ART ROCK CIRCUS

ART ROCK CIRCUS

Discography

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TELL A VISION.... 2005

.....TELL A VISION

"Most contemporary Art-Rock bands should take lessons from Art Rock Circus in how to create music! The sonic palette of the album has been carefully elaborated, and it doesn't remind me of anything I have ever heard before. Brilliant stuff.
....Progressor/RussiaDetailed Review

"Album of the Month June 2005" Addictive, Innovative, Amazing!
....Radioenlace/ Madrid SpainDetailed Review

"Without a doubt, Tell a Vision is a must have album for every Art Rock Circus fan, and 70's art rock and progressive fans. Praise to Miner for recording an honest album.....a labour of love and a real success at capturing the sound of the 60's and 70's"
.... Rock Reviews Online Detailed Review

"The overall proceedings have a more progressive edge than the bands previous works...the music is stronger, more melodic and accessible. Touches of Genesis/Gabriel... Crimson or early 70's Bowie theatrics."....European Progressive Rock Reviews

"This music is completely unique, lying beyond any possible comparisons. all of the songs here are equally impressive....classic symphonic Art-Rock at its best..
....Progressor/RussiaDetailed Review

"In light of progressive rock regaining popularity recently, there has been a longing for a more artsy aspect to come to light. Tell a Vision...
an elaborate and extensive piece of work, very organic sounding..a down to earth
album with the technical endurance at the forefront.... it speaks of a real concept, hitting close to home.....some could learn from this record."....Ytsejam Magazine Detailed Review

"Tell A Vision is an excellent epic...and makes for an enjoyable listen that surprises you when you realize that for 20 minutes you have been digging one song."....Sea of Tranquility

"This album, which addresses the alienation generated by television and computers which so often controls man, comprises some great moments.
The best of Art Rock Circus. If you like progressive rock, try the experiment...the total result is very wonderful."
....Music in Belgium MagazineDetailed Review

"Great guitar work...with a healty dose of avantgarde to boot"....Prognose

"Tell a Vision" is a gigantic step forward..It seems to me it's been ages since I've experienced as great a pleasure when listening to Art Rock as original and inspired as this...a genuine author's honesty and inspiration, raised to the power of musical magic.
....Progressor/RussiaDetailed Review

"an ambitious two CD project that requires multiple listens..... a very interesting, well performed and produced traditional Prog album"
....ProGGnosisDetailed Review

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A PASSAGE TO CLEAR.... 2001

"A Passage to Clear is one of the most addictive prog releases I've heard all year!"
....Larry Nai/Progression Magazine/USADetailed Review

"Sit back, close the eyes and enjoy the aural journey. This is different.Further
benefit is either to listen through headphones or in an otherwise 'quiet room' with no interruptions. Nice."
....Jem Jedrzejewski/Hairless Heart/ United KingdomDetailed Review

"Certainly the great innovation here is the presence
of the two "divas"...an album to be a success without a doubt!"
....Renaud Oualid/LA VIE EN ROCK/FranceDetailed Review

"Passage to Clear, the forth work of the excellent John Miner and his Art Rock Circus shows
a preoccupation with the quality of this music...a style clearing a passage to the womb of our
universe....using rock, classical, and jazz, it sends us back to the baptismal bottoms of our movement
with ingenuity, pomposity, curiously all compatible...thwarting any notion of comercialism
..a flourishing musical jorney with few boundaries"
....Bruno Versmisse/Harmonie Magazine/FranceDetailed Review

"Take a shot at Art Rock Circus....their whole approach to making music
differs from any other CD reviewed on our site....It's a whole new world...
the production gives the music an authentic, nearly live recorded feel"/
....Eef Vink/Rocknet...NetherlandsDetailed Review

"The Album is filled with nice female voices singing about light and dark
feelings whose universal meaning is clear almost everywhere...
I agree with Miner's lyrical conclusions completely. I have a profound respect
for the people at Tributary and to John Miner in particular..."
....Vitaly Menshikov/Progressor...RussiaDetailed Review

"America seems to be into this retro sound at the moment, and it's
a welcome change...you can't help but appreciate the re creation
of rock music of yesteryear!"
....European Progressive Rock ReviewsDetailed Review

"Miner once again is going his own way....oddball chord progressions and odd meters
...the album is arguably even more progressive than Heavens Cafe'"
....Fred Trafton/ Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive RockDetailed Review

"Once again Miner surrounds himself with excellent musicians...
Closing my eyes I see an enormous band of musicians and actors
performing their parts like a Broadway Musical!"
....Eef Vink/Rocknet...NetherlandsDetailed Review

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HEAVENS CAFE'LIVE!.... 1998

"Will have you jumping out of your seat cheering for more, brilliant!"
....Terry Tucker/European Progressive Rock ReviewsDetailed Review

"So much more dynamic, so much more passion and vitality. So much more greatness! "
....More than Music/Swedish Rock Reviews

"The Live version of Heavens Cafe' sounds really wonderful...the music and overall vocal pallatte are very rich
..A "true" classic rock opera...one of the few. "....Progressor/ RussiaDetailed Review

"A pure moment of progressive rock as some would only dare to try in the 70Îs, with the touching and
unstoppable nativity of those blessed years! "....Harmonie Magazine/ FranceDetailed Review

"The guitar playing of Miner is particularly superb. The different singers excel and the rhythm section assumes
it's role perfectly..... All in all what we have here is nothing but good!"
....Renaud Oualid/LA VIE EN ROCK/FranceDetailed Review

"A work of progressive songs very fresh and vital....very interesting."
...Marks Varela/Margen Magazine/SpainDetailed Review

