Welcome to Issue Nine…
Welcome back!!!
Issue Eight saw us cover the last few tour dates associated with Dead Reckoning and for Threshold there’s been plenty to do since. New album anyone?
Add to that more from Kyrbgrinder, League Of Lights, My Soliloquy and pretty much everything Damian is linked too, it’s been busy.
This issue aims to bring you up to date and more importantly let you know just a little bit more about what is coming…
The trailer
You have hopefully feasted your eyes and ears on the album trailer that came out earlier this month. We sneaked a few questions into Karl after we had confirmed that the song you can hear is album opener “Ashes”. We’re loving that riff that starts as Karl speaks which now it’s out as a radio edit you will be able to hear clearly!!!
If you have no idea what we are talking about then check out the official trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AH4EWifqLk (long hand so it’s easy to paste!)
Over to Karl…
The photos were taken near to where Damian’s boat used to be on the River Wey, Guildford.
And the van movie?
That is taken on Steve’s phone when we were late for Metal Camp in Slovenia. They picked us up from Venice airport and drove like crazy to the show.
Our flight (captained by Paddy Barrett who is Nick’s brother from Pendragon) was delayed because of flooding at Heathrow. We ended up 10 minutes late for stage, jumped out of the van and started playing.
We always try to bring you that bit of extra information you won’t find in a regular interview!
And what about the gig footage?
That’s at de Boerderij from the balcony by someone called Vladan!
In the crowd at that show? If you spot yourself let us know beyond@thresh.net
Karl
Let’s stick with the man that is so important to so much that we love about Threshold.
Mr Groom has of course been right at the heart of the new album, recorded as it was at Thin Ice. It’s a fairly prolific studio so it’s probably just as well that he hasn’t been out on the road with Shadowland for a while. We caught up with him very briefly to pose a couple of questions about March Of Progress…
Recent albums have been composed by you and Richard - so how was it this time with some of the others joining the writing team?
One of the main differences on this record is that there are five writers. Hopefully this brings some extra variation to the album, because we have 75 minutes of music after such a break. Steve worked with Richard, with Damian and Pete writing their own compositions. I think the time between releases allowed some new ideas and the additional writers was good too.
There are two different versions of the CD. The special edition will include a bonus track, liner notes and extra content. I am still not sure exactly how it looks because nobody in the band has seen the final cover as yet.
Also there will be a very special double gatefold vinyl edition of the album. Jon always said we couldn’t consider ourselves properly signed until we had an LP!
Of the new songs are there any you are particularly looking forward to live?
I will be glad to play anything live. It’s always hard to co-ordinate everyone’s schedule, but hopefully the beginning of next year will see a tour.
We enjoyed touring during that period after Dead Reckoning and it helped shape this lineup well. Everything will depend on what comes up and who is available as usual. Personally I also hope to make our tenth studio album as a priority, so not such a long tour as last time.
Do you think that counts as an exclusive?
Rather than have the normal eclectic mix of articles we thought we’d do something different. No set lists, live reviews, tour stories and not even any tracks in the spotlight. You’re probably only interested in the new album so we don’t want to spoil the surprise!
Instead we’ve tried to throw a few questions at everyone else in the band. Here’s how we got on…
Steve
About all we knew about Steve’s activities can be seen in the album trailer!
So of course we tracked him down too.
The last issue of Beyond was a year ago - so what have you been up to since?
Well, since then, I guess the new Threshold album has been my main musical focus. I got the demos for the new album back in the Autumn last year.
I like to spend a bit of time just listening, absorbing the flavour, bonding with the tracks before diving right in. Once I’ve taken in the tracks, then comes the challenge of getting some of the more technical parts of the songs under my fingers. I guess I spent a fair chunk of time doing that! There’s always a few challenging surprises!
I try to be quite conscientious when it comes to learning all the material upfront and having some ideas ready when I go into the studio; it always makes things go smoother.
I put down the bass with Rich in his studio last December around Christmas time. We managed to get everything recorded in three days! That was hard work, but Rich is a very patient calm producer which always makes the whole process very comfortable. We also had some rather tasty homemade soup.
Other than Threshold, I’ve also been working with Trevor Wells, a fine guitarist, on a new Jazz Fusion, project called Jigsaw which he’s putting together with his writing partner Caroline Rawlinson. This kind of music will always be one of my big passions and so I was really happy that Trevor asked me to get involved (you can check out some of the material on, www.jigsawontheweb.com). There are all sorts of influences in the music coming from funk, latin, rock and prog all cleverly fused together.
How free were you to add your own mark on the songs for the new Threshold album?
I do always get the freedom to add or expand ideas with new Threshold songs. Initially, I spend some time just listening to the demos and begin to create rhythmic and melodic ideas in my head. Then I sit down and work out a few of those ideas on the bass. Usually, the riff based lines and more complex parts of the songs are played as written, but I often might adapt a groove to sit more comfortably under my fingers.
I guess the sound and style of the band members is also in mind when new songs are written; on a couple of songs Karl wrote in space for some solo bass parts. He came up with some parts which I adapted and I added a few of my own too.
Early last year I sent a few riff ideas to Rich one of which he weaved into the “The Hours”, so it’s great to have made a small writing contribution to this album !
A lot of ideas also get created spontaneously in the studio and it’s always nice to hear how they work in the finished track. I hadn’t heard any of what Johanne had put down until I recorded the bass with Rich, so all of the runs I play with the drums were all created spontaneously during the session. I love doing that, although they all usually change when we play it all live !
So are there any songs you are particularly looking forward to playing live?
Well I can’t really give too much away, but there are a few which are going to be fun and challenging to play live such as “Liberty Complacency Dependency” which is really epic and atmospheric and “Staring at the Sun” which is complex and melodic. I thought Pete’s and Damian’s songs also turned out great so looking forward to playing those too and of course I must say “The Hours”, but I guess I’m a little biased there!
Pete
So on to Pete “many bands” Morten! We are yet to find any evidence that Pete sleeps day to day and in fact we believe he actually goes on tour for a rest. Somehow we managed to pin him down to get a very quick catch up…
The last issue of Beyond was a year ago - so what have you been up to since?
How free were you to add your own mark on the songs for the new Threshold album? (as in the ones you didn’t compose)
Well regarding the rest of the Threshold album, my part was relatively small, I was invited to write 3 main guitar solos for songs that Karl and Rich had written. But I had no input on song structure etc etc for their songs, as they were already fully realized before I got to them. Much like how I presented my songs to the rest of the band. So yea, their songs were completed, and just needed my solos to finish them off.
