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'GENTLE GIANT' PROGRESSIVE ROCK LEGEND

& MUSIC EXECUTIVE

SPECIAL GUEST ON THE RAY SHASHO SHOW

Formed in the late 60's by the Shulman brothers, GENTLE GIANT is known as the paradigmatic progressive rock band. With an uncomparable musicianship, they went as far as no one ever did into unexplored grounds in the progressive music, navigating over dissonant 20th-century classical chamber music, medieval vocal music, jazz and rock. The multi-instrumentation capabilities of the musicians gave such dynamic to their music, which set parameters to a whole coming generation up to these very days. They explored Moogs, Mellotrons and Fender Rhodes usage with such majesty! Not to mention other instruments like oboes, violins, cellos and horns among others. 

The band was able to come across the 70's maintaining an outstanding level on their music, altering their style over the years and keeping the quality as only a few bands were able to do. Among their magnificent discography, all the albums from "Acquiring the Taste" through "Playing the Fool" are essential progressive rock releases (with the possible exception of "Interview"). This portion of the band's career would see a fittingly grand conclusion on the live "Playing the Fool" album. What more is there to say about these masters of progressive music?

Renowned music industry veteran Derek Shulman has achieved success sitting on both sides of the desk. Born in the United Kingdom, his introduction to the music business was as lead vocalist with sixties pop sensation Simon Dupree And The Big Sound. Signed to the Beatles’ label Parlaphone, the group enjoyed TV appearances, Top 20 singles and toured Europe extensively. They even secured a talented keyboard player by the name of Reginald Dwight (Elton John) towards the latter part of their lifespan. In 1970 they changed their name to Gentle Giant going on to even bigger acclaim, recording a succession of best-selling record albums and touring the world as a major headlining attraction.

Following his recording career, Shulman became a prominent record executive. Starting as an A&R representative at PolyGram Records, where he rose to the ranks of Senior Vice President, he signed Bon Jovi, Dan Reed Network, Cinderella, and Kingdom Come, among many others. in 1988 he became President and C.E.O of Atco Records (where he signed the progressive metal band Dream Theater as well as Pantera). He also re-established the careers of AC/DC and Bad Company both of whom sold multi-platinum albums under his watch. He then went on to become President of Roadrunner Records overseeing signings like Slipknot and Nickelback. In March 2010 Derek Shulman established a new venture with international music impresario Leonardo Pavkovic called 2PLUS Music & Entertainment.

Gentle Giant—Three Piece Suite is a specially curated selection of songs and compositions from Gentle Giant’s first three albums (Giant, Acquiring the Taste, Three Friends) presented in both 5.1 surround sound and stereo. There are nine tracks from the albums, plus a pre-debut song, remixed by Steven Wilson. The choices were determined by the limited availability of multi-track master tapes from the era. Only a few songs from each album are known to exist as multi-tracks, with the rest presumably lost. For fans of Gentle Giant “Three Piece Suite” is a must have.  For fans of great musicianship and progressive rock this is an incredible insight into the earliest days of this legendary band.

Look for the upcoming GENTLE GIANT: THREE PIECE SUITE release on CD, BluRay, and Vinyl on September 29 on SoulFood Music.  

Pre-Order Links for Amazon & iTunes are linked on  https://lnk.to/GentleGiant_ThreePieceSuite.

For further information visit  https://burningshed.com/index.php?_route_=store/gentlegiant/

I help people get through their divorce with dignity and confidence so that, when their divorce ends, they are ready to begin again, and create a life that they love. I am a divorce attorney, mediator, Collaborative Divorce professional, arbitrator, consultant and coach.

I have spent decades helping people get divorced in every way that there is to do that. So, at this point, I know what works and what doesn't. I'm dedicated to sharing that information with those thinking about or facing divorce so that they can get through their divorce with less destruction

BEN CARROLL

Ben Carroll is a Los Angeles musician – singer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. His various studio and live projects range from Soul to Classic Jazz to upbeat sunny California Surf Pop, and more. He has played and does play around the world. He writes for commercials, TV and film. Write him and say hi: ben@bencarroll.com

Ben Carroll. You know him, right? That’s the feeling you get when you hear his music. He’s the guy next door who you’ve seen come and go and wondered about…There’s something to him that’s kind of special—kind of magical and connective on a level that you can’t quite put your finger on. There’s a slew of hidden worlds within this one man.

When you hear Ben’s music, you feel like you are really being sung to. Ben makes it personal for you, like he’s sitting in your living room with a guitar on his lap. And on the tunes when the whole band plays, it sounds like they’re playing just for you, the music creating an atmospheric presence that invites you in and gently closes around you.

