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Thread: New band: Monarch Trail

  1. #1

    New band: Monarch Trail

    Hi Everyone, I wanted to let everybody know that my new band Monarch Trail's debut album "Skye" is now up at progstreaming.com! Hope some people here like it!

    Ken.

    http://www.progstreaming.com/_wb/pag...source=message

  2. #2
    I should also mention that our website is at http://www.monarchtrail.com

    Thanks!

    Ken

  3. #3
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    I just had a listen to this new album from your band at Progstreaming , it is outstanding and I will be getting it very soon. Thanks for the heads up.

  4. #4
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    Sounds really nice. Ordered the CD. Thanks for the heads up.

  5. #5
    Wow, thanks so much guys!!!

  6. #6
    I would just reiterate the positive comments here. It’s Friday afternoon in the UK. Even the sun is shining. I’m sitting at my desk marking student submissions listening to this on ‘Progstreaming’ and this album has made me smile. A lot. Perhaps the student submissions have been helped along on a positive wave…..

    It has proved to be an antidote to so much new ‘prog’ that verges on tuneless noise. Melody, harmony and exquisite musicianship. If you like these things then check this out on PS whilst it’s up on there. As soon as I can find a reasonable way to import the physical media to the UK it’s a done deal.

    It’s finished and about to get a second spin. Great stuff.

  7. #7
    Member Koreabruce's Avatar
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    I bought this as a download from CD Baby a few weeks ago, and I'm not joking when I say that I've listened to it at least 50 times (!) It has been playing constantly in my apartment, and I've even been listening to it while grading papers in my office at the university where I work. I must say that it's refreshing to hear new symphonic prog that is actually very well composed. Case in point: the final track "The Sky Above The Sun." This is an epic, 20-minute + piece that goes through lots of dynamics yet flows beautifully and never once comes across as simply being lots of bits joined together willy-nilly for the sake of making a long song.

    There's a solid rhythm section at work here - I believe the bassist and drummer have been working with Ken on his solo albums. Moreover, the guitar playing is quite well done. Steve Cochane is one of the three guitarist that appear, and I though I don't know which guitarist plays what on which song, I would describe the overall playing as "tastefully restrained" (Note that there is a tune called "East of Fifty" where the guitars all get to let loose and shine brightly.) I especially enjoy Ken's keyboard work throughout, and on top of that, he has a warm and pleasant voice. No doubt this one will rank in my top 5 of the year. Thanks for this great music, Ken & Co!

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by progwardy View Post
    I would just reiterate the positive comments here. It’s Friday afternoon in the UK. Even the sun is shining. I’m sitting at my desk marking student submissions listening to this on ‘Progstreaming’ and this album has made me smile. A lot. Perhaps the student submissions have been helped along on a positive wave…..

    It has proved to be an antidote to so much new ‘prog’ that verges on tuneless noise. Melody, harmony and exquisite musicianship. If you like these things then check this out on PS whilst it’s up on there. As soon as I can find a reasonable way to import the physical media to the UK it’s a done deal.

    It’s finished and about to get a second spin. Great stuff.
    Thanks so much progwardy!!! I've been trying to get the CD sold in the UK but haven't heard back yet from the company I'm trying to approach. It will be at the Cosmos music store in France if it isn't already as I'm told the discs have arrived yesterday http://www.cosmosmusic.fr and it's in The Netherlands in a few weeks at http://www.beyondrock.nl/index.php?p...8371&noOrder=N

    Alternatively, if you'd like me to send you a disc from Canada, please email me from the contact section of our website http://www.monarchtrail.comwith your address and I can figure out a price for postage/CD etc. Thanks again!

    Ken

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Koreabruce View Post
    I bought this as a download from CD Baby a few weeks ago, and I'm not joking when I say that I've listened to it at least 50 times (!) It has been playing constantly in my apartment, and I've even been listening to it while grading papers in my office at the university where I work. I must say that it's refreshing to hear new symphonic prog that is actually very well composed. Case in point: the final track "The Sky Above The Sun." This is an epic, 20-minute + piece that goes through lots of dynamics yet flows beautifully and never once comes across as simply being lots of bits joined together willy-nilly for the sake of making a long song.