And anything you can share about the ones that have a full writing credit for you?
The two songs I’ve written for March of Progress are ‘Coda’ and ‘Divinity’. Even though I purposely tailored my somewhat quirky writing style to fit more in keeping with the Threshold sound, it was still nice to see my songs take shape as the other members added their stamp, thus, further still, cementing them into the Threshold signature sound.
I think, save for a few minor points with regards to certain inflections on some words or how certain lines were expressed by Damian, I was actually pleased with his interpretation of my lyrics. “Coda” has a homage to Mac in the lyrics too, see if you can spot it when you hear it!
We keep getting little snippets about My Soliloquy - what’s the latest?
The latest on the My Soliloquy album is that IT IS DONE!!!!!! ha ha. All that’s left is the final mix and mastering to do, which I started on the 16th of July. Man, it’s been two years of hard slog. I’ve written, arranged, and recorded everything myself, save for the drums of course, but I still overlooked the composition and recording of them at every stage to make sure they were right and how I wanted them.
Making an album is a huge undertaking even for a whole band, but for one person, hmm, I wouldn’t advise it, particularly if you value your sanity. It’s just nice to have come out the other side and to have something I’m really happy with to show for it. Unless you’ve made an album like this, and over such a long period of time, it’s hard to comprehend what it’s like to live with something as intensive as making an album, day-in/day-out for two years.
It just consumed nearly every waking and sleeping thought, as I agonised over every little detail of every instrument, lyric and vocal line. Then add to the mix, rendering the artwork which I laboured over with the same degree of intensity. So with all that and figuring out how I was going to pay for it all, is it any wonder I have a few extra grey hairs now ha ha.
However, it was worth it as I’m very happy with how it sounds, and feel it is my best work to date. I’m very proud of it and I look forward to sharing it with you all soon.
As ever some very extensive answers from Pete!
Johanne
Well you may have noticed that Johanne’s comments in the trailer were text only - and we’ve had the same problem getting in touch!
They’ve got a few more ahead too so if you want to see where check the “Gigs coming up” page that will be in the panel on the right of this page. Maybe we can find something about Johanne later…
Richard
League Of Lights have been the big story in the last year for Richard. A debut gig, which saw a unique combination of the Salvation Army band with choir and guest vocals from Glynn Morgan, vocalist for Threshold’s second release, Psychedelicatessen.
The gig was in Staines (a town name recently changed to Staines Upon Thames!) which isn’t far from the Threshold stomping ground of yesteryear.
And since? Well on 9th July this year they released the single “Forever” with Glynn again guesting. We caught up with Richard to ask him a couple of things…
Looking back over the last year there has been some League Of Lights activity - a live show and a new single. So can we expect more shows and a second album?
It’s one of many acts that Threshold band members have been busy with so how has it been trying to arrange everyone’s schedules for recording?
I think everyone was mostly available when needed so I don’t think it caused any problems!
Recent albums have seen you and Karl take on the writing so how was it having so many new contributors?
Dead Reckoning was toured extensively so do you envisage a similar long schedule of shows?
I hope so, I’m looking forward to it.
Damian
Who have we forgotten? Well forgotten isn’t quite the right word is it? To complete the set we also caught up with Threshold’s front man ahead of his third studio album with the band.
We know you have been kept fairly busy since the last Threshold shows so could you give us a quick up date? How has recording new material with Maiden United gone?
The Maiden United album ‘Across the Seven Seas’ is sounding fantastic! I can’t believe I’m actually so excited about my ‘Dutch metal-acoustic cover band’. I love the guys, they are the dog’s, I could hang out with them all the nights of the week but I never expected us to be producing music I like doing as much as this.
And of course Headspace - what do you think of the reception to the album so far?
You’ve also managed a few solo shows - what’s ahead? Any chance of a return to the DWB touring?
Although I have an album’s worth of material ready, I am writing a fresh
album as we speak working on a different approach. Many plans ahead. I’d really like to get a band out again on the road with the solo material.
Coming back to Threshold, how did this recording compare with your last album with the band?
Many flash backs, but very different with all our experiences over the past 15 years.
Thinking of the songs are there any in particular you are looking forward to playing live?
To be honest, I am more fearful than looking forward to playing them live. I thought Headspace was testing but this is going to be a lot of work and expertise to represent live. Come watch us do it!
Damian - fearful? Surely not!
For the next issue we want to hear from YOU - show us your copies of March Of Progress, tell us what you think, which songs you want to hear live and if you have written a review send us a link.
We’ll then share it with the whole Threshold world!!! beyond@thresh.net
Something extra…
We did say earlier that we wouldn’t have any of the usual mixed bag of articles but we’ve got space for a couple to give you a flavour of the sort of things we like to find out and then share. Over to Astrid de Ronde who has helped us out before!
Many of our readers will be well aware of Damian’s various releases recently and one of those was a compilation album of his solo work, “I Thought The World Was Listening”. And Astrid added her part too…
Last year I got a message from Mark van den Hoven from Blacklake. (responsible for the sleeve design and more). He said he liked the pictures of Damian I’d posted and asked if he could use some of them for the booklet of Damian’s then still forthcoming compilation album.
I was over the moon! At this moment in time I didn’t know which of the pictures it would be, so I was very curious. About a week before the release I saw the poster so I sent Mark an e-mail to thank him and tell him what a great job Blacklake had done on the picture, as the original looks okay, but not as wonderful as on the poster.
To my surprise he told me that not only was this picture going to be used for the inlay of the CD and the tour poster, but also for the re-release of ‘Live in rehearsal’! I think you can imagine how proud I was when I was given a copy of the CD. So unbelievably cool!! Not bad for an amateur eh?
Not bad at all. And to think Astrid’s photos first got published here! Probably.
And another something extra!
Astrid also saw her photography in demand for another band associated with Threshold, Kyrbgrinder. So whilst we haven’t managed to catch up with Johanne we do at least have a recent picture!
I had a trip booked to London back in April and a few weeks before the trip I heard that Kyrbgrinder was going to play in Southampton. I’d seen them there before, I knew where it was, I love Kyrbgrinder, I had a mission!
Anyway, for a while I had been nagging Kyrbgrinder’s manager Nick Preece about the band’s promo pictures so Nick challenged me. He said he could do with new updated promo pictures and would like me to take them when I was in Southampton. I was honoured, but also very nervous.
It was great fun to have this kind of practice. The pictures I took were not very good at all, but I learned a lot from this experience and was glad I was at least a little bit prepared.
The first thing I did when I arrived at The Firehouse was trying to find a good location for the photo shoot. The alley next to the venue seemed to do the trick. Then all I had to do was to get the band there. Lucky there’s only three of them!
