Touchstone (band)
Encyclopedia
Touchstone is a rock band from the UK. The original band was formed by Rob Cottingham in 2001, after the release of his solo album 'Behind the Orchard Tree' - recorded at Linford Manor Studios in Milton Keynes (Jamiroqaui, Feeder, Skunk Ananse). Adam Hodgson joined in 2003. Other more recent band members include bassist Paul Moorghen, singer Kim Seviour and drummer Henry Rogers. Touchstone's music is distributed by Proper Music Distribution
.
called Mad Hatters, in 2006. Its four songs included 'Misguided Fool' and 'The Mad Hatters' Song'. The EP was well-received, and spurred Rob and Adam to continue writing more material for the band. It is the only release to feature vocalist Liz Claydon and drummer Simon Cook.
Their first full-length album was Discordant Dreams and was the first to feature Kim Seviour and Alasdair Melville on vocals and drums respectively. The album was praised as an improvement from Mad Hatters, and with tracks such as 'Blacktide', 'Shadow' and 'The Beggar's Song', it showcases the 'Touchstone sound'. The album was recorded by Ben Humphreys and mixed by John Mitchell
(It Bites
, Frost*, Kino
) at his studios in Reading
, Berkshire
, and performs a guitar solo on the song "Dignity".
Discordant Dreams was toured in September 2008 around the UK with It Bites
on The Tall Ships Tour, with Touchstone featuring as support. The tour consisted of 12 UK dates and was a major success for both bands, the final night taking place in Brighton.
The album led the band to win the Classic Rock Society
Best New Band 2007 award, presented by John Wetton
of Asia
.
Touchstone's latest studio work is Wintercoast. Released in June 2009, it features an opening narrative from the Oscar winning actor Jeremy Irons
, describing someone's life in a city and his desire to leave for a place "seen reflected in a dream", called 'Wintercoast'. The album was also considered 'a step up from their previous album'. In particular, it has more emphasis on keyboard melodies, giving a more Marillion
-style feel (as can be heard at the opening of the track, 'Line in the Sand'). There is also greater emphasis on drums and guitars, which results in passages which would fit well into the Heavy Metal
genre.
The band performed at the 2009 United States Rites of Spring festival
(ROSfest) which takes place annually in Glenside
near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. It was the first time they had played outside of the United Kingdom, and their performance was well-received, resulting in many positive reviews, including one by the website, USA Progressive Music.
Other recent performances of note were at Cambridge Rock Festival in 2009 alongside Asia
, Uriah Heep
, Focus
, Mostly Autumn
, Breathing Space and many others in support of Wintercoast - as well as a performance at 'CalProg' in Los Angeles alongside It Bites
, Karmakanic
and Agents Of Mercy.
In April 2010, Alasdair Melville decided to leave the band to pursue other musical endeavours. He was repleaced by Henry Rogers (DeeExpus
) on a temporary basis. However, on 24 July it was announced that Henry would become a permanent member of Touchstone.
In July 2010, Touchstone released their first live album called Live in the USA which features songs from two festivals played in America; namely ROSfest 2009 and Calprog 2009. They played at the prestigious High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London and opened the Prog stage on Saturday 24 July, playing the first songs at the festival.
Throughout the remainder of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, the band took some time out to write material for their upcoming third studio album. A short tour called 'The Progressive Nation Tour' happened in March 2011. It was announced in June 2011 that the upcoming album would be released in October 2011 and would be called The City Sleeps.
with the hard rocking aptitudes of Van Halen
", based on the diversity of the band members' influences. For example, Rob Cottingham cites melodic bands such as Yes
, Pink Floyd
and Genesis
as influences. Adam Hodgson, on the other hand, has 'rockier' sensibilities, having previously been in hard-rock bands. He looks towards artist such as Joe Satriani
for his inspiration. However, the two of them share a mutual love of Yes
, and it was similarities such as this that resulted in them working together.
The band, as a whole, does cite the progressive genre as an influence, and they are classed as 'Progressive'. But their sound is made possible by the influence of other styles. Paul Moorghen has a varied list of influences*, but listening to his playing, it can be said that anything that involves complex bass guitar inspires him.
The remaining member, Kim Seviour, provides a style which, when combined with the rest of the band, complete the 'Touchstone Sound'. Kim admires more modern artists such as Muse
and Our Lady Peace
, and has been in bands which covered song by artists like Guns and Roses and Metallica
. She also cites Folk singers as an influence to her approach to singing.