    There's a solid rhythm section at work here - I believe the bassist and drummer have been working with Ken on his solo albums. Moreover, the guitar playing is quite well done. Steve Cochane is one of the three guitarist that appear, and I though I don't know which guitarist plays what on which song, I would describe the overall playing as "tastefully restrained" (Note that there is a tune called "East of Fifty" where the guitars all get to let loose and shine brightly.) I especially enjoy Ken's keyboard work throughout, and on top of that, he has a warm and pleasant voice. No doubt this one will rank in my top 5 of the year. Thanks for this great music, Ken & Co!
    Thanks so much Bruce!!! I'm glad to get such great responses here on progressiveears. With guitar players, it's John Mamone on tracks 1, 2 and 4, although Steve Cochrane plays the classical/12-string on "Sky Above the Sun" but John is on electric. Track 3 "East of Fifty" is Kelly Kereliuk. More info on these guys and links to their own music is at http://www.monarchtrail.com

    For Chris, Dino and myself, we hope to do some rehearsing of new material at the start of July, so hopefully we won't have to wait too long before another release. Thanks again!

  10. #10
    Skye is a highlight of the year so far for me (and it's been a good year of releases).

    Any chance of you selling your music through Bandcamp, even if it's only the digital downloads, not physical CDs?

  11. #11
    Wow, thanks so much gsl!!! Really glad the record is sounding so good to you

    Bandcamp is under consideration for us and I'll let you know if we go for it, but right now we do have higher quality downloads through CDbaby itself, where to my knowledge you can get Flac files. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/monarchtrail

    Or, Apple itunes is available https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/skye/id874358489

    We're on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Skye-Monarch-Trail/dp/B00K6B795C (for a very low price that we can't control as Amazon charges 99 cents per song regardless of length it would seem) and Google music store too (although I don't think they've set it up there yet), so hopefully one of those will work for you instead. But, I'll let you know if we go for Bandcamp!

    Ken
    Last edited by Ken Baird; 06-15-2014 at 10:13 PM.

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  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by zeprogmeister View Post
    I checked it out and it sounds real good! Will order it soon.
    Thanks so much, progmeister!!!

    Ken

  14. #14
    Member emperorken's Avatar
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    I, too, am enjoying the new Monarch Trail album. I think it is also fair to mention that Ken has an impressive back catalog under his own name as well.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by emperorken View Post
    I, too, am enjoying the new Monarch Trail album. I think it is also fair to mention that Ken has an impressive back catalog under his own name as well.
    Thanks emperorken, glad you like it!!!

    Yes, the "Ken Baird" albums are still around I'm hoping to keep that going in the future too, probably featuring much more of Sue Fraser's vocals. My website for the past five solo albums is www.kenbairdmusic.com

  16. #16
    Monarch Trail is back up at progstreaming for a couple of weeks, so a great way to hear the whole album along with other fine releases from this year. Honoured to be on their "best of 2014" list!

    www.progstreaming.com

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Baird View Post
    Monarch Trail is back up at progstreaming for a couple of weeks, so a great way to hear the whole album along with other fine releases from this year. Honoured to be on their "best of 2014" list!

    www.progstreaming.com
    You and your band deserve to be on any 2014 best of Prog Rock Music list. Skye is really a fine album , I bought it soon after you posted about it here and have had many enjoyable listens.

    By the way in case you didn't see it you also got a very favorable review at DPRP a couple of months back.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by bobert View Post
    You and your band deserve to be on any 2014 best of Prog Rock Music list. Skye is really a fine album , I bought it soon after you posted about it here and have had many enjoyable listens.

    By the way in case you didn't see it you also got a very favorable review at DPRP a couple of months back.
    Thanks so much, Bobert! It means a lot to me. We're working on the next one (writing stages--I'm just listening back to demos and reading through the rough lyrics of another long tune tonight actually...) for a 2016 release. We saw the DPRP review and were very happy about it

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