Soma - Indiegogo campaign?

[interbellum]

How could we have missed this campaign?

[moecurlythanu]

I've got their first album. Must admit, I didn't expect to see anything going on with these guys now. Er, check that...November 2012? Did they make it?

[Scrotum Scissor]

Jeez, are these the same dudes who made Epsilon back some quarter of a century ago? I don't think I've even considered listening to them since the outro of the neo-psych heyday in the late 90s, but I'll give it to them - Epsilon was an *interesting* addition to that fold. It was released on the now near-semilegendary Mystic Stones label, I believe?

[TheH]

Jeez, are these the same dudes who made Epsilon back some quarter of a century ago? I don't think I've even considered listening to them since the outro of the neo-psych heyday in the late 90s, but I'll give it to them - Epsilon was an *interesting* addition to that fold. It was released on the now near-semilegendary Mystic Stones label, I believe?

It was in '91 IIRC..

[moecurlythanu]

^ No, it's not them. That Soma was British neo-Psych of the Free Festival variety. This Soma was mid-80s American Jazzy Prog-Rock. I think they were LA based. Pretty obscure, obviously.

[moecurlythanu]

[interbellum]

Well, the main reason to buy the first Soma was Allan Holdsworth and he is also on this still not released album. There have been demo's for years and it even got reviewed at one point. Later new recordings started with Tony Levin, MySpace-pages were introduced which told us the album would be out soon.....but although there was a long track on youtube for some time it never happened. So I was surprised to see this old Indiegogo-campaign. Would have love to participate to finance "The Nonbelievers Comeuppance".

Neverwasneverwillbe is a recording project by one Markham Gleed aka Mark Lauren, US keyboardist, vocalist, composer, arranger.

Gleed's fusion band SOMA (with drummer, now record company manager Guy Eckstine) had been playing the LA scene since the late 1970s- but didn't release any recordings until 1986.

SOMA (the album) was more of a project type thing - with lots of guest musicians (mainly from the LA/NYC studio scene). Gleed's been a friend of Allan Holdsworth since 1981 when they met during Allan's short stint with Warner Bros (the illfated Road Games project) when Allan underwent a finacial crisis and Gleed let him sleep on his sofa (according to Gleed).

Allan guested on SOMA and has stayed in touch with Gleed ever since. Gleed designed the cover art for "16 Man Of Tain". After SOMA Gleed has been working on a new recording project since the early 1990s, but for artistic and financial problems the thing turned out an neverending story, hence the title Neverwasneverwillbe.

Around 1993 Gleed in order to earn money he needed to complete the album decided to sell rough mixes of the recordings through fan circles. Last year Gleed hired Tony Levin to add some bass overdubs to the original basic tracks, and this Spring he invited Jerry Goodman to record a couple of violin parts.

http://www.oocities.org/henryviktorpetersen/never.html

[interbellum]

Some more information from Guy Eckstine, the drummer:

Guy Eckstine here, drummer/percussionist/sometime vocalist for the above

mentioned fusion cult heroes...
First of all Allan Holdsworth was NOT drunk during ANY sessions for
neverwasneverwill be/ Soma...
Soma/neverwasneverwillbe are the SAME band....revolving around the 20
year working relationship between Mark Gleed(Lauren), Guy Eckstine and
Allan Holdsworth.. They are now joined by Tony Levin on bass. The
neverwasneverwillbe tracks are burnin'! Mark Gleed has written inspired,

progressive, no sellout, no holds barred, fusion/rock in the SOMA mold,
that should please even the most ardent SOMA detractors. Yes there are
vocals! The tracks have been recorded over various sessions over the
last few years. The album will be finished in LA, after all of the
finishing touches have been completed. Our dear friend, the late, Art
Porter was scheduled to requisistion the Sax chair, but because of his
untimely passing, we are still in the hunt for the right Sax attitude.
Perhaps Mr. Shorter will lend his able chops to the blend. Ex
Mahavishnu Orchestra and current Dixie Dreg Jerry Goodman, will add
violin. So far there are over 15 tracks recorded, many outtakes for

collectors, and Allan's solos are Herculean. We have always tried to
have all of our performers, go to the next level of insanity when
recording with the neverwas. posse... So sit tight, it is coming
sooon.We will not disappoint you fusion freaks. If we ever dare to tour
and play live, we have over 25 years of tunes to perform including tunes

from the first incarnation of the band, called Syntaxis, which Mr. Hoard

alluded to in an earlier posting. At that time (1978) we were actually a

live performing quartet in LA, and the music was instrumentally based,
more Mahavishnu/RTF influenced and extremely burning! Look out for the
boxed set at some point on Occidental Records! If the planets align once

again will leave the studio and play in front of our tens of
fans....Band lineup: Mark Gleed/Keys/Vox, Guy Eckstine/DrumsVox, Allan
Holdsworth/Guitar, Tony Levin/Bass, with expanded tour lineup! We will
attenpt to carve the world a new ass$%^&! Boys step aside!

Regards,
Guy Eckstine

[interbellum]

And here a review of the original Neverwasneverwillbe:

Per 03/01/2K e-mail to Mark Gleed, of Soma fame, a collector's item LP/CD fetchin' as much as $75!! Anyway . . . the "scoop" followeth:
Mark "Wonderboy" Gleed!! Whoa baby, NEVERWASNEVERWILLBE, (year 2000), demo tape/work in progress . . . is one heck of a fun ride!! Raw and unfinished as it may be I luv'ed it man. You have a Joe Jackson/Bill Nelson/Bryan Ferry/Jeff Berlin,(singing on Bruford's GRADUALLY GOING TORNADO)/King Crimson iconoclastic/smugboy, (Adrian Belew period) type of styling to your bombastic, crooning vox -- luv it!! -- fun, raucous, and delightfully reckless lyricism. What phatly zany, in-your-face, effusive keys, and wonderful unique compositions you have there Mr. Gleed. Sir Allan Holdsworth, of course, was smokin' the frets and curiously jazzrockstar-legend loose, crunchin' some ripper, power chords. He seemed to be havin' a blast just beating and choking his axe into neutron star-death in between his signature way-too-fast legato tornado riffage. Matchless, mesmerizing, and maddening musick! T. Levin was his usual monster-bass self. Guy E. drums just right. GET THIS SUCKER FINISHED FAST and lemme be 1st to review it for ya!! Good golly, Mark, dis be da stuff!! ~ John W. Patterson, Editor of ECLECTIC EARWIG REVIEWS

http://www.eer-music.com/EERBITS.html

[interbellum]

And finally to get an idea here's a very short sample of one of the tracks (which also starts the clip this thread starts with): https://myspace.com/markgleed/music/...ppance-5993790

[interbellum]

And here a track from the first album:

[interbellum]

The Unreal-Allan Holdsworth Facebook has a page about Soma and in it their drummer Guy Eckstine mentions that Mark Gleed is preparing a release of the album on his own now after the Pledge (^) didn't reach its goal:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...7239611&type=3

[spacefreak]

At first I thought it was about UK's space prog SOMA...

[Seven8]

Apparently Mark Gleed is not doing so well so a GoFundMe drive has been set up. Hoping that the 2nd SOMA project is eventually released...

https://www.gofundme.com/gleed-family-fund

[interbellum]

All right, here's about 27 minutes of the NEVERWASNEVERWILLBE-album Soma never released: