We’re starting to create the new record… and YOU can be a part of it!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Dean Marsh

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The New Album

Hey – we’re starting to create the new record… and YOU can be a part of it, AND help raise money for Cancer UK!!

Gandalf’s Fist are teaming up With PledgeMusic to make the Best Album yet!!

After releasing our third album last year, we’re already brimming with ideas for our next record – we’re looking to take this one to the next level and would love you to be a part of the journey!

We’ve self-funded a lot of our previous recording adventures – and have received great reviews from international publications… and now, with your help, we can put a few more doubloons into the Gandalf’s Fist Production sack and give our fans what they really want – an absolutely stonkingly awesome sounding 4th Album for 2013!
Once we hit our target, a percentage of each pledge goes to help Cancer UK. We hope you will help us in donating to this worthwhile cause.

Let’s break it down:
1. You pre-order the album & as soon as we hit our target we’ll record our socks off – keeping you up to date in an exclusive updates zone! – If we don’t make our target you get your money back!
2. The Money you’ve pledged goes straight into our budget and makes our album sound even more awesome!
3. Choose to pledge additional amounts to receive amazingly delectable exclusives that you can’t get anywhere else!! (From Signed goodies to Exective Producer Credits) Why not peruse what’s on offer? Every item on the ‘exclusives’ list also includes an advance digital download, and access to the exclusive updates!
4. When the records done you’ll be in an elite group of musical connoisseurs (with great taste, might I add) that get their hands on the record before it’s released to your average Joe. At this point we’ll also start fulfilling all the exclusive goodies that you’ve pledged for.
5. Please keep pledging even when we reach our target as that’s when a percentage of your pledge goes straight to helping our charity of choice – Cancer UK… so please guys let’s keep going!!

In short – Your part of the process from the start and we’re looking forward to sharing the journey with you –and there’s some great exclusive rewards for our pledgers that are not available anyone else!

We can’t wait to get started – let’s make this our best record yet!

Thank you for your amazing support, and please click here to pledge for your reward!!

Dean & Luke,
Gandalf’s Fist

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Hobbit Album CD Pre-Order

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Dean Marsh

Available to Pre-order on CD now!

Ok so our sci-fi-Hobbit concept album, “From a Point of Existence”, has been around on itunes and whatnot for a while now and we’ve had a number of requests of record collectors and Tolkien enthusiasts to provide a Physical CD for their collections…

Well, as if concealed by Radagast’s moose hunting hat, you can now Pre-order a strictly limited run of the new record in an awesome digipak format!

These really will be the only pressings this year so If you fancy one, and hey – why wouldn’t you – there’s a picture of a psychedelic robin climbing an ice cream - then click here to visit our store before they’re all snaffled up!!

International Shipping is available – seriously I will post these out anyone who has a hankering for some Psychedelic-Tolkien-Prog!

In other news, I’m thinking about finishing my novel. It’s about three brothers that stow away on board a steam ship in an alternate Victorian universe. It has a lot of beardy seafarers, kite-flying and smoking hot irish birds… sounds like fun.

Dean

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“There and Back Again” Free Download

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Dean Marsh

Click to Download

To promote our new Hobbit Concept album “From a Point of Existence”, we’ve released the first single from the record absolutely FREE! Well aren’t we nice!

This is the most radio-friendly track on the record so we thought we’d let you dip your toes in the water before you experience the Psychedelic awesomeness of the full album!

This is the ballad of the album and is probably a good one to play to your girlfriend before whacking on the 17 minute title track and proceeding to air-guitar around the nearest woodland glade.

The download also includes a B-Side which is an exclusive radio edit of the 5th album track “Crestfallen”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

 

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HOBBIT ALBUM FINISHED

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Dean Marsh

 

New Album Artwork!

Well finally! “From a Point of Existence” – Our upcoming concept album, a sci-fi retelling of the Hobbit, is done and dusted! It’s been a tough slog recording this one – with so many long tracks and varied vocal styles it’s been one monumental effort for myself and Luke getting the record to this point so I think we deserve a pat on the back and a pint down our necks!
As you can tell by this awesomely psychedelic image the album art has changed and replaced with a one-off commissioned illustration that depicts the wonderfully surrealworld our story takes place in!

