06/2009
Newsletter Summer 2009
Dear Friends
I hope I find you all well and still at liberty (another British joke). Before I tell you all the news I would like to thank you for your patience over the last couple of months. The sudden death of my graphic artist and friend Ralf Schuessler earlier this year meant unavoidable delays in the production of the series of CD re-issues, but I am now confident that the special releases I had planned for this year (to mark my 30th year of recording) can be realised in the coming months.
First up we have the next scheduled re-issue, 'A Cabinet of Curiosities'/'Happy Families' which includes both acoustic mini albums from 1987/88 plus almost all of the acoustic radio sessions that were originally on the 12" EP that came with the first 500 copies of the German edition of 'Duel' released the following year.
01/2009
2009 Newsletter
Dear Friends
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year for 2009 and may all your crimes go unpunished. (An English joke).
2009 is a very special year for me as it will be 30 years since I released my first record (yes, we called them records in those pre-digital days). I still remember the thrill of expectation the day I entered a recording studio for the first time (July 1979) and I am pleased to say I have never lost that pleasant frisson of anticipation at the start of a new project. Some people get their kicks from the smell of a brand new car, some from hanging on the end of a very large elastic band and several ancestors of mine delighted in planning the perfect crime (poor Aunty). Me, I like nothing better than that exquisite moment when the drummer finally collapses behind his kit after 3 hours of torturing his tom toms and the engineer admits that the drum sound has been sorted to his satisfaction and that he is now ready for the first take. I chose to spend many happy birthdays in a studio (that’s where a lot of the ‘radio sessions’ originated) because that was the most enjoyable way I could imagine to spend the day (and at the same time avoid having to listen to Great Uncle Baldersnoot’s elephant hunting stories for the umpteenth time). I expect I’ll have my ashes scattered at Abbey Road when I go to the great audition in the sky. But I digress.
02.2008:
Website message Spring 2008
Dear Friends,
I am happy to say that the new album ‘Nevermore’ is now finished and has been delivered to my German label Syborg for release in May. Those who have been involved in the production tell me that it is, in their opinion, the best album I have recorded to date with a very strong selection of songs in a variety of styles from seafaring folk to psych pop and more whimsical fantasy this time inspired by Jules Verne as well Poe.
10.2007:
Website Message Autumn 2007
Dear Friends,
At last I have news of a new album and the series of reissues I talked about in my last epistle. The long silence following my last on-line message was due to the fact that the distributor I had planned to work sank shortly afterwards without a trace! Ah, the glamorous and exciting world of the music business.
So I had to look for a label that I could rely on to release what I want, when I need it and I believe I have found it in the form of Syborg, a German label who also have In My Rosary in their catalogue, icons of dark neofolk who also happen to be jolly good friends of mine. The label’s website can be found at 
www.syborgmusic.de where you will also find an on-line shop which promises to bring their CDs direct to your letterbox.
30.03.2007:
2007 German Website Message
Dear Friends,
It has been a long time since the last newsletter appeared on this site, but now I have news that I'm sure you'll agree was worth waiting for.
I am reviving my own label, Gaslight Records, in partnership with one of the largest independent distributors in Germany, Icare-Media. Icare (formerly SX distribution) worked on ‘Pavane’ a few years ago and now they have linked up with Sony which means that my CDs will be in all the major chain stores throughout Germany and will be widely available across Europe. Furthermore, I will be employing a professional promotion company to get radio play and magazine reviews. In addition there will be promotional CD singles for radio and advertising in all the major German rock magazines so hopefully the shop assistants won’t say ‘whose Paul Roland?’ if you ask for one of my CDs in the future.
Icare and Gaslight have agreed on a schedule of releases . . .
30.04.2006:
Paul Roland’s Website Message Spring 2006
Dear Friends
I am pleased to announce that the
new album is finally ready. ‘Re-Animator’ will be released
on Italian label Black Widow (BW 097) in June. The album features my
regular band plus members of Seventies psych legends Caravan and
includes several songs inspired by the stories of HP Lovecraft. Most of
the tracks were recorded live in the studio with only the minimum of
overdubs (vocal, violin, mellotron etc) so the energy level is high
although there are also some slower, more atmospheric tracks ideal for
when you’re reading your creepy old horror comics!
