Geoff Downes revives Asia with new lineup; new studio album in November

Co-founding Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes has re-institured the classic rock band with a new lineup. The new studio album, 'Indigo,' will be released on November 6 through Frontiers Music Srl. The first single and official video is “The Traveller (Into The Light)," available now.

Geoff Downes commented:

“The first track off the album is a high-power energy piece, with a few elements of prog trickery but retaining the accessible chorus block, which was always a signature of ASIA’s music from the very beginning. Harry and I started working on this as one of the early ideas that seemed to come together very organically. Virgil’s dynamic and innovative drum parts drive the piece along, while John’s soaring guitars keep the momentum. Harry’s vocals are commanding, and my keyboard parts hold the wall of sound together. It’s a song of great optimism, mainly about looking forward to the future and travelling ‘into the light’. Play it loud!”

Watch the New Official Video for "The Traveller (Into The Light)" HERE

Asia now features Downes alongside Virgil Donati, John Mitchell, and Harry Whitley.

The latest single, “Echo Of You,” is out now along with an official video. 

Geoff Downes commented: 

“This song was part of the main writing sessions between Harry and I. It took on a whole different angle in the latter stages of development with more of a focus on electronica and a spacey production. It’s a happy uplifting tune, despite the nostalgic overtones of the lyrics, a love song with a twist. It all ends in a chaotic mix of counter themes, chord changes and features a good old-fashioned fadeout as a nod to nostalgia and I believe is a very fitting conclusion to the album – Indigo, hopefully leaving the listener on a high.”

Watch the official video for “Echo Of You” HERE

Downes described the genesis of the album:

“The initial writing period began in 2015, following the release of our previous album 'Gravitas' in 2014. John Wetton and I started putting our ideas together, aiming to get into the studio once more. It was with great sadness that John became seriously ill. During this time, we had put on hold our plans, and sadly, John passed away before we could continue and complete it. So, it was always in my mind that at some point it would be a shame not to finish off some of these songs and finally release them as part of an ASIA album.

“In 2023, when the tribute concert for John took place, I was so encouraged by the response to ASIA’s music that I viewed this as the perfect opportunity to re-establish not only the band, but also to reunite with our long-time supportive label, Frontiers, paving the way for us to get back in the studio”, he continued.

Downes also added:

“So, ASIA was back in the room, so to speak, and we were very fortunate to have recruited Virgil Donati and John Mitchell, both of whom had worked extensively with John before, as well as our new vocalist and bassist, Harry Whitley. The tours followed to great success throughout 2024 and 2025, and finally, we sat down towards the end of last year to record the album. Working with these fine musicians was a great privilege and the music just seemed to flow.”

“The album was really a joy to make. I forged a close writing relationship with Harry, and I felt how great it was to be working with someone who had very similar musical influences and taste once again, just as I did with John. I feel that this is one of our best albums to date. The songs are deep in musicality, with a powerful and original performance, dynamics and strong lyrical undertones – it’s an album that hopefully our fans will widely appreciate and support our cause to put ASIA back on the map. Enjoy the ride!” he concluded.

Recorded throughout 2025, the album was produced by Downes and the band, with mixing and mastering handled by John Mitchell.

'Indigo' includes some of the final compositions written by the late John Wetton: “Tattoo Indigo (Parts 2 & 3)” and “Chesapeake Bay.”

The album also features guest appearances by original Asia co-founder Steve Howe, who contributes acoustic guitar to “Chesapeake Bay,” while Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) is on the bonus track “Tattoo Indigo (Part 3)."

Pre-Order 'Indigo'HERE

Track List:

The Traveller (Into The Light)
Change Of Heart
Arcadia
Is This The Life?
Tattoo Indigo (Part 1)
Tattoo Indigo (Part 2)
Tattoo Indigo (Part 3)
Life In The Sun
Hymn For The Fallen
Night And Day
Valencia (The Ghost Ship)
An Elegy
Chesapeake Bay (Featuring Steve Howe)
On A Winters Night
Echo Of You
Tattoo Indigo (Part 3) (featuring Mike Portnoy) (Bonus Track)

Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers ready reissues of Grammy-winning 'Conscious Party' in September

UMe will release a new vinyl reissue of Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers' third full-length album Conscious Party on September 25. 

