyman.
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SOLO / SESSION:
MOO;
Riversea / Mark Atkinson ('11).
ROB COTTINGHAM.
Released a solo album called 'Behind The Orchard Tree ('01).
His new album will be called: Captain Blue and will be released somewhere after the summer of 2012.
He describes as a "cross-genre-ational, eclectic mix with hints of rock, pop and prog, plus a few surprises thrown into the bag".
Words and music are by Rob who advises that the album very much revolves around the themes of "time, death, self-realisation...and not
taking yourself too seriously...".
Rob is delighted to announce that Heather Findlay
will be sharing vocal duties with him on his solo album, Captain Blue.
In a statement, Rob advised "I am extremely honoured to have Heather on board. I obviously knew of Heather and her great
vocal talents, but it was when she and Chris Johnson were sound checking their acoustic set in Newcastle in October last year that
her voice really drew me in. I was originally going to ask Heather to duet with me on one song, but then the more I wrote, the
more I realised I wanted Heather across the piece, and sure enough her contribution lifts the vocals up to the headiest of
heights."
The line upp of the new album will be:
Rob Cottingham - keybaord, vocals
Adam J Hodgson - Guitars (Touchstone)
Gary O'Toole - Drums and percussion (from Steve Hacket, China Crises, Kylie Minogue, Chrissie Hynde and many more
Simon Page aka Dr Goat Foot - Bass Guitar
Heather Findlay - vocals.
Steve Hackett - guitar.
For more information about the Captain Blue album, please see
www.robcottingham.co.uk and a promo video, which can be seen on the new website as well as
on YouTube, here www.youtube.com/.
Home again.
Updated 11-05-12 by Nick.
Keep Rocking gal & lads!
See you ...
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