Even though one of them is constantly hungry, they were very cooperative and patient with me, this nervous wreck. I tried different poses, including the boy band pose. All lots of fun and a great experience.
I took about 80 pictures and must admit I’m not overly excited about all of them. Nick said he only needed one picture, he was happy. It ended up as Kyrbgrinder’s profile picture on Reverbnation.
Well we’ve got our hands on one of those pictures - who wants to see some more?
Post Script
That’s it for our returning issue. The radio edit version of “Ashes” is out and about and it really isn’t long to wait for the whole album. Once you get your hands and ears on it we want to hear from you!!!
We want to see pictures of you with your copy of March Of Progress. We want to know what you love about it and which songs you can’t wait to hear live. And anything else you can think of!
Until the next time, enjoy the album!
Beyond
The band have just released a trailer for MARCH OF PROGRESS, the new album due to reach us on 31st August. We’ve left the link long hand so you can share it more easily!!!
Welcome to Issue Eight…
Welcome back!!!
We really enjoy trawling around looking for things but would love to have life a little easier. So if you have taken shots of the band let us know that we can use them, maybe send us a link. We also want to receive your stories about live shows, meeting the band or how you got into Threshold.
And please don’t forget we want photos of set lists and especially pics of the venues Threshold play or have played. We want yours though, not just some random one from the web! Sorry to keep banging that same old drum.
Talking of drums, we kick off with a short insight on the Johanne James kit. And trust us - it really is short of much insight! He’s almost as protective of the information as he is of that spare snare that we have once had the joy of guarding.
Next we are going to have a quick look at yet another amazing fan item. We’ve had two cars and some tattoos - now something else.
To close - well of course some more tracks in the spotlight. We’ve given up on trying to do them randomly so have picked three from albums that haven’t been looked at for a while and then tried to tie in with the most recent setlist. Sort of. Well two of them!
Enjoy!
Beyond
(note - quotes or interviews are all in this colour and please remember that all pictures are the property of the person who took them so please ask for permission if you want to use them)
Johanne James…on drums
It seemed like the right time to catch up with Johanne and his drumkit. We all know the noise he makes but tucked away at the back, sometimes smothered in dry ice, just what exactly is in that engine room?
A stubborn limpet!
So Johanne, what’s your current kit?
I now use a black plastic wrap Premier kit. 20” bass drum, 10x6”,12x7” toms and a 16” floor tom. The snare drum is a Premier wood shell piccolo 14x4”.
I use whatever cymbals I can get hold of that are cheap and sound reasonably good.
They are mainly Stagg as I don’t see the point of spending hundreds of pounds on something I will inevitably break within a few months.
It’s an interesting point about the cymbals. Catch up with Johanne after a show and he’s also sure to tell you how many sticks he has got through. And how expensive they are! Presumably a Stagg endorsement won’t be on the cards as it would just cost them too much!
Well my kit used to be huge. 27 piece. My brother and I would take ages setting it up. We discovered that not only did we waste so much time
assembling this monstrosity, it didn’t actually make me play any better, I just threw my arms in any direction and I was bound to hit something.
We literally stared at each other one evening and the connection was made. Get rid of it!! I ended up playing just four drums, three cymbals and two hi hats! I realized that in fact I played much better using less than I did when I had a kit that resembled something like an airplane cockpit!!
Johanne flying a plane? Interesting idea.
We’ve already (back in issue 3 I think) asked about influences and got a long list. But is there a drummer that you really noticed first, whether they became an influence or not?
The only trouble with that, is that I would have experimented with strange animals. You know attaching pigeons to monkeys to see if they would fly? Stuff like that! Best I stick to drums eh? At least the animal kingdom will be safe? For the time being anyway? Ha ha ha ha!!!
We’ll let that soak in for a few seconds.
Johanne’s jumbled animal creations do develop as a conversation with him progresses but for some reason they always come back to pigeon assisted flying monkeys.
But let’s get this back on track with one for the drum freaks - what is your favourite bit of kit and what is the most important?
For both that would be the snare drum, as you can solo on it all day long! If you know how, that is.
No!
Ever generous…
Many thanks to Johanne for his revealing (?) answers! Perhaps it’s best that he stays behind his drum kit a while longer.
New fan item
We know a lot of you may have seen this on Facebook but we wanted to share this with the wider world - Iris Botz has just updated her ‘phone (no free advertising here!) and this is the result.
It was fairly easy to do as I still had the Threshold logo from the mugs I did some time ago, so I only had to make my mind up about the colours. Then I looked on the internet for a company where you can design your own phone case.
First I picked an American one but they didn’t want to do it because of copyright issues, then I found a German company and within a few days I got my Thresh-phone :D
Why did you pick that design?
As I don’t go anywhere without my phone I wanted to have a more personal cover not one that everybody else has too and Threshold is my favourite band, I have lots of great memories of Threshold gigs and many special moments, so for me it was an obvious choice.
And it was a good one, it makes me smile everytime I look at it!
Anything else you want to say now you are briefly in the spotlight?
I’m looking forward to many more gigs!
Well we can’t disagree with that!
On The Road…again
Well it would make sense to start in Derby just as the band did. But despite our best efforts no-one came forward to tell us all about it. We did manage to get our hands on a couple of set list shots but that’s it! And even though it was the nearest gig to Beyond HQ we didn’t make it either.
Fortunately this is where the stories start to come in! First up is Astrid who seems to manage to do something to appear in nearly every issue! This time it was a trip over the water (or rather under) to see the band.
Astrid part one
Threshold’s gig at The Peel was a great excuse to treat myself to a trip to my favourite country and to see my favourite band. After a comfortable Eurostar trainride I arrived at St. Pancras early in the afternoon, a good friend was already waiting for me.
On our way there we passed a restaurant and thought we saw some guys we knew. We were right! After saying hello to Johanne, Pete and Karl we got chucked out because we made too much noise and continued our journey to the venue. (note - I would say the owner looked worried and the rest of the customers confused!)
Of course not without a pubstop :) We arrived at The Peel about the same time as Johanne and Pete. We took some pictures of the lovely venue, admired Johanne’s ‘new’ car and went in. I had been told that The Peel was quite a small place, but it didn’t feel like that at all. It was fairly packed and there was a really nice atmosphere. I saw a lot of familiar faces, some I’d met before and some I met for the first time in real life.
It’s a growing theme and hopefully Beyond does its small part in helping to form that ever growing Threshold family!