This blend of influences makes 'The Touchstone Sound' accessible to fans of genres from Classic Prog to Modern Metal.
by Geoff Barton
. It has received praise from well-known figures such as Jeff Wayne (War Of The Worlds), Rick Wakeman
of Yes
and most recently from Jeremy Irons
.
"Shadow", a track from the album Discordant Dreams, was featured on the "Prog Spawn" cover disk of the August 2008 issue of Classic Rock
.
Wintercoast has received much praise and press coverage, including another review by Geoff Barton, and the track "Strange Days" played on the radio stations Total Rock, ARfm & Phoenix Radio
.
Proper Music Distribution
Proper Music Distribution is an independent UK music distributor, specialising in contemporary and catalogue folk, Americana, world music, blues, jazz and other roots-based music....
.
Biography
Touchstone's first studio recording was an EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Mad Hatters, in 2006. Its four songs included 'Misguided Fool' and 'The Mad Hatters' Song'. The EP was well-received, and spurred Rob and Adam to continue writing more material for the band. It is the only release to feature vocalist Liz Claydon and drummer Simon Cook.
Their first full-length album was Discordant Dreams and was the first to feature Kim Seviour and Alasdair Melville on vocals and drums respectively. The album was praised as an improvement from Mad Hatters, and with tracks such as 'Blacktide', 'Shadow' and 'The Beggar's Song', it showcases the 'Touchstone sound'. The album was recorded by Ben Humphreys and mixed by John Mitchell
John Mitchell (musician)
John Mitchell is guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the UK band It Bites. He also plays guitar for a number of other progressive rock bands including Arena, The Urbane, Kino, Frost*, and John Wetton.In 2008, Mitchell joined A, playing bass in place of original bass player Daniel P...
(It Bites
It Bites
It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, England in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All The Heroes", which gained them a Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit...
, Frost*, Kino
Kino (UK rock band)
Kino was a British neo-progressive rock band made up of members from other progressive rock acts .The band released their debut album Picture in February 2005.-Line up:*John Mitchell: lead...
) at his studios in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, and performs a guitar solo on the song "Dignity".
Discordant Dreams was toured in September 2008 around the UK with It Bites
It Bites
It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, England in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All The Heroes", which gained them a Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit...
on The Tall Ships Tour, with Touchstone featuring as support. The tour consisted of 12 UK dates and was a major success for both bands, the final night taking place in Brighton.
The album led the band to win the Classic Rock Society
Classic Rock Society
Classic Rock Society, also known as the CRS, began life in 1991, originally as a society founded in Rotherham, England at the Florence Nightingale public house, which quickly progressed to become a large and well recognised organisation helping to forward the cause of Progressive rock, and Classic...
Best New Band 2007 award, presented by John Wetton
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
of Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
.
Touchstone's latest studio work is Wintercoast. Released in June 2009, it features an opening narrative from the Oscar winning actor Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
, describing someone's life in a city and his desire to leave for a place "seen reflected in a dream", called 'Wintercoast'. The album was also considered 'a step up from their previous album'. In particular, it has more emphasis on keyboard melodies, giving a more Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
-style feel (as can be heard at the opening of the track, 'Line in the Sand'). There is also greater emphasis on drums and guitars, which results in passages which would fit well into the Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
genre.
The band performed at the 2009 United States Rites of Spring festival
Rites of Spring festival
The Rites of Spring festival or RoSfest is a US annual progressive rock festival - established in 2004 - which takes place on the end of April or early in May. The festival was held at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania until 2007, and then moved to the Keswick Theatre in Glenside,...
(ROSfest) which takes place annually in Glenside
Glenside
-Places:* Glenside, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide* Glenside, Saskatchewan, Canada, a village* Glenside No. 377, Saskatchewan, a rural municipality* Glenside, Bristol, a campus of the University of the West of England** Glenside Museum...
near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It was the first time they had played outside of the United Kingdom, and their performance was well-received, resulting in many positive reviews, including one by the website, USA Progressive Music.
Other recent performances of note were at Cambridge Rock Festival in 2009 alongside Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
, Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
, Focus
Focus (band)
Focus is a Dutch rock band which was founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, and is most famous for the instrumental pieces "Hocus Pocus" and "Sylvia"...
, Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn is a British band, producing music heavily influenced by classic 1970s rock. The group formed in 1996, and have built their reputation through constant touring, never signing to a major label. The group's early influences were Genesis, Renaissance and Pink Floyd, and folk music...