Contact: Black Widow via del campo 6R, 16124 Genova Italy (www.blackwidow.it) e-mail: blackwidow@tin.it
For Greek distribution contact labyrinthofthoughts@yahoo.gr
If you can’t wait for the official release the PRAS are making an
exclusive offer to visitors of the websites and recipients of this
newsletter (see PRAS News below)
Jack The Ripper!
I recently celebr . . .
11.11.2005:
October 2005 Website
Dear Friends
It has been a long and testing summer for me. After recording the new rock album, ‘Re-animator’ with the band back in January I then had to delay its completion until October as my parents had a car accident in March which left my mother bed-ridden in hospital for many months. And although my father escaped injury he had to have a heart pacemaker fitted which meant that I had other things on my mind than music during that time. I would like to thank all of you who sent their best wishes – it was much appreciated. Since September my mother has returned home from hospital and is recovering very well, so that episode appears to be behind us now.
28.05.2005:
Summer 2005 German website message
Dear Friends,
I am a happy Hobbit. The concerts at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival in Leipzig in May were a great success and it felt wonderful to perform live again with my band for the first time in 15 years. I was also delighted (and rather relieved) to have had such a large and appreciative audience, some of whom I had the pleasure of meeting afterwards.
18.05.2005:
Hallo Freunde
,Es wurde Wirklichkeit. Paul Roland spielte nun endlich
mal
wieder in Deutschland und das gleich zwei Tage hintereinander...
Da wir seine deutsche Seite immer "frisch" halten wollen, wäre
es
ja toll Fotos von seinen letzten Konzerten hier sehen zu
können.
Da mir (Kenny) meine Kamera beim wgt abgeschmiert ist bitten wir alle
die, die Fotos von den Konzerte gemacht haben, wenn sie wollen, uns
diese zu technik@paulroland.de zu schicken.
Je nach Qualität und Motiv werden wir diese dann auf der
"Galerien"-Seite veröffentlichen.
Wir freuen uns auf eure Bilder.
Liebe grüße auch im Namen von Paul,
der Kenny
24.04. 2005:
Freudiges Ereignis
,Paul Roland wird auf 2 Konzerten 15. + 16. Mai
2005 zum
"Wave Gotik Treffen" in Leipzig spielen.
Einmal wird es eine "Rockshow" geben. Das 2te Konzert wird eine
Accusticshow sein.
am So. den 15.5.05 in der AGRA Halle 4.2., 20
bis 21 Uhr
"Rock-Set"
am Mo. den 16.05.05 im Geyserhaus, 18:15 bis 19:05 Uhr "Akkustik-Set"
02.02. 2005:
Spring
2005 German
Website message
NEW ROCK ALBUM! FREE RARITIES CD!! GERMAN FESTIVAL!!
Dear Friends
I trust you enjoyed all that Winter had to offer - I know I did. Long dark days when my undead friends could visit without fear of fading in the sunlight. Raging storms providing electricity to galvanize my latest monstrous creation into life. And no gardening. Because all the plants were dead. Morticia and I adored it. NEW ALBUM!!
But now Spring is upon us and the creative juices are
rising
again, like the sap of tender young tendrils. So much so that I am now
in the throes of recording a new album - this time with the drummer and
guitarist from my old band plus members of Sixties psych pioneers
Caravan.
Mehr
…
10.08. 2004:
ALBUM NEWS!!
Dear Friends,
I trust you had a good Summer and are now in the mood for curling up in front of a roaring fire with the mastiffs at your feet and the wind and wolves howling outside your window.
Perhaps I can brighten those long dark autumn evenings with my new musical offering, ‘Pavane', whose soothing strains may serve to quieten those savage beasts prowling the woods, hungry for human flesh!
‘Pavane' is an acoustic outing although my definition of ‘acoustic' embraces all manner of extra instrumentation including harpsichord, woodwind, violins and mandolin. Yes, Roland goes Baroque again with a smattering of neo-folk as they term it these days.