Such is the experience on “Letter From Memphis,” the fifth cut on Carroll’s latest record, the independently released Lighting Bonfires. The rolling, twangy fingerpicked guitar, ticking drums with a steady shaker, and country blues double bass resound a lullaby that is both uncomfortable and settled. As he sings the opening lines, Ben’s sense of a home scattered throughout the world is painted like a postcard for you, evoking the emotions he felt while writing the song on tour in Memphis. For Carroll, home is less of a place and more of a connection shared with others:

It’s 9:26 in Budapest but here the stars are out

And the Memphis skyline’s flickering like it never deals with doubt

And it’s certainly an interesting way to pass the time

Two heartbeats closely listening for a reason and a rhyme

The son of two Grammy-winning parents (“Afternoon Delight,” 1976), Carroll’s power of craft comes fully to light on “Child at Heart,” track two on Lighting Bonfires. With a two-step stompy groove that drives the song, Ben defiantly declares his penchant for whimsy as he sings:

I live a dream like children

Above your sullen law

I celebrate the live-long day

By riding a see-saw

Later on, you hear Ben’s super-ego kicking in, giving a window into the artist’s search for balance between the heart and the head. Says Carroll about “Child at Heart,” “You can show up on time, do what you say, and still fly over mountains dressed like Dr. John in a headdress, sucking a lollipop and clapping your feet.”

I will do my deeds with honor

I will show up there on time

But the story’s not a goner

The laughter’s not a crime

The juju is the joy now

The dance is still the dance

The whisper is the pow-wow

And recess is romance

Lighting Bonfires was recorded almost entirely live in one take, without autotune, at the famous Magic Shop recording studio in New York City. The album was produced by Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Amos Lee) with Emily King (R&B Grammy nomination, John Legend tour) joining for backup vocals on “Precious Precious” and “Wanna Be Me” and Nicholas Britell (Woody Allen’s New York, I Love You composer, SXSW Grand Jury Prize composer) writing and arranging the string parts on “Grace,” “O Sarah,” and “Books and Movies.”

“What I loved about doing it how we did it this time was, essentially, doing it live. I played with guys that I’d played with often around town for the past three years before recording in New York, and a lot of the songs we had played together dozens and dozens of times at shows. And that’s how we recorded them. Everything was one take, with very few exceptions, and I feel like that really translates…the record sounds really good. We did it with energy, all together.”

Lighting Bonfires also tells a great social success story. Ben’s fans paid $22,455 in a Kickstarter campaign to make the record happen. Backers from around the world told Ben, through their pledges, that they wanted to hear this music. This release marks the fulfillment of Ben’s promise to give his fans a record that provokes an immediate and deep connection with what it means to be human in some way.

Though Lighting Bonfires marks the achievement of new milestones in production and collaboration, Ben Carroll is not a newcomer to the industry. He has steadily toured North America and Europe as a solo act since 2004. He released his debut solo album Lover Undercover in 2005 and his followup Real Thing in 2007 (on UK label Blue Cloud Records), which was #1 for five weeks on AAA FM Radio in Ohio and was played on over fifty radio stations in the US and Europe. Ben’s songs have also been featured in television and film, including Pier’s End Productions’ 2008 release Wake, which premiered at the Tribeca Cinema in New York City.

Lidia Caton was born in Trinidad and Tobago and later moved to the United States where she joined the U.S. Navy.  She became a U.S. citizen when she was on active duty.  She joined the Navy in 1979 and initially left active duty in 1981.  She then served a few years in the Navy reserves, and in 1988 she returned to active duty.  Between 1988 and 2006, she served on a number of ships, including the USS McKee (AS-41), the USS Dixon (AS-37), the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), and the USS George Washington (CV-73).  During her Navy career, she traveled the world on multiple deployments, with stops in many countries.  She retired from the Navy in 2006 as a Petty Officer First Class, SW/AW Mess Specialist/Culinary Specialist.  Since her retirement from the Navy, she has worked for Home Depot, Florida Youth Academy, General Dynamics and most recently for Veteran Choice. She also does volunteer work with the Veterans Court in Hillsborough County, Florida.   She earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Everest University.  She is our guest on The Veterans News Hour to discuss several topics, including serving in the US Navy, the VA’s Veterans Choice program, and veterans’ treatment courts.