THRESHOLD THRESHOLD THRESHOLD
It was so good to see them in their own country. But of course even two hours seems way too short when you’re enjoying yourself so much. I was happy I had another two gigs to look forward to, but this was definitely a brilliant start.Well we’ll leave Astrid for now…
Conny
The UK was done for this mini tour with two dates to come in Uden, Holland (at de Pul, familiar Threshold territory) and on the Friday of the Night of The Prog festival at Loreley (Germany, a new one for Threshold but in its sixth edition). Conny Kopnick takes up the story…
On Monday 4th of July the Belgium show was cancelled and I was shocked. I had planned to go to the Loreley gig and stay the night in Belgium and had already booked the youth hostel and got a day off from work.
I was glad she didn’t have to work! So I managed to get another day off and arranged to stay at the same place as Iris for the night! Lucky me!
On Thursday I caught up with Iris early and we were soon heading for Uden :) Everything went fine and we had some time to spend in the little town of Uden. After lunch and a nice cup of coffee we went to de Pul and Threshold were already there. They were getting ready for the show and I had the chance to talk to the guys a bit.
The concert itself was amazing as is every Threshold gig :) Iris and I eventually got home safely and I had just about four hours of sleep!
After this shock I packed my things and left Iris’ with a pain in my stomach.
I was unsure if I would see the last Threshold gig before they break for the new album! So first I concentrated on driving to Loreley. First thing I found on the road? A huge traffic jam! I thought it couldn’t get worse. But it could… it took one hour to get through the traffic and I reached St.Goar just in time. For all that don’t know St.Goar it’s on the other side of the Rhine to Loreley and I had to drive south a few kilometres.
Luckily I was able to call my dad and he kept on telling me that it will be alright soon. I should just stay calm and let the brakes get cold again. After a while the brakes worked again and I got on the ferry and drove up to the Loreley amphitheatre. But I still had no ticket. So I waited for my friend Pauline and I told her that I had no ticket. Somehow she arranged one for me and I was able to get in! Bless her!
I saw an amazing Threshold show again. Damian was jumping into the audience by the third song and everyone was surprised. Those who know Damian wasn’t…. ;) But he really reached nearly every person in the audience and this gig turned into a gigantic one. I really hope that there are a lot more Threshold fans now!
So there are some thoughts from Uden and Loreley and it sounds like Conny, and a whole load more new fans at Loreley, had a great time with the band.
It was amazing to see a crowd that was quiet at the start of the gig really come to life - hard not to when Damian comes and stands next to you!
Time to return to Astrid…
Astrid part two
When it was announced that Threshold would play at the German Night Of The Prog festival I thought I just had to go there. The rest of the lineup didn’t appeal to me at all and I found it quite far and expensive for just one interesting band, but hey, we were talking about Threshold here! However when Threshold announced that they were also going to play in Uden and Tongeren the decision of skipping NOTP was more easily made.
After a couple of hours of panic and confusion and some e-mails, text messages and ‘phone calls things developed very quickly. Mister Beyond managed to get us passes for NOTP and Mrs Beyond booked us into a hotel not far from the festival site. Things were looking good again!
Justin, Liz and I arrived at De Pul in Uden early afternoon shortly after the band got there. We were welcomed by Steve, Johanne and Damian and before I knew it Johanne had sneaked into the driver’s seat and I was standing next to my own car! Something was wrong with that picture :) After the van was unloaded I got the very important job of helping Johanne set up his drumkit. I don’t think I was doing a very good job, but he was very patient and I was told to stop saying sorry! It was great fun to see what goes on before a show. You never realise that when you go and see a band, do you?
They played the same setlist as at The Peel. The photographers amongst us will agree that it was almost impossible to take decent pictures of Richard and Johanne as they were completely in the dark most of the time.
Good thing we could hear them very well! The sound was superb and the band looked like they were having great fun. And so was the audience. It is a shame that this was their last full show the year, as the NOTP festival set would be slightly shorter.
After the gig there was plenty of time for everyone to get stuff signed, take pictures and just have a chat. And they were off!
We were truly amazed by the beautiful amphitheatre, the stunning view and the fab weather.
Like I said before I wasn’t very keen on the lineup of this festival, but must admit that I quite liked the first band, Martigan from Germany. The second band was a different story, all I want to say is that we have Saturday’s ProgPower lunchbreak sorted! (sorry!) We got a little bit worried because there was no sign of the Threshold guys yet and Justin was on guitar duties again, so he needed to be backstage at some point.
I am sure that Threshold gained a lot more fans at Night of the Prog.
After the gig our “press” passes got Liz and me through to the backstage where we had (some wonderful) dinner with all the bands. What a fantastic end to a fantastic adventure. Thanks to everyone involved for making these the best days of 2011 for me!
Well before we can go forward we are just going to have to go backwards And I don’t mean to just a few weeks ago…
Liz
Two nights ago I was standing on the rail of the magnificent Loreley Amphitheatre watching the members of Threshold bustling across the stage setting up their instruments. As the ever-enthusiastic Damian took a pre-gig run through the photographers pit and up to the rail to greet the fans, it struck me as quite extraordinary that just a few years ago I’d have chosen to spend an evening watching paint dry over what I now know was certain to be another amazing night in the company of this tremendous band of musicians.
I first came across Threshold 18 years ago. Theirs were the cassettes, ancient T shirts and shards of cymbal that arrived at my flat when my husband moved in. These relics came from his teenage years following the first incarnation of the band playing grimy sounding pubs through the South East of England and arrived with tales of guitarists piggy-backing on singer’s shoulders, audiences standing on and sticking to pool tables and something to do with ceiling fans. All this washed over me and happily the cassettes were too precious to ever get any airplay.
Our travel rule of ‘my CD, your CD’ became for me, ‘my CD, chance for a sleep’.
It would seem that I’d fall asleep on his CD only to wake up an hour later as the latest social commentary I’d dropped off to was still going on and on and on, oh, and on. I was firmly decided that progressive metal was not for me.
Despite all that and because I must have been a dutiful wife once, I eventually agreed to go along to a gig at The Peel in 2008. I didn’t really know a single song but something must have seeped into my brain on those endless car trips as I found myself singing along to snatches of songs and just a couple of days later I was caught singing the Slipstream chorus as I walked through the door.
Not being one to analyse why I like or dislike music I can’t explain why this change has come about. But I do know that at Loreley, as I watched Damian raging through the
crowd testing the limits of the wireless mic to the max, listened to his stunning voice soaring through that spectacular venue, caught Johanne and Steve’s eyes for a moment and was rewarded with beaming smiles, was carried away on another extraordinary guitar solo, delighted in seeing Richard play not obscured by a microphone and later chatted with some of my wonderful fellow Threshold fans and the band, I felt part of something very, very special.
