The Gift

Myspace Editor
Pimp MySpace
The Gift started as a chord progression that had nowhere to go in a 3min pop song. Mike Morton and Leroy James happened on this phenomenon while messing around on a piano and in a moment of clarity thought ‘why not!’ The only rule was there are no rules as they were not bound by contracts, trends or delivery times and the freedom was soon to become addictive. Leroy jumped at the chance to get out from in front of the computer screen, dust down the guitars in the corner and play like he used to! From Mike's initial concept the project steadily took shape over a sporadic couple of years, constantly refining the sound and themes. A rough demo was sent out to various sources to gauge the reaction and - though initially there were some polarised responses - the vibe was generally good. Encouraged by the fact that they weren’t disappearing completely up their own backsides they pressed on and managed to secure a deal with Cyclops. The album initially consisted of one multi-themed piece but at the request of the label a slightly extended finish morphed into another 30min multi-themed work! .......When you’re on a roll!! Along the way they enlisted the not inconsiderable talents of Jim Thomas on keyboards, Rod Haverhill on bass and David Storey on drums to complete the line up. The Gift play modern progressive rock. They blend hard riffs with classical elements and a pastoral song style. The Gift's music wrestles with contemporary sounds and issues; adventurous, awake and alive.The band members enjoy complex time signatures, unexpected key changes and ambitious concepts. They also love strong melodies and sprinkle them over all that they do. Their lyrics want your attention, too. You’ll hear about the stuff that counts…. the leaders who lie, the children who get lost, and the hearts that still beat briskly beneath the wounds of years.The Gift's new album, Awake and Dreaming, was released on the Cyclops label on 9th October 2006. It contains 2 epic suites of music, 19 tracks in all. The first - and title work, is a 42 minute concept piece about the savagery of war and the final triumph of peace. Inspired and fuelled by the present world situation, it ends in a very different way; as a hymn of hope. NICK SHILTON of CLASSIC ROCK called it "a work of great beauty, similar to the solo material of Roger Waters but more accessible.....unbelievable power and potential” . Considering how curmudgeonly that old goat is, they're grateful for the distinction!The second piece, Fountains of Ash, is a 30 minute tale of domestic violence, again seeking solace in the human spirit. It takes the listener on an uncomfortable ride through love, alienation, madness and recovery, all to a soundtrack which veers from acoustic lullabye to electrical storm. MARTIN HUDSON at THE CLASSIC ROCK SOCIETY says: "The Gift have a way of making the hairs at the back of your neck stand up.” KOID9 in France has described it as "Magnificent from start to finish". HARMONIE MAGAZINE says it is: "Destined to take its place at the top of the progressive ladder with the likes of Genesis and Yes," and PAPERLATE RADIO (Netherlands) claims it is: "A wonderful piece of work." ................................... This is the Album 'AWAKE AND DREAMING' .........This is THE GIFT
CD AVAILABLE NOW FROM HMV AND ALL GOOD MUSIC STORES (UK); KINESIS, LASER's EDGE, SYMPHONIC (USA/CANADA); JUST FOR KICKS MUSIC (EUROPE), WORLDWIDE THROUGH AMAZON AND CYCLOPS RECORDS WEBSITE................... www.gft-cyclops.co.uk .......................................... 'NOW AVAILABLE ON iTUNES UK, USA, EUROPE, CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN' http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum? id=253012273&s=143444 .