"What if a bunch of progressive rockers staged a Broadway Musical?...An unusual and
intruiging CD that should be of interest to most prog fans."....Gary Hill/Music Street Journal/ USADetailed Review

"Art Rock Circus casts away any doubts and achieves it's completion with a rewarding
sense of accurate impersonation and playful execution. The music on Heavens Cafe' Live is the pillar
on which the entire proceedings rest.....Marcelo Silveyra/Progfreaks/MexicoDetailed Review

"A Rock Opera in the epic sense..harks back to The Who's original Tommy, or the stage version of the
Rocky Horror Show" ....Fred Trafton/ Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive RockDetailed Review

"..Completely blown away by this amazing live performance.I wish I had been in the audience
that night! Highly recommended!" ....Greger R´nnqvist/ Prog Reviews on Line/ SwedenDetailed Review

"A very ambitious multi media presentation, a very successful union between psychedelic rock and
musical theater...organic and sincere. Kudos to Tributary for taking a chance on such a project!"
....Prog 4 You/ USADetailed Review

"Songs like Heavens Cafe, Never Alone and Tower of Information show that John Miner has quite
some skill in songwriting!" ....Markus Weis DUPR/Tales From the Progressive Ocean/Germany

"Stylistically more typical of the era of Enlightened music lovers of the 60's and 70's
than for the present time. ....Vitaly Menshikov/ Progressor...RussiaDetailed Review

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HEAVENS CAFE' .... 1996

"Superb emotional stuff...faultless vocals..an album I will keep coming back too...very thought provoking
"....Terry Tucker/European Progressive Rock ReviewsDetailed Review

"The Dark" is a masterly piece of music, progressive in structure, superb guitar work here!"
....European Progressive Rock ReviewsDetailed Review

"Thematically this is a conceptual work...a very very interesting and original approach to reincarnation
even from the spiritual point of view." ....Vitaly Menshikov/Progressor...RussiaDetailed Review

"If you are looking for a musical/Rock opera set in
an art-rock/progressive vein, then this outing from
John Miner should do just fine. "
.... Dutch Progressive Rock ReviewsDetailed Review

"A triumph in the development of theatrical and musical artistry!" ....Las Vegas Sun

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LOST MY WAY.... "The Early Years 1990-1994"

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HEAVENS CAFE' LIVE DVD .... release date 2006

Performed by Insurgo Theater and Art Rock Circus May-June 2003

Insurgtheater Los Angeles

GAMES WE PLAY AT HEAVEN'S CAFE'

5/27/03

It's been a long time since a writer and director have teamed up and delivered such a unique and compelling vision in the theater arts. I'm talking rock opera here, the once popular genre that graced the stages of rock concerts and theater halls of yesteryear in abundance. The often difficult format of rockish musical theater is once again being explored, this time in Southern California by the Insurgo Theater Movement with local director John Beane at the helm.

Unlike other similar explorations such as "Rent", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Hair" and "Tommy" that deal with historical or trendy concepts, Miner's rock opera tackles a much loftier vision, that of the human souls journey into the afterlife backed by a soundtrack that may leave you plastered to your theater chair for eternity! First staged in Las Vegas and now making it's California debut, Miner shows he is not one to follow easy conventions, and director Beane is clearly having fun with this open to your interpretation psychedelic masterpiece which has received much critical acclaim around the world in the last few years as a progressive rock underground cult classic. I can see why.

While it would be tempting to try to nail down the story of Lark who in his past life was the decadent "Classical Man", guided by his guardian angel then poked along by his alter ego Kral (Lark spelled backwards the opera's comic relief) I'll pass on doing so. I suspect the creator is more interested in the journey of the audience rather than the superficial story line. There is much to chew on for the "over the top" intellectual and hints of more heady prophetic messages if one chooses to look beyond the obvious. I suspect both Miner and Beane have done their metaphysical homework to the 9th degree. The director offers up a magic carpet ride that takes you far away from the comforts and constraints of our everyday lives. After watching Heavens Cafe', I got the feeling I was on one of those virtual reality rides that would twist and turn, never knowing what might lie around the corner. Putting this all together in a live theater format makes for one fun hour and a half of mind blowing rock and roll cosmic mayhem!

Now as far as the music itself goes, most anyone who has heard Heavens Cafe' Live should attest that this
is one of the best live albums heard in recent memory. Miner's band Art Rock Circus delivers the goods with newcomers Nolan Stolz on drums and Ken Jaquess on bass. The trio are masters of their genre without doubt. And one would assume that the presence of Miner playing it live at Insurgo is credit to his dedication and commitment to the project. Stolz and Jaquess back his psychedelic guitar landscapes pefectly.

This incarnation of the cast is rich in talent. Ed Bassanger grabs the spotlight with full conviction as "Classical Man" and his counterpart Kral played by Russ Marchand probably steals the show with his clownish humor in abundance. Heather Shough cast as Robin assumes the laid back love child with ease although one senses it might not be a huge stretch from her real life character. Being familiar with the CD before viewing it onstage, I was most impressed by Darcy Hogan's recreation of the Guardian Angel who takes the most compelling vocal number in the show. She rocks it good! If you like something different on the menu than the usual fanfare, you can't go wrong with a visit to Insurgo
Theater movements take on this epic rock opera called Heaven's Cafe'.

Highly recommended ****
Artfish

These discs were recorded with analog equipment during the bands
developing years. The albums explore various blends of Rock, Jazz, Classical,
Folk and Ambient. The ever evolving "ART ROCK CIRCUS" continues to
expand the possibilities of music within the context of the individual perfomers
and their ability to contribute to the creative web of musical fascination.