Phew! Three great stories from very different perspectives and we hope you enjoyed them as much as we did. We are also grateful that we didn’t have to write our own diary this issue!
Venue spotlight
It’s already been mentioned three times in the tour stories above but we have to say something about the Loreley venue and any visitors to Night of the Prog or other events there would agree that it’s fantastic.
Better still is the stage and viewing area. The stage itself has projections similar to castle battlements that just lent themselves to the adventures of Pete and Karl but the seating area is something else altogether. It stretches back up a steep slope that first of all gives everyone a perfect view but secondly means the sound travels perfectly.
We asked him about using a mic that far out from the stage…
Oh. I’m sure they normally work that far away. Didn’t someone check?
Well that would have meant someone knew he was going to go that far!
Loreley is the one of most astounding venues we’ve ever stood in and it’s a great addition to the Threshold list. Don’t forget that we want to get a pic (from you, not an anonymous web one) of EVERY venue Threshold has ever played. It can be an old venue that you have just taken a pic of or a photo taken at the time.
ThreeTracks
Now things are coming to a close it’s time for a little bit of focus on some of the music from albums past. We’ve got another three tracks in the spotlight.
Well fitting the general theme of the album Angels seems to be a track that was a bit of a construct and an assembling of parts, as Richard explains,
Angels was a song that was started by Karl Groom. He’d written the beginnings of a song which included the verse and chorus riffs, and if I recall it also had a long atmospheric solo at the beginning which never made it to the final recording. Nick Midson had also written a number of riffs that helped to form the middle section of the song.
Angels was a rare collaboration in the early days between Nick, Rich and myself. I had started writing a song with a long solo at the beginning and never really found a suitable arrangement to complete it. The verse, pre chorus and chorus are as you hear them on the final version.
Then the whole slower mid section with solos was the material that Nick had for another incomplete song.
At this point we handed it all over to Richard and he put them together whilst writing the lyrics before it made the cut for Clone. The track was a live favourite for quite a long time and it would be good to play something again from Clone with Damian singing.
How we’d all love that!!! Rich further explains how he then gathered up those different parts,
I put the pieces together and added the melody and lyrics to be part of bassist Jon Jeary’s overall Clone story. Jon had put together a strong lyrical concept for the album on Freaks, The Latent Gene, Lovelorn, Life’s Too Good and Voyager II. I added a rather different thread to the story on the other songs which I hope didn’t blur his original concept too much.
Angels - Track 2 on Clone, 1998, at 6:42
Next we are going to come a lot more up to date with a track from Dead Reckoning and the one that fulfills our commitment to include something from the recent set list.
Again Richard explains how Hollow fits into the longer back story as well as being a great song in its own right.
So what of Hollow’s part in the story?
It wasn’t until a conversation a long time later that I realised I’d never concluded the trilogy, where hope is restored and the story resolved. So that became Hollow, complete with a reference to Flags and Footprints in verse two.
Hollow - Track 4 on Dead Reckoning, 2007, at 4:00
To close here’s another older song and another set list favourite that has been going down extremely well in the recent live shows.
Karl adds a little more to the story of The Ravages Of Time.
So how did you capture that atmospheric closing sound?
It was played through a portable stereo on a cassette tape with a microphone in front of it to get the lo-fi sound. My only regret for this one is that Damian is not on the studio recording, because he sounds quite amazing to my ears since we have been performing it live..
Couldn’t agree more with that - definitely one of a long list of songs that he has really made his own.
The Ravages Of Time - Track 3 on Hypothetical, 2001, at 10:17
It’s Competition Time!!!
Before we go, do you remember the photo competition that happened a short while before Beyond was created? Well it’s definitely time for a new one. But this time with a difference…
“Just what does that mean?” we hear you cry! Well we want you to send us ANY artistic interpretation of a Threshold song. It could be a simple photograph that literally shows the song title, or it could be a deeper interpretation of the song’s lyrics or its sentiment. Alternatively you might want to draw, paint or even sculpt! If you do we just want a picture of your work not the original item! In short send us a picture that has a caption that is a Threshold song title.
You can pick absolutely any Threshold song title from any of the albums and the Paradox box set as long as it was written by Threshold band members past or present. Then just get creative. Please remember nothing obscene, offensive or what would be against most forums in the normal world!
And the prize? We haven’t even worked how we will judge them yet let alone a prize! But we do hope to make it worth your effort! (but don’t spend any money!)
When you have something please send it to beyond@thresh.net DO NOT POST IT ANYWHERE ON THE INTERNET as we don’t want the judges to see it until the last moment! We probably need to limit this to three entries per person (unless you are very persuasive) and we will set the end of 2011 as the closing date.
Until next time,
Sorry what’s that? New album? Best ask Richard…
I don’t know what to say except that it’s progressing well but there’s still a long way to go. We don’t have an official release date from Nuclear Blast but it should be out around spring 2012.
Beyond
- July 31
- , 2011
Welcome to Issue Seven…
At the end of April Threshold went on the road - and Beyond was there!
We managed to get across to Holland and Germany with Threshold, before visiting the Fused Festival in the UK, so we thought why not make this issue of Beyond an on the road special?
But that isn’t enough for an issue! We’ve also got the latest release in the Threshold band members’ quest for musical world domination - this time it’s Richard West’s own side project League Of Lights.
Then we’ve got a quick chat with the man that keeps appearing alongside members of Threshold (he’s also in some other band), Ruud Jolie.
And of course it would be wrong not to have at least one track in the spotlight!
Talking of spotlights, we kick off with a fan that had a partial spotlight once before - Conny Kopnick. We carried a pic of her Threshold car livery and we were delighted to be there in March when she showed it to the band (more of that later) but she has been busy since!
Want to get “Threshed”? If so read on and enjoy! (and look out for Richard West as you’ve never seen him before)
Beyond
(note - just like the last issue we have got loads of quotes and interviews and they are all in this colour)
Fan Spotlight
Apparently on a pain scale of one to six (never heard of that scale!) this was a two so it wasn’t that bad and only took twenty five minutes, the “worst“ having taken three lots of three hours. Not sure if Conny will be going for the Dead Reckoning album cover anytime soon!
League Of Lights
Beyond first knew of this project a few years ago - so how long has it been in the making and how does what we have now compare with what you had in mind then?
Farrah and me started recording together over ten years ago, so the idea of doing an album has been around for a long time. But the League of Lights concept wasn’t born until 2008 and most of the work was done last year. Our sound probably got more powerful over the years but I don’t think the approach has changed hugely.