William D. McColl, Esq., the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy for AIDS United, has been an advocate on behalf of the HIV/AIDS community, alcohol and other drug treatment and reform issues and criminal justice reform for more than 20 years. He works on implementation of health care reform, strengthening Medicaid, Medicare and the Ryan White CARE Act, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, syringe service program issues and ending HIV-specific prosecutions, increased punishment, and government-sponsored discrimination against people with HIV.

Prior to joining AIDS United, McColl worked to shape national policies on syringe exchange, treatment instead of incarceration and drug policy reform as the national affairs director at Drug Policy Alliance. As director of government relations and later executive director of NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals, he worked on alcohol and substance abuse parity legislation and state level licensing issues. Earlier, McColl served in the U.S. Air Force as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Member advancing to the rank of Captain in the U.S.A.F. Reserve. A native of Michigan, Bill earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law where he wrote the first major law review article on drug courts. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University.

AIDS United’s mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the United States.

Mark McCormick, Executive Director The Kansas African American Museum

New York Times best-selling author with 20 years of journalism experience as a reporter, editor and columnist. He serves as a trustee at The University of Kansas School of journalism and has been a Professional in Residence at the University of Oklahoma.  His work is featured in the beat reporting chapter of the Journalism textbook, ''Writing and Reporting News, A Coaching Method."

Mark is also featured in 'Roots and Branches: Preserving the Legacy of Gordon Parks' a documentary about WSU's quest to acquire the collected works of the trail blazing photographer, writer, filmmaker and native Kansan.

In 2015, he co-authored ''African Americans of Wichita '' with Arcadia publishing and was voted onto the Association of African American Museums' board of directors as communications committee chair.

Mr. McCormick has been a member of the Alpha Nu Boule chapter of Sigma Pi Phi since 2004.

M A S O N   W I L L I A M S

A 50 YEAR CELEBRATION FOR A TIMELESS

MUSICAL MASTERPIECE  

"CLASSICAL GAS"

Mason Williams emerged in the late 1960’s as a strong force in television and music circles.  In 1968 he won two Grammy awards with his unique composition for guitar, Classical Gas. That same year he also won an Emmy award for his work as a comedy writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Mason is perhaps most widely known as a composer and recording artist.  He has recorded more than two dozen albums, five on the Warner Bros. label (The Mason Williams Phonograph Record, The Mason Williams Ear Show, Music, Handmade, and Sharepickers).  Classical Gas was released as a single from The Mason Williams Phonograph Record in 1968.  Classical Gas won three Grammys that year for: “Best Instrumental (theme) Composition”, “Best Instrumental (theme) Performance”, and “Best Instrumental Orchestra Arrangement” (Mike Post, arranger).

In 1987, Mason teamed up with MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER of Fresh Aire fame, to release a new album on the American Gramaphone label.  The Album, titled “CLASSICAL GAS”, includes a remake of his 1968 Grammy award winning song.  Another cut from this album, “Country Idyll”, was a 1988 nominee for a Grammy in the Country Music category for “Best Instrumental Performance by a Soloist, Group or Orchestra.”  This album went Gold in 1991, and is now approaching platinum.

Mason has released (on the Real Music label) an acoustic instrumental album of Christmas/Holiday music album titled “A GIFT OF SONG”, featuring arrangements of traditional carols and original compositions.  In 1992 the Vanguard label released “MUSIC 1968-1971”, a compilation of cuts from his five Warner Bros. albums recorded in the late 60s, early 70s.

As a comedy writer, Mason has written for more than 150 hours of network television programming.  Writing both music and comedy, Mason was a prime creative force for CBS’ controversial SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR.  His extensive repertoire in folk music gave him the background for many of Tom and Dick’s comedy routines, and with co-writer Nancy Ames, he also composed the shows’ musical theme.  He also created and perpetuated the 1968 PAT PAULSEN FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN, the most elaborate political satire in recent history.

Other major television personalities he has written for include: Roger Miller, Petula Clark, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Dinah Shore, and Steve Martin. In 1980 Mason was head writer for NBC’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.  In 1988 Mason received his third Emmy nomination as a comedy writer for his work on THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS 20TH REUNION SPECIAL (CBS).

He is also the creator of the world’s largest sunflower.  Originally intended as a short film, the sunflower concept was conceived as a slow-motion aerial ballet in which an old biplane skywrites (“draws”), the stem and leaves of a sunflower in the sky beneath the sun, the sun thereby becoming the blossom of the flower.

Approaching the 50th Anniversary of Classical Gas gave Williams an opportunity to reflect on his career and collect many of his art, writing and music projects into a fantastic retrospective presentation that has been and continues to be exhibited in galleries around the country.