This is me in June, figuring out a solo for track 4 : “There and Back Again” at Broadwater studios in Gateshead, UK

We’ve had some good laughs recording this record – recording in Gateshead was a right good day out – even If I was immensely hung-over to the point where I could only hold down a bag of Haribo Megamix!
It should be hitting the shelves in a couple of months time so keep your eyes peeled on the interweb for more news. If you’re interested in a little sample of what to expect you can listen to a rough mix of “Gathering of the Clouds” over at our website here

 

From A Point of Existence Tracklist
1. The Tale of William Small
(2.27)
Marsh/Severn
2. From a Point of Existence (Parts I-V)
(16.36)
Marsh/Severn
3. Gathering of the Clouds
(9.21)
Marsh
4. There and Back Again
(5.36)
Marsh
5. Crestfallen
(6.46)
Marsh
6. Monolith
(6.03)
Marsh/Severn
7. From a Point of Existence (Parts VI-X)
(13.25)
Marsh/Severn

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Hobbits, Replicants and Trawler racing!

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Dean Marsh

Well just a quick update on the new Sci-Fi/Hobbit-inspired record “from a point of existence” – I’ve finally nailed down the mix of the first (17 minute) track and just need a couple of vocal overdubs and it’s in the bag! (phew!)

Secondly, having all but finished the lyrics to “in the night there flew a robin”, I’ve turned my attention to the acoustic number currently titled “there and back again” (well how original! I might change the title…maybe)

It’s shaping up to be our most original project yet and has a proper sense of bombast!  – check my previous post for some early samples!

In other news there’s been quite a lot of interest in Gandalf’s Fist from various people… can’t say too much right now but I’m well excited! (tease. extended!)

Now then, aside from working with Luke making sure the next Gandalf’s Fist record is stonkingly awesome, i’ve also been working with a very dedicated group of people to put on the first Maryport Harbour Festival… It’s on the 23rd/24th of June in Maryport, Cumbria and features Live music, Real Cask Ales, and Trawler boat and yacht racing amongst other things! So if you, or anyone you know’s in the NW of England over that weekend make sure you get down to the harbourside. More info can be found at our facebook page, and at www.thesolwaytrust.com/harbourfest  

TTFN

Dean

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“Hobbit” album recording progress!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Dean Marsh

Okeydokey then! As some of you may be aware our forthcoming record is a concept-album based around the story of the Hobbit in a Blade-runner universe… so I thought it was about time for a little update from the studio (as well as a nice little audio teaser).

Firstly, we’ve re-fit some of the studio – new microphones, pre-amps, a brand new vocal booth and a host of shiny new reverbs and delays so we’re hoping that this record should sound the mutt’s nuts!

Secondly, Myself and Luke spent all of the weekend tracking instruments and guide vocals for the first track on the record – “From a Point of Existence (Parts i-v)”. This is a stonkingly long track at about 17 minutes with five distinct sections – it’s got clean guitar, piano sections, space-age synths, Sabbath-esque riffs, Maiden-like harmonies, choirs and soaring choruses – a bit of everything!

And that's Just the Synth Tracks!!

The track itself picks up at the end of the story straight after the assassination of the ruthless business mogul Sir Jason Drake (yep… he’s our Smaug!) and sets up the themes for the rest of the record. We’ve now recorded about 85% of the instruments (still got some acoustic guitars and mandolin to do) and put down the guide vocals – we’ll defiantly keep the bridge section of these and some of the others will make it into the backing vocals.

To hear some sneaky teasers of some rough mixes of the sections click the link below – bear in mind this is nowhere indicative of the final quality of the song but should give you a good idea of the direction of the record!

From a Point of Existence Demo Teaser

Also… in addition to all the other songs we’ve written for the record, I’ve only gone and added another one to the mix: “In the night there flew a robin” is probably going to make the cut – it’s going to be the most straight-up rock/pop song on the record with acoustic guitars and an anthemic chorus… crikey, a lot to be getting on with!