In those early years we recorded a song called Summer for a US compilation and a couple of years later we recorded Bring It On featuring Tore Ostby (Ark, Conception) on guitars, and apart from needing a more modern production I’m sure both those songs wouldn’t sound too out of place on the League of Lights album.
Beyond is obviously all about Threshold - so what can fans of the band get out of this album?
With a slight change of emphasis, I’m sure that songs like I’m Alive, Ambertown and Heaven Sent A Star could’ve worked for Threshold too.
Given the difficulties with such an ensemble piece, are there any plans to tour the album?
Yes, we fully intend to tour. If we can do that with the full album line-up that would be awesome, although it’s not something we’ve discussed yet, so I don’t know how logistically possible it would be.
And who did the really excellent artwork?
Actually that’s done by Farrah’s sister who’s a graphic designer. We had a fairly strong idea of what we wanted and she did a wonderful job to bring it to life for us.
If you want to know more then why not check out the League of Lights site by clicking here where you will find links to reviews and interviews as they appear. We’d also love to know your thoughts beyond@thresh.net
Beyond Talks To…Ruud Jolie
Well readers probably know that Ruud is one busy man - aside from all the things we are interested in he is also going to be key to Within Temptation’s album promotion. But we aren’t here to talk about them…
Damian is a really lively character. He’s pretty much always in a good mood. And he always gives 100% for every gig…
Just how did you end up playing with Damian’s own band?
Threshold supported Within Temptation on one big show we did in Holland. That’s where we met and started talking. A couple of months later he wrote me an email asking me if I would be interested in joining his own band; Damian Wilson Band (DWB). I asked him to join the Maiden United project because we wanted the best singer for the job…
He has also appeared on your own For All We Know release with backing vocals and as one of the many voices on Keep Breathing. If he hadn’t been with you recording for Maiden United would you have asked him to be involved anyway?
Yes, I guess I would have. His voice adds a really, really nice colour to some of the vocal harmonies on the album…
I met Richard during the Threshold/WT gig. When we played the UK with DWB he came to two of the shows. A couple of months later he sent me an email asking whether or not I would be interested in recording guitars for his album…
So, do you have a favourite Threshold song?
Well I listened a lot when I was in my early twenties. I was really into bands like Dream Theater, Enchant, Fates Warning and Threshold.
I guess I would have to say Eat the Unicorn…
Thanks so much for the answers Ruud - we know it was at a very busy time. And you only mentioned you know who twice!
Ruud’s For All We Know project (which includes Damian) can be found by clicking here.
On The Road
This is quite a long section and there are no apologies. We’ve tried to cover the story of our all too brief time on the road with the band and then fired in some mini-interviews as we go. Enjoy!
No rehearsal at all yet. We can learn the music at home individually and Steve will come from Holland a week before the shows.
And that got us thinking - just what is a tour all about? What do people do to get ready before and during? Just what exactly happens? Pete made it clear that he was anticipating it eagerly,
Looking forward to going off to London for a week of rehearsals with the guys for our upcoming European Tour, even if I do feel like… A Fisherman’s Friend for your sore throat?
So here is Beyond’s story from Justin’s perspective…
Getting Ready
After already thinking a tour special would be a good idea Richard suggested that I could take on some stage duties during the shows - making sure the banner was up, fixing towels, water and set lists preshow, guitar changes during the gigs and any general running around. It would give me a unique perspective and hopefully some behind the scenes insight that we could share here.
We landed in Amsterdam late on the day before the first show but as everyone knows it’s a city that only comes awake late at night. A Tibetan meal followed by some refreshments in an old fashioned bar selling its own beer helped the real world fade away and allowed us to mentally make the transition to the land of Threshold!
A quick burst of hellos all round and they were away, us a few minutes behind.
Kerkrade
The band arrived and the equipment was quickly inside and set up, Dutch support Day Six looking on eagerly to get their own kit in. Lunch (called breakfast) was quickly devoured and it was time for the sound check. I was tasked with guitar changes for the show and quickly learnt the precision that goes into these things when I had to practice the move from acoustic to electric with Pete for Smile At The Moon. “Just put it on this stand” he said, a stand it didn’t belong to and didn’t quite fit. My nerves began to build.
After that Damian wandered around telling stories to anyone that would listen, including a Hungarian girl with aspirations to be a journalist, the rest of the band worked on one thing or another, Johanne made sure I knew where his spare snare was and then it was all done and the stage was left to Day Six to get ready.
Pre-sales had apparently gone well so it was no surprise that the venue quickly filled up when the doors opened. I caught up with Fred (Unwritten Pages, another previous article) and Lothar, bumped into Alex, and then realised that I had work to do. Well, dinner to eat.
I thought I’d just check out Day Six. I’m pleased, no-one noticed me coming in. I left him to it!
Soon enough it was show time. I’d lined up bottles of water and towels, and taped the set lists in place and out of sight of a crowd eagerly awaiting the new surprises. With this set list spanning the life of Threshold, just how do you choose the songs? Beyond asked Richard West,
Actually, I asked Karl to do it!
That easy! (Don‘t worry, we‘ll find someone else to ask later.)
The gig was a blur, the guitar change went fine after Pete decided he had enough time to rack the acoustic himself, and Johanne’s spare snare wasn’t needed. Damian had all the tea he required from the wings and as photo evidence shows the walls were kept upright by me. I don’t know what happened to the rest of the night but by the time I returned to the bar there wasn’t really anyone around. Sorry Fred, never did get that beer! Next time…
Zoetermeer
It wasn’t really the early start, more the late finish that was the problem. After breakfast under the watchful eye (and voice) of a parrot, we hit the road back to the west. Estimated time, you guessed it, two hours.
When we arrived there were already a few people outside including someone in a silly hat. Belated birthday wishes Alex!
This is a different venue altogether and I guess it was built for one thing in mind. The set up both sides of the stage is superb and it meant there was a lot less to be worried out. Or maybe I was just a little more ready for it all. Soundcheck completed, dinner was served and there was actually a little time to reflect, chat and enjoy being there.
Well onto the live show - bands on a long tour may take a lighting technician but the practicalities of a short set of dates normally mean relying on the venues. So first a quick catch up with Zoetermeer regular, Rene Haak.
Just how hard is it doing lights for so many different bands?
Listening to the music you know what to do. Sometimes it goes wrong, but nobody notices! It always goes wrong for jazz rock or fusion, nobody knows when the song starts or ends. Prog rock/metal is more predictable.
But presumably it is easier if you know the songs - how well do you know Threshold?