Most recently, Williams has been returning to his broad palette of writing, composing and performing in a variety of venues. One of his more conspicuous projects is the art concept Üpclose Glimpse, an abstract artist; not just an artist who creates abstract art, he is an abstraction himself.  Üpclose is a viral visionist, and Mason is the host of this opportunistic meme. Mason says, “Üpclose uses me to explore his own unique style of mixing high and low brow art and humor into a form of concrete poetry.”

Mason is also currently working on events around the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Classical Gas including writing, composing and performing in a variety of venues which con­tinues to this day. 

For more information about Mason Williams visit … 

http://www.masonwilliams-online.com

Patty Greer had a life changing out-of-body-experience in the center of a UK Crop Circle in 2007, and that was the day her perception of reality was forever changed. She saw & felt things she had never experienced before; she wasn't alone! Within 2 years (of that day) Greer produced four full feature documentary films with no training, experience, or previous interest in film making whatsoever. Her movies focus on UFOs, Crop Circles and 2012. She's won 6 prestigious awards and experienced more than 100 UK Crop Circles personally since 2006. In 2010 she completed her 5th film, even the editing. She is a true "Croppie" and a firm believer in the phenomena, finding their messages to be very timely and illuminating. 

Greer is one of the only film makers offering untouched photos of the Orange Balls of Light witnessed in and around the UK Crop Circles. Her recent film offers two witnesses who saw "Illuminated Light Beings with arms, legs and a head come out of the Balls of Light!" The witness said, "My eyes don't lie. It's just my rational mind that tries to find a rational explanation!" Her images show the actual doorway where the Beings came out. 

Greer won two EBE Awards for "Best Feature Film UFO or Related" at the International UFO Congress Convention Film Festival in 2009 + 2010. She also received the "2010 Best Musical Score Within A UFO Program EBE Award" for her original music soundtrack. She received the 2010 Moondance GAIA Award, "Presented to the person who seeks to elucidate and improve the spiritual quality of all life on the planet, and contributes to the betterment of the world spirit" and the "Moondance Audience Favorite Film" award for "Crop Circles 2010 Update - The Wake Up Call" and "2012 - We're Already In It."

Patty Greer films real people telling first-hand stories in the Crop Circles and sacred sites of Southern England. With no make-up, no hairdos, no BS and no scripts, she produced some of the most honest and illuminating UFO films to date - that are NOT sugar coated! 

Originally Patty had gone to the UK Crop Circles to heal her body from being poisoned by Mercury (silver amalgam) fillings in her teeth. She had been a professional musician for more than 30 years, and her life changed drastically without warning after visiting 'a dirty dentist.' In less than a year his toxic fillings effected her hands badly and she was forced to live in gloves and band-aids for 7 years, sacrificing her musical career, exquisite harps and pianos. Her social life was halted and none of the doctors could heal her - or they could lose their license for telling the truth about the toxicity of mercury fillings. It was her desperation to heal that took her to the English Crop Circles. She had given up on humans healing her, and would have done anything! 

Five documentaries later, the rest is history. As one door closed, another door opened and fortunately she stepped through it. Patty is almost healed now (2012) and began playing piano again. Her movies feature her original music in the soundtracks and she has just completed a new CD of her harp recordings called "Autumn Glow" and it's available on her website

Patty was featured on the cover of UFO Magazine 2011 and introduced in Open Minds Magazine 2011 and Telluride Style Mag 2011. Her movies have received rave reviews from around the world and she is a regular guest on a variety of different talk radio shows.

If you’re a believer, be prepared to be captivated. If you’re a skeptic, be prepared to be converted! Experts acknowledge seeing many new things her extraordinary films!

Patty Greer's movies include : 
"The Wake Up Call - Anybody Listening? A Crop Circles Documentary"
"UFOs ETs Abductees & Brilliant Minds"
"2012 - We're Already In It"
"Crop Circles 2010 Update - The Wake Up Call"
"4 Stories-One Event-Other Worlds"

Musical CDs include:
"The Deeper Dance Of Night"
"UFO Movie Soundtrack"
"Autumn Glow"

Awards include :

• 2009 Best Feature Film – UFO or Related EBE Award’ at the International UFO Congress Convention
• 2009 Silver Sierra Award’ at the Yosemite Film Festival
• 2010 Best Feature Film – UFO or Related EBE Award’ at the International UFO Congress Convention
• 2010 Best Musical Score Within A UFO Program EBE Award’ at the International UFO Congress Convention
• 2010 Moondance Audience Favorite Documentary Film award
• 2010 Moondance GAIA Award