That’s it for now… I’ll check in later when we’ve got some more to show for our drunken efforts!

Dean

For more information on “From a point of Existence” visit the page on our website here.

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T-Shirts and Other awesome Merch!

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Dean Marsh

Good afternoon! Well…we’ve just re-vamped our Online Merch Store with a range of swanky new Products and Designs so get yourselves over there and start strutting about town in your new Gandalf’s Fist garments like Cock o’ the north!

May I also suggest a “Prog out with your log out” mug for your morning brew?

Go on, you know it makes sense!

If anyone has any ideas for designs they would like to see then please let us know!

Cheers,

Dean

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Pre-Orders for fantasicly spruced-up, yet somehow cheaper, album!

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Dean Marsh

…and yet more free stuff!

Just of a bit of a quick update:

Cheers to everyone for your positive feedback on the free track that was featured on the latest cover of “Prog” Magazine! I’ve been getting emails asking when the album will be back in stock, and the answer is very soon! Next month, “Road to Darkness” will be available as a swanky new digipak at the new lowered price of Six english pounds. You can PRE-ORDER your copy now to avoid dissapointment by visiting our store.

Oh aye, in the spirit of giving away free stuff to the internet masses, most recently in the form of our Free EP, we’ve decided to reward our hundred of Facebook followers by offering people who share our music 4, yes FOUR, free tracks to download. Well aren’t we nice! Get sharing, get downloading!

On a lighter note, i’ve had to disguard several lyrics for the new Hobbit-inspired record that we’re in the middle of producing, one of the more noteable suggested by long-time Gandalf’s Fist collaborator Tim: “I am Smaug, I’ll put you in the morgue”…hmmm maybe not Tim, although I have promised to keep it in if someone manages to translate it into Elvish!

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New issue of PROG Mag!

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Dean Marsh

The new Issue of ‘Prog’ from Classic Rock Magazine goes on sale Weds 14 March. Brand new Prog. It celebrates the 40 year anniversary of Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a Brick” plus exclusive new interviews with the Moody Blues, Genesis, Yes, Fish, Mars Volta, Flying Colors, Anathema, Landmarq, Gazpacho, Enochian Theory, Soen plus Tool, Dream Theater, Mastodon, John Wetton, Billy Cobham and prog loads more.

Oh, and Gandalf’s Fist are on the Cover CD too! Want to know which track? We’ll you’re going to have to bally-well buy an issue to find out!

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Eviction from Cack-end and Progressive Progress!

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Dean Marsh

So. Since last year I’ve been living in a tiny, isolated fishing cottage here:

It’s a place called Skinburness, a a name that may be familiar to Tolkien scholars and readers of his translation of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’, as it is widely suggested that this is the place that the titular characters had their fateful meeting….

Anyhoo…. It’s got rather majestic views of the solway coast… but the dwelling hams up it’s hobbitiness too far by being buried half way underground! This has led to serious damp problems… some people have rat infestations - I’ve had to leave traps in the bathroom for stray lobsters!  So that’s it… I’m leaving cack-end today in pursuit of a warmer hole (You boy! Stop sniggering at the back!)

Luckily I preempted this Isenguard-esque flooding and packed up the Gandalf’s Fist studio and already have it re-assembled at a temporary location, because trying to record in the damp has absoloutly ZERO benefits. Wait…

Skinburness...yesterday.

On the plus side, we’ve started to get into the serious business of starting to finalizing some recording elements… the first track “from a point of existence” is clocking in at about 9minutes of stuff so far and I’d say it’s about 40% done… it’s going to be one epic mutha’ as my rapping friends would say. Although… I don’t have any rapping friends, I’d bet they’d still say it… if they existed.

So I hope this record is well received - it’s bizarre even by our standards. I summed it up to somebody the other day – It’s basically “The Hobbit” set in the world of “Blade Runner”… only no origami, and definitely no feckin’ unicorns.

TTFN

Dean.

 

 

 

 

 

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