http://www.statetheatrenj.org/glen_burtnik
Happy Holidays! There’s a sale going on over at spiraling.net/store with every single thing we sell for $5 each. Every CD, T-Shirt, and download album is $5 plus shipping. Sale ends Friday, January 1.
What better way to end a tour than to have one of the biggest rock legends in history come up on stage and sing a song? That’s exactly what happened at the final gig of the fall tour with Francis Dunnery and the New Progressives, this past Friday in Oswestry UK.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr. Robert Plant.
If you can’t see the video, follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRG7gPwPGCo
We’d been touring throughout the UK and have had some great musical guests sit in for a song or two, on any given night. The buzz among the band was that for the last show, Robert Plant would come and sing “Calling To You” with us (we recorded a new version of the song on Francis’ new CD). Mr. Plant had fun with it, complete with stream-of-consciousness jokes about progressive rock that you can hear at the beginning of my keyboard solo.
It went something like this:
“It’s getting really ‘prog’ now. Ooh. Mountains come out of the sea and they just stand there. I used to know Jon Anderson, you know. And I worked with Jethro Tull too. It was fantastic! All that standing on your own like that with a flute….”
Less than 24 hours later, we were on a plane back to the US, a bit exhausted but still laughing about it all. Thanks to all the friends, old and new, who came to see the tour, and thanks to Francis, Dorie Jackson, Brett Kull, Jamie Bishop, and Paul Ramsey for being such a great band to be a part of.
Tom Brislin and Robert Plant, November 2009
I can’t believe that the first tour with Renaissance is over. It went by way too fast. It was great to see so many familiar faces, and thanks to the fact that nearly every show was sold-out, we’re likely to be back on the road next year.
Not 24 hours after getting home, I’m heading to the U.K. and manning the keys for Francis Dunnery’s New Progressives. This is my first trip to England since I toured with Yes in 2001. We’re there supporting Francis’ new CD There’s A Whole New World Out There, on which I recorded keyboard tracks. You can find all the tourdates at tombrislin.com/shows .
I got to talk with the Illustrious Imogen Heap about the making of her new album Ellipse in the October issue of Keyboard Magazine. Check out the video clips here.
Tom with Imogen Heap, July 2009
In other news, I’m now in full swing on my first tour playing keyboards with Renaissance. Nearly every show has been sold out, but there are still tickets available for the final show on this tour, Saturday October 17 at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ. Then I’m off to the UK with Francis Dunnery’s New Progressives tour. The fun never ends!
Before I set out for the Renaissance tour next month, I’m going to play a solo show at Rockn’ Joe in Kendall Park, NJ on October 3. The good folks at NJProghouse put together the night, which is for all ages, and there’s no cover charge….and I’m playing 2 sets!
So come on out and say hi before I hit the road…
See the shows page for details.
I thought I’d share a little video blog about an adventure I had exactly 10 years ago. Back in the grand old year of 1999, my band (then known as You Were Spiraling) went on tour supporting They Might Be Giants, all across America. This was a profound experience for us, and will certainly get its own post in the future. One experience during the tour stands out, which culminated exactly 10 years ago. I went to Bound Brook, New Jersey, and filmed a short trip down memory lane. You can see it here:
Here’s a video I found on YouTube of the Meat Loaf appearance on Letterman, the night before Hurricane Floyd hit:
I’ve just been added to the lineup of the legendary rock group Renaissance for their 2009 tour, which kicks off this October. I’ll be playing synthesizers and singing backing vocals with the amazing Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford, and company. Visit the Renaissance Official Myspace page for tourdates and info.
I’ll still be teleporting over to CalProg 2009 on October 10 to play my solo set, after which I’ll come back to the East Coast for more Renaissance dates. Then, it’s off to the UK with Francis Dunnery’s New Progressives. Amidst all of this, I’m also writing a solo album and am hatching some ideas over in Spiraling land (more on this soon).
I’m at the point where I can now spell the word “Renaissance” correctly; now I’ve got some music to go learn!
with Annie Haslam at Rites of Spring Festival, May 2009
I’ve spent the last few days at Area 602 Studio, recording keyboard tracks for The New Progressives. With Brett Kull engineering, Francis Dunnery has been producing the sessions. Francis’ approach to production is a unique one. For instance, a typical exchange would go something like this:
ME: ”What would you like me to play on this song?”
FRANCIS: “What would you rather be? The Pope’s cousin, or an incredibly famous fish?”
Remarkably, I knew just what to play.
Stay tuned for the New Progressives album and UK tour this October.
from the first New Progressives session, June 2009.
THE SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 CONCERT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO IMPENDING WEATHER. MORE DETAILS SOON…..
I’ve been cheering the virtues of playing house concerts lately, especially the part about the “intimate setting” that a living room full of people create. That all changes this Saturday, August 22, as I will be one of several artists performing at Fusion at Dave and Julie’s. Dave Edwards is a fantasic musician and great friend; he was the first drummer in Spiraling and was our one-man violin section on our latest CD, Time Travel Made Easy. Dave and Julie host an annual outdoor concert at their home in Warwick, New York, featuring bands, jam sessions, and, yes, solo acts. It’s a beautiful country setting, a family-friendly environment, and it’s open to nice people such as yourself. Just go to their Myspace page for details. While you’re there, please check out Dave’s violin work on “Enemy” at the Spiraling Myspace page.