Yes, it helps when you know the songs. You can be on time at a break or give a black out at the end of the song. You can also give a special light when one of the band members does a solo but it’s impossible to know every song of each band. But I know a few old songs from Threshold, not all the new songs. It would help if the band sent me a copy of the CD! (can’t blame Rene for trying!)
Haha, Damian moves around about every show. Now I know that, I turn on the venue lights when he’s going off stage. So I know that I always have light on him…..
If only it was so easy for the rest of the band to keep track of him!
The show was a blast and I was stationed close to Johanne, on Pete’s side of the stage. Just as well as there was a Fisherman’s Friend crisis at one point (Pete should try for an endorsement!) Aside from great sound and a superb show I had also had the excitement of Damian launching his water bottle towards me, it hitting the light rig and falling worryingly close to one of the cymbals. At least the snare was safe!
It was also great to meet Bianca and Angelique from vidiArts and catch up again with Miranda and Iris, two of our regular photo contributors. And so many more people!
The gig was over and the night faded away. We were just on our way and then the bus broke. Having mistakenly walked past as the door got stuck and a curtain rod fell out, two and two quickly made fifty five and we were trying to help fix a non sliding door by reattaching that curtain rod. It doesn’t make sense written down but did at the time! Some minutes later came the surreal experience of being stood in Holland talking to a man in Oxford in the early hours about bus doors. It was time to go!
Bochum
We met up with Iris again (who had spent about ten hours not travelling by train the day before) in Utrecht, and it didn’t take long to reach Bochum and a hotel just outside the station. After a pizza for lunch it was reaching show time so having negotiated the bus ticket machine (Iris, where did you go?) we quickly realised the walking option was as daft as we feared.
I snapped a pic of the venue on the way in - just so I could write here a reminder that we want more venue pics whether old or new, and even if it is a new pic of an old venue. Believe it or not we still haven’t got one of de Boerderij, it’s almost as mysterious as Steve!!!
Zeche in Bochum as a venue probably sits somewhere between the previous two in terms of size and facilities but the sound man with the giant hands really seemed to know his stuff during the sound check. After another good dinner Day Six were soon on as the times were a lot earlier due to a disco starting sharp at 10pm.
Damian put me to the test again, this time not only needing the water bottle filled but also needing a set list positioned somewhere else on stage a few songs in. This being the last of the shows I had used them all so I found a marker pen and got writing! Someone got their hands on that set list - and got it signed by Damian. It’s unique and we would really love a picture of it!
This was a great show to finish the short run and made even better by the aforementioned appearance of Conny’s car. She got the band to sign the liveried giant T and we all left happy after what turned into a bit of a photo shoot! But then how many giant Threshold Ts do you see on the backs of cars?
There was also time to grab a moment to ask Damian his thoughts on these few dates.
I’ve loved them! They’ve been great. I love festivals but these gigs? Zoetermeer’s always a great gig, and Bochum too. The Rock Temple (Kerkrade) was obviously a new venue but it was great. Really, really great.
And a highlight?
Highlights? Playing with Threshold! It’s always a highlight.
Home
Fortunately the sun drenched banks of the Rhine probably never close and were a real bustle. We splashed out on a huge seafood platter with a giant beer as a toast to a great few days. The decision to linger turned into the right one!
It was a nice drift home the next day despite accidentally paying way too much for a very nice hotel breakfast, and being slightly delayed at the airport. And the dogs were pleased to see us too! But as soon as we had returned I at least had thoughts of the next show…
Fused
That night, a week on from the first Threshold gig, I enjoyed two bands, the second being Vanden Plas who many would have hoped to see on a double headline with Threshold. It was strange trying to enjoy the show with the anticipation of what was to come the next night but they made it as easy as possible.
I also caught up with another Steve (or Prog Metal God as he is sometimes known!) who I last saw in Rotherham some years ago. There were a number of Threshold Ts on show on the Friday and it was clear who one of the main draws of the festival were.
The next day the bands raced by and I was chatting with Steve (PMG) when a dark clothed figure wandered up. How’s the festival going? he asked. “It’s going well, there’s been some good bands” I replied. Cool. I’ll take a look. And with that he was gone.
“Who was that?” asked PMG. Even another Steve couldn’t recognise him!
As show time approached the drill was more well known. I took on the extra (and near impossible) task of collating the band’s food orders but got my reward when the cook in chief let me have an extra egg! Then it was the usual water, towels and set lists.
Being back stage gave me the privilege of being under stage too, home to a rather hideous giant Santa Claus model, no doubt left over from some horror pantomime but I quickly erased such thoughts as the show was almost ready to go.
What followed was another pulsating gig and included the middle part of Critical Mass being relayed by telephone back home by special request! There was then a mini set list shuffle before Smile At The Moon saw Karl make a dramatic entrance from behind the wing curtain for his solo. Don’t worry Mr. Groom - your secret is safe!
But yet again the end had to come and with it my four gigs from the sidelines and the unique perspective that Beyond gained. Fused continued another day and I did manage to get motivated again helped by a couple of great bands including a superb Day Six show. At that point we caught up with Robbie van Stiphout (Day Six, vocals and guitar) in a very noisy festival bar. He’d been with Threshold just like I had so what did he think?
Before we talk about Threshold, there are a lot of readers who didn’t see you on the tour so who are Day Six?
We started about twelve years ago, we began as Peanuts and we thought we were going to play punk rock. We changed our name to Day Six when we realised we were going to play this type of music, progressive rock and metal. We released two albums , Eternal Dignity in 2003 and in 2010 the Grand Design. We’ve played shows with some great bands such as Threshold. At home (Holland) we’ve played a lot.
That was great! They are nice guys, great musicians, a great band to see. We played three times with them and every night was even better. They were just great guys to hang out with and their audience reacted well to our music so I think we suited them well. It was nice to do and hopefully there will be more with them in the future!
And how did you end up at Fused?
We got asked by Huw if we wanted to play, I think because we played at Prog Power last year.
And you came to England straight from Bochum?
Before Fused we did two shows in London. There wasn’t that big a crowd but those there reacted really well, good warm up shows for the festival.
And next?
On April 30th (the day this released!) we have a festival, then supporting Evergrey, and then working on songs for a new album for next year.
Thanks to Robbie and all of Day Six - anyone who caught up with them on the road will agree a great bunch of guys who got better the more they played. They actually got their first ever encore at Fused and were disappointed not to have got there in time to see Threshold the night before.
Off The Road
With the festival almost over there was also an opportunity to catch up with Huw, organiser-in-chief who Beyond had spoken to for the festival preview.