This will be the first vinyl pressing of the album since its initial release in 1988. Conscious Party launches in multiple configurations, including limited-edition 1LP 180g Emerald Green color vinyl, 1LP 180g Standard Black vinyl, 1CD, and a digital Deluxe Edition via streaming services.

Pre-order/Pre-save Conscious Party HERE.

Founded in 1979, Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers featured four of Bob Marley’s eleven children in its ranks, namely Sharon, Cedella, Ziggy, and Stephen. The quartet cut the album at Sigma Sound in New York City with producers Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth [Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club]. 

Following its original release on April 5, 1988, the album spawned the #1 Billboard R&B Chart hit “Tumblin’ Down” and “Tomorrow People.” The latter has notably generated more than 30 million Spotify streams. Conscious Party also took home “Best Reggae Album” at the 1989 GRAMMY® Awards, giving Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers their first of three-career GRAMMY® wins as a group.

“Conscious Party came at a pivotal time for us. I think we grew a lot in-between the last album [Hey World] and Conscious Party. We were exploring a lot, and just growing up and becoming young people. So I feel it represents that young energy, and was a very monumental album in our life at the time,” says Ziggy Marley, adding, “It was a new experience, too. With Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth from the Talking Heads producing it, and we were living in New York for a little bit, it was a whole different and very enlightened experience for us.”

Presenting the definitive vision of Conscious Party, both new vinyl versions now feature “We A Guh Some Sum Weh,” which was previously only available on CD. At the time of its initial release, each format presented the album in a different sequence. The vinyl editions will retain the original LP sequence, with the new-to-vinyl bonus track closing Side 2, while the reactivated CD will be in its original sequence.

Meanwhile, a new digital Deluxe Edition of the album includes remixes of “Tomorrow People” and “Tumblin’ Down”—the latter notable for post-production work by the Bomb Squad team (Hank Shocklee, Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, Keith Boxley) —and as well as a live rendition of “Lee And Molly” captured at the Spectrum in Philadelphia during the band’s 1988 Conscious Party Tour.

LP TRACKLISTING

A1. Conscious Party

A2. Tumblin’ Down
A3. New Love
A4. A Who A Say
A5. Have You Ever Been To Hell
B1. Lee And Molly
B2. We Propose
B3. Tomorrow People
B4. What’s True
B5. Dreams Of Home
B6. We a Guh Some Weh*
* Previously unavailable on vinyl

CD TRACKLISTING

1. Conscious Party
2. Lee and Molly
3. Tomorrow People
4. New Love
5. Tumblin’ Down
6. We a Guh Some Weh
7. A Who A Say
8. Have You Ever Been To Hell
9. We Propose
10. What’s True
11. Dreams of Home

DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION TRACKLISTING

1. Conscious Party
2. Lee and Molly
3. Tomorrow People
4. New Love
5. Tumblin’ Down
6. We a Guh Some Weh
7. A Who A Say
8. Have You Ever Been To Hell
9. We Propose
10. What’s True
11. Dreams of Home
12. Tomorrow People (Reggae This Mix)
13. Tomorrow People (Dub This)
14. Tomorrow People (Dub A Pella)
15. Tomorrow People (New York City Edit)
16. Tumblin’ Down (12” Remix)
17. Tumblin’ Down (7” Remix)
18. Tumblin’ Down (Dub)
19. Lee And Molly (Live Version)

Train currently on tour through end of August, when new album 'Mad Dog in the Fog' arrives

Train's latest single “Mad Dog in the Fog” – listen here - is the title track from the San Francisco band's forthcoming 12th studio album, Mad Dog in the Fog, out August 28 via Columbia Records – pre-order now.

Named after a beloved San Francisco neighborhood bar, the album is an ode to the city, celebrating the place, community, and spirit that have remained central to Train’s identity over the last three decades.

It returned to the very same bar to film the accompanying music video, surrounded by the memories of where it all started. The guys performed in the same intimate space that witnessed the band's beginnings and helped shape their earliest days. Watch the “Mad Dog in the Fog” music video here.

Of the album, frontman Pat Monahan shares: “It's been over four years since our last album, and we channeled a special energy into this record that really defines all parts of who we are as a band. Mad Dog in the Fog is one of the first places in San Francisco where Train came together as a band. It was the first venue to pay us to play, and its owner, Cyril, has been one of our biggest champions from the beginning. So it only felt right to name this album in its honor.”