There was no room in the booklet for liner notes so I
will
take the opportunity to comment on the tracks here, if I may.
Mehr
…
13.04. 2004:
Paul's
Spring 2004 Message.
Dear Friends,
I'm very, very pleased with the results which could be favourably compared to 'A Cabinet Of Curiosities' but with a more 'mature' touch, if I may say so. However, as I'm sure you are aware the quality of the music is not enough to guarantee that it will reach the audience it deserves and that, my friends, is where you come in.
Win a DVD!
I need your help to bring my music to a wider audience and I am prepared to sacrifice two of my little ones in return. No, I don't mean the small Rolands (Michael and Joshua). I am referring instead to two DVDs of a 1988 acoustic concert in Germany
Mehr
… 27.11. 2003:
After
seven years away from
music everything now seems to be happening at once. There are no less
than 3 CDs released this winter at the same time as I am completing
work on a new acoustic album.
Two of the three CDs (‘Duel’ and
‘Strychnine’) are improved reissues
and the third (‘Gaslight Tales’) is a 2CD anthology
also containing
many re-touched tracks.
You
will find the track
listings below together with details of how to contact the various
labels. But if you have any problems obtaining the CDs the PRAS will
have a small quantity available for a short period priced 15 Euros for
‘Duel’ (including postage in UK and Europe) and 25
Euros for ‘Gaslight
Tales’ (including postage in UK and Europe). Please do not
send any
money for ‘Strychnine’ now as it will not be
released until February.
The address for the PRAS is PRAS c/o A. Sinclair, 17 West Park Avenue,
Cliftonville, Margate, Kent CT9 3DY. Any letters for me can also be
sent to this address and they will be sent on to me, or you can e-mail
me through the websites :
www.paulroland.co.uk,
www.paulroland.de
and www.lightline.it/paulroland.html.
Mehr
…
09.Juli 2003:
Summer
Message
Dear Friends
A lot has happened in the last few months and so I thought it would be a good time to bring you up to date with events here at Roland Towers.
The
first thing is that I
have begun writing songs again. The rusting wheels in the old cobwebbed
cranium, so long neglected, are now finally grinding back into life.
I've always found that I have to get myself back in tune after a period
away from song writing and that during this period I have to work my
way through a lot of rubbish before the good stuff starts to come
through. That's probably true for any kind of creative work so anyone
who says that they just sit down and knock off a novel or a painting is
not being entirely truthful. Well, I've fortunately passed through that
initial stage and now the ideas are coming.
Mehr
…
01.Juli 2003:
Liebe Freunde
Es
macht sehr viel
Spaß, Musik zu machen und dieses Gefühl wird
intensiviert,
wenn der Künstler weiß, daß es andere
Menschen gibt,
die auch daraus ihre Freude ziehen. Mein erstes Album machte ich mit 19
und die Reaktionen, die ich daraufhin erhielt, gepaart mit meinem
jugendlichen Enthusiasmus und dem Spaß, Songs zu schreiben,
brachte mich durch endlose Touren und fast einem Dutzend Alben. Aber im
Jahre 1997 brach ein Label nach dem anderen zusammen und ich stand da,
ohne eine Möglichkeit mein Publikum zu erreichen. Also machte
ich
eine Pause, widmete mich der Erziehung meiner beiden Söhne
Michael
(jetzt 6 Jahre) und Joshua (4 Jahre) und konzentrierte meine kreative
Energie aufs Bücher schreiben, hauptsächlich okkulter
und
mystischer Themen.
Aber letzten September wurde ich eingeladen, auf dem " Herbstnächte IV"
Festival auf Burg Rabenstein (Nähe Berlin) zu spielen. Dies
erwies
sich als DER Auftrieb, den ich brauchte um meine kleinen grauen Zellen
wieder auf Trab zu bringen. Dort traf ich Kenny und Sina, die mich
fragten, ob sie eine deutsche Homepage für mich machen
dürften und schon bald dachte ich über neue Songs,
ein
Studio, Musiker und ein neues Album nach.
Mehr
…