The festival’s been brilliant, I don’t think we’ve had a duff band. The audience has been very enthusiastic, so all in all very pleased.
I know you can’t listen to everything but any highlights? It’s a tough question!
That is a tough question. I have to say I was blown away by Haken but I knew I would be, that’s why I invited them back. I was very impressed by Loreweaver. They drove a long, long way from Italy to do an opening slot and made a lot of friends today. And of course Threshold. Both Threshold and Vanden Plas, so difficult to choose between them as favourite headline band so far.
So who’s on next years bill?
I’ve got to pay this year’s bill first!
Beyond’s mini tour was over…
The Setlist
Richard had earlier explained that he had passed set list duties solely to Karl so, just how did he put this set together?
One thing that makes Damian stand out from other vocalists is the unique way he performs the songs live. There are subtle changes from the original recordings that really add something and make me forget there was another singer on the CD version.
Clone and Psychedelicatessen have not been represented recently, they were played extensively in the past. There are still a lot of songs we can add and there will be a new album to add to that list soon. The titles that nearly made it to this set will be used to shake things up for the shows in July. I think 4 dates are scheduled so far because of the festival in Germany.
But Karl - those shake up songs, WHAT ARE THEY????
Footprints Start To Fade…
So what was learnt on the road? Well you already know that Threshold is a great band and its members are always happy to chat and laugh once the playing is done - not that there isn’t some humour on stage! But what I mean is are there any secrets? Sadly they won’t be shared - otherwise they won’t ask me back! But I did get the odd insight.
Next, Karl - gradually introducing his family to comedy of a bygone age, he is a big Dame Edna fan and has even read Barry Humphries’ biography! A true fan.
Damian - well here we probably found out the most secrets but if you stand around long enough he’ll probably tell you anyway! He’s also terrible at throwing. And deciding.
Next Johanne - well if they create a two player version of Tetris don’t take him on - when it comes to packing the van, never have I seen so many odd shaped things placed so well into such a small space. He also has a spare snare drum.
And finally Steve - well the Secret Steve thing was just a bit of fun and he’s actually a really nice guy with something in the pipeline. Still.
One Track in the Spotlight
Well being the less important member of the band, all I can say is, I love the track lots. I enjoyed writing a new solo to replace the one Nick had written. While his suited the track, I definitely wanted to write one that was more in my own style. Thankfully Karl and the band gave me license to do just that.
Perhaps the nature of this many layered song lends itself to a fresh piece of music. Reviews regularly comment on the changes of tempo, great solos (to which Pete has now added) and strong vocals from Damian. Personally I’ve never known what it is about this song that excites me so much - it’s that little bit different on an album that carries a real variety of music. Just how on earth do you piece together such a complicated composition? We returned to Karl for this one,
I think I remember writing for Extinct Instinct in the early part of Summer 1996. Eat the Unicorn was a track that took quite a long time to come together before I could hand it over to Jon to work on the lyrics. A lot of listening in the car was required to get the structure and arrangements right, although the initial ideas came quickly.
Steve (now the real version is back!) also had some thoughts on the song, live,
I didn’t really have much of a connection with Eat the Unicorn at first. To my ears It sounded less mature and more disconnected then Threshold’s later material, which I was more familiar with, so it took me a while to bond with this tune. After a time though, it started to fall into place and began to be really fun to play!
There are some great strong, groovy riffs which help it bounce along nicely and some sterling and inventive solo playing from Rich and Karl. It follows the Threshold formula quite precisely, complex, melodic, groovy, heavy but also light, lyrically challenging and of course, there’s a lot of it to remember.
To close, Karl surprised with some more general Extinct Instinct insight,
After the mix we had our own listening party and Jon made a curry. I recall that the quantities in the sauce went wrong in some way and he was disappointed, but nobody noticed. In fact Damian finished all the leftovers!
Having tried to organise his food at Fused I can’t say I’m surprised!
Post Script
Time has beaten us again - but we haven’t talked about the new album yet, have we!
De Boerderij is probably the first name on any Threshold tour schedule, Kerkrade was recommended by a couple of bands and Bochum is somewhere the band had played before. Supporting a new festival, especially in the UK, made sense but…
Given Threshold are preparing for a new album, what was the reasoning behind the current dates?
Really because we haven’t played for so long. In 2010 we were so busy with all our side projects, we wanted to get a lot of stuff finished. Pete had My Soliloquy, I had my League Of Lights project, Damian was quite busy with things. We then found a whole year had gone by with no shows so thought 2011, we really need to play. We were thinking we’d do Spring warm up shows, then Summer festivals, although we only have one, but Summer shows, we just wanted to get out and play because we love it, it’s great fun.
At de Boerderij the cameras were there, anything to report?
Only in terms of bonus material. We still haven’t got a decision on making a DVD.
Ah! New material.
The tour dates were aiming towards a new album in Autumn 2011 but that will probably slip to the beginning of next year. Then we’ll tour.
See? It’s taken a few issues of Beyond but we knew we’d find out!
Until next time,
Beyond
- April 30
- , 2011
And here is the last of the galleries - unless we get sent something to beyond@thresh.net
So to close for now - Zoetermeer (de Boerderij) by Astrid.
- April 27
- , 2011
Here are another batch of Astrid’s pics from Kerkrade. Awesome.
- April 25
- , 2011
Well we couldn’t leave out pictures from Astrid de Ronde, the one and only (so far) fan fully in the spotlight. We are guessing that the light must have been quite good!!!
First up are some from Kerkrade.
By the way, Beyond 7 is nearly ready for the first proof read. Looking good for the 30th!!! It has a different take, with a focus on the most recent tour dates, but has quotes and interviews aplenty.
- April 23
- , 2011
With Beyond 7 rapidly approaching, and it having a focus on the recent Threshold gigs, we thought a few photo galleries would be good. First up, de Boerderij by Mark van Eijk.
- April 19
- , 2011
It’s all happening!!! Here is a very quick round up of all that is imminent in the Threshold world!!!
League of Lights debut is out now - Click
here for more about Richard’s project
For the first review - Click
here
Maiden United have left the UK (did you see a show or maybe the live stream from Wakefield?) and have the rest of Europe to conquer - Click
here for tour dates
Kyrbgrinder will be playing Newcastle, Barnsley and Southampton this week - Click
here for gig details
Damian Wilson Band DVD is nearing the end of its pre-order before the release at the end of May - Click
here for the pre-order
Fused has just been and gone - Click
here for a review
Oh, and we are working hard on Issue Seven. Phew!
- April 11
- , 2011