He adds, of the new song: “The title track is out everywhere now, so pull up a stool, grab yourself a drink and give it a listen. If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you might even catch a few familiar names along the way.”

“Mad Dog in the Fog” follows the album’s first two singles “Pennsylvania Turnpike” and “The Weekend.” 

Currently Train is on The Drops of Jupiter: 25 Years in the Atmosphere Tour in North America, with Barenaked Ladies and Matt Nathanson on most dates. Full tour routing can be found below. For tickets and additional information, please visit: SaveMeSanFrancisco.com/tour.

Train is: Pat Monahan (lead vocals), Butch Walker (lead guitar, vocals), Hector Maldonado (bass, vocals), Jerry Becker (keyboards, vocals), and Matt Musty (drums)

Track Listing: 

“To Gloria”
“The Weekend”
“Pennsylvania Turnpike”
“Tired of Looking Down”
“Blue Brush-Footed Butterfly”
“City of Angels”
“Mad Dog in the Fog”
“What If We Try”
“Half A Heart”
“Princess of the Night”
“No Matter What”
“Kid In The Crown”

Tour Dates: 

August 14, 2026 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

August 15, 2026 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
August 17, 2026 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre 
August 19, 2026 – West Valley City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 21, 2026 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
August 22, 2026 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl 
August 24, 2026 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre 
August 25, 2026 – Lake Tahoe, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic 
August 26, 2026 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 28, 2026 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
August 29, 2026 – Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater
August 30, 2026 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre

Shonen Knife to perform in LA next week; 'Let's Knife - Recut' out now

Inspired by Sixties girl groups and punk bands like the Ramones, sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano formed Osaka, Japan pop-punk trio Shonen Knife in 1981. Soon after, they gained a cult following through songs about candy, animals, food, and more.

 

The band opened for Sonic Youth at home in 1987, and then in America alongside Redd Kross. There was even a Shonen Knife tribute album in 1991. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was an unabashed fan, taking the ladies on the road on a European tour before Nevermind arrived. Shonen Knife made regular appearances at such U.S. festivals as Lollapalooza, All Tomorrow's Parties and Riot Fest.

 

Last month, Shonen Knife put out a re-recording of 1992 album Let's Knife via Good Charamel Records. Label owner Robbie Takac, bassist for the Goo Goo Dolls, executive produced it. The original album was a re-recording of past songs with new English lyrics.

 

Let's Knife had been unavailable on streaming services and physical editions were out of print, so Naoko (vocals, guitar) and Atsuko (bass, vocals, drums, percussion) Yamano and Risa Kawano (drums, vocals, keyboards, percussion) to faithfully re-recorded fun songs like "Bear Up Bison," "Twist Barbie," "Flying Jelly Attack," "Cycling is Fun," "I am a Cat," "Insect Collector" and more with a modern production. 

 

Shonen Knife performs with Colin Hay's Men at Work and Toad the Wet Sprocket at the United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on Aug. 20. More info: theunitedtheater.com, axs.com

Christopher Cross to perform in Chula Vista, Long Beach this week; deluxe reissues out now

Since Christopher Cross will make two SoCal concert appearances this week with Toto and The Romantics, it's a good time to remind Cross fans that last year Omnivore Recordings put out an exceptional expanded edition of his 4x Grammy-winning, eponymous 1979 debut album with a plethora of bonus tracks and All Right: The Worldwide Singles 1980-88.

Over the past decade, the popularity of yacht rock has gained steam and Christopher Cross - commonly derided by music critics at the time - has been reconsidered as a classic of the subgenre in many circles.

Boasting four hit pop singles: “Sailing” (#1), "Ride Like the Wind" (#2), "Never Be the Same" (#15), and "Say You'll Be Mine" (#20), the quintuple platinum album impressively featured backing vocals by Michael McDonald, Don Henley (yacht rock masters in their own right), Eagles co-writer JD Souther and Nicolette Larson, not to mention electric guitar contributions from Larry Carlton and Eric Johnson. 

Among the 11 bonus tracks are seven previously unissued demos. A mostly fully formed "Ride Like the Wind" was previously available elsewhere, but because it differs slightly in phrasing, the uninitiated should find it interesting. The sprightly "Mary Ann" - a Japan-only single - could've easily fit on the original nine-track release. Other demos here, such as "Parade," and "Passengers" are strong. Gene Sculatti penned an informative essay for the reissue package. Available in CD and 2LP configurations.