, Breathing Space and many others in support of Wintercoast - as well as a performance at 'CalProg' in Los Angeles alongside It Bites
It Bites
It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, England in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All The Heroes", which gained them a Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit...
, Karmakanic
Karmakanic
Karmakanic are a progressive rock / metal group founded in Malmö, Sweden in 2002 by bassist and keyboardist Jonas Reingold. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, sudden full stops, complex timing and metre changes, abstract lyrics, and long periods of instrumentation...
and Agents Of Mercy.
In April 2010, Alasdair Melville decided to leave the band to pursue other musical endeavours. He was repleaced by Henry Rogers (DeeExpus
DeeExpus
DeeExpus is a melodic progressive rock group from Northeast England whose debut album, "Half Way Home" was released by DXP Productions in 2008, garnering fan buzz and enthusiastic reviews from around the world...
) on a temporary basis. However, on 24 July it was announced that Henry would become a permanent member of Touchstone.
In July 2010, Touchstone released their first live album called Live in the USA which features songs from two festivals played in America; namely ROSfest 2009 and Calprog 2009. They played at the prestigious High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London and opened the Prog stage on Saturday 24 July, playing the first songs at the festival.
Throughout the remainder of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, the band took some time out to write material for their upcoming third studio album. A short tour called 'The Progressive Nation Tour' happened in March 2011. It was announced in June 2011 that the upcoming album would be released in October 2011 and would be called The City Sleeps.
The Touchstone Sound
Touchstone has been described as "A band who combine the prog sensibilities of YesYes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
with the hard rocking aptitudes of Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
", based on the diversity of the band members' influences. For example, Rob Cottingham cites melodic bands such as Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
as influences. Adam Hodgson, on the other hand, has 'rockier' sensibilities, having previously been in hard-rock bands. He looks towards artist such as Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
for his inspiration. However, the two of them share a mutual love of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, and it was similarities such as this that resulted in them working together.
The band, as a whole, does cite the progressive genre as an influence, and they are classed as 'Progressive'. But their sound is made possible by the influence of other styles. Paul Moorghen has a varied list of influences*, but listening to his playing, it can be said that anything that involves complex bass guitar inspires him.
The remaining member, Kim Seviour, provides a style which, when combined with the rest of the band, complete the 'Touchstone Sound'. Kim admires more modern artists such as Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
and Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...
, and has been in bands which covered song by artists like Guns and Roses and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. She also cites Folk singers as an influence to her approach to singing.
This blend of influences makes 'The Touchstone Sound' accessible to fans of genres from Classic Prog to Modern Metal.
Membership Timeline
| Year | Female Lead Vocals | Male Lead Vocals | Keyboards | Guitars | Bass | Drums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2004 | Rob Cottingham | Rob Cottingham | Adam Hodgson | Mike Forrester | Steve Barton | |
| 2004–2005 | Jona Sutch | Simon Cook | ||||
| 2005–2006 | Liz Clayden | |||||
| 2006 | Paul 'Moo' Moorghen | |||||
| 2006–2007 | Alasdair Melville | |||||
| 2007–2010 | Kim 'Elkie' Seviour | |||||
| 2010–present | Henry Rogers |
Studio Albums
- Discordant Dreams (2007)
- Wintercoast (2009)
- The City Sleeps (2011)
Critical acclaim
The album Discordant Dreams was rated 7 out of 10 in the July 2008 (10th Birthday Special Edition) issue of Classic RockClassic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
by Geoff Barton
Geoff Barton
Geoff Barton is a British journalist who founded Kerrang! heavy metal magazine and was an editor of Sounds music magazine.He joined Sounds at the age of nineteen after completing a journalism course at the London College of Printing. He specialised in covering rock music and helped popularise the...
. It has received praise from well-known figures such as Jeff Wayne (War Of The Worlds), Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
and most recently from Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
.
"Shadow", a track from the album Discordant Dreams, was featured on the "Prog Spawn" cover disk of the August 2008 issue of Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
.
Wintercoast has received much praise and press coverage, including another review by Geoff Barton, and the track "Strange Days" played on the radio stations Total Rock, ARfm & Phoenix Radio
Phoenix Radio
Phoenix Radio 96.7 FM is a local radio station based in Halifax, in West Yorkshire, England. It broadcasts on the FM frequency, 24 hours a day to the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, and the surrounding areas and around the world online . It is owned and run by Phoenix Radio Ltd, which has also...
.