Meanwhile, All Right: The Worldwide Singles 1980-88 collects Cross’ domestic and international A-sides from those years. Available as a 2LP set, it contains the original single versions, and the 2CD counterpart adds B-sides on the second disc. The compilation was remastered and has liner notes by Garrett Price, director of the HBO Original film Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary. 

Highlights include all the singles from Christopher Cross, the romantic and engaging #1 Oscar-winning "Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)"; top 40 pop charters “All Right” and “No Time for Talk" off sophomore album Another Page; the luxurious top 10 “Think of Laura” (popularized through its use on the soap opera General Hospital); “A Chance For Heaven (Swimming Theme From The Official Music Of The XXIIIrd Olympiad Los Angeles 1984),” which reached #16 on the Adult Contemporary Charts, and the top 30 “Loving Strangers (David’s Theme From Nothing In Common). 

To purchase the albums, go to: omnivorerecordings.com. 

  

Christopher Cross, Toto, The Romantics, 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista; 6:45 p.m. Friday, F&M Bank Amphitheater, Long Beach, ticketmaster.com

Neil Young news

Second Song, the second studio album by Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts, will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally on September 18, via Reprise Records. 

Click HERE to pre-order and receive an instant download of the title track. Second Song was recorded in analog at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, CA, and produced by Lou Adler and The Volume Dealers (Neil Young and Niko Bolas).

Seven of the songs were written by Young. Five are previously unreleased, and two are unreleased versions (“Casting Me Away From You” and “I’ll Love You Forever”). This is a mostly acoustic song cycle. 

The Chrome Hearts includes drummer Anthony LeGerfo, bassist Corey McCormick, guitarist Micah Nelson and Spooner Oldham on keyboards.

Tracklisting:

1 The Foggy Edge Of Time
2 Day After Day
3 Earth Girl
4 Second Song
5 Casting Me Away From You
6 Soon I Might Be Going
7 I’ll Love You Forever

All formats will be available at The Greedy Hand, the Neil Young Archives Official Store as well as Neil Young Archives (NYA), music retailers everywhere and most DSPs.

Visit: Neil Young Archives (NYA)

Susanna Hoffs news

Susanna Hoffs' new album of all original music, "The List," arrives September 18 via Baroque Folk. It was recorded live in her LA home and features collaborations with Rufus Wainwright, Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Adele, Dixie Chicks), Edie Brickell, Greg Leisz, and others. 

Out now and co-written with Dan Wilson and CJ Camerieri, The List's lead single "Casablanca" was inspired both by a rewatch of the film and a New Orleans encounter Susanna Hoffs - best known for fronting the Bangles with hits like "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Eternal Flame" - had with the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir in 1988 (they walked through the French Quarter as an impromptu parade of Dead Heads formed behind them). 

Pre-order The List, and listen to "Casablanca" via Baroque Folk HERE

"What Are Wings For" was written by Hoffs, Camerieri, and Brickell, for the musical adaptation of Hoffs' bestselling debut novel, This Bird Has Flown. Ahead of the album release, Susanna Hoffs and her band – CJ Camerieri, Ryan Lerman, Spencer Zahn, JT Bates – will do select live dates in the US. See them HERE.

Track List:

Casablanca
Where Do We Go
None of Them Were You
Time
Bad Case of Loneliness
Learn a Lesson Twice
Fool
Vertigo
This Island
Good Luck
Without You
What Are Wings For

Tour Dates:

Sept 5 - Los Angeles, CA - Largo
Sept 10 - Maryland Heights, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater*
Sept 11 - Grand Rapids, MI - Acrisure Amphitheater*
Sept 13 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center*
Sept 14 - Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk
Sept 16 - Riverside, MO - Morton Amphitheater*
Sept 19 - Asbury Park, NJ - Sea.Hear.Now Festival
Sept 21 - New York, NY - The Carlyle
Sept 22 - New York, NY - The Carlyle
Sept 24 - New York, NY - The Carlyle
Sept 25 - New York, NY - The Carlyle
Sept 26 - New York, NY - The Carlyle
Sept 27 - Ocean City, MD - Oceans Calling Festival
*w/ Billy Idol