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RECEIVED 4 OUT OF 5 STARS...VERY GOOD!
Artist: (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter
Title: (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter's Revelation, AWAKENING
Label: VISIONARYQUEST MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS, catalog # VISCDRT-1
Originally released in January, 2003, released independently by
(((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter
Genre: Psychedelic / Progressive / Space Rock
Publication: Originally appeared as on online review through Goldmine Magazine online on April, 2nd, 2013
Reviewed by: News Editor, Patrick Prince
VERY GOOD REVIEW
Daniel Todd Carter already had a reputation of being a very talented drummer - whether it be for rock, hard rock, or progressive rock - before arranging and recording the music on AWAKENING (the very first release of his debut series trilogy).With the Revelation project, Carter fully explores an atmospheric landscape of instrumentals that fall somewhere between Pink Floyd's early space rock and Tangerine Dream's new age ambient sound. Carter plays everything from synths to electric piano and electronic drums, while guest Jay Tausig fills in with fluent, underlying guitar tracks. There is even a very special guest appearance by GRAMMY award winning artist / guitarist / producer Paul Nelson (ex- Liege Lord / Johnny Winter Band) who appears on Bass guitar on one track.
The best track is "Being Spiritually Clear" - a wonderfully crafted song that you could possibly envision in Pink Floyd's catalog (or maybe, more distinctively, a Richard Wright solo album) with its dream like pattern, melodic synth-line and beautifully laden acoustic guitars. The rest of AWAKENING also has a production that is sharp and clear. Ultimately, it is a perfect portfolio for Carter's creative talent. This may not appeal to those strictly into hard rock / heavy metal music but those of eclectic taste will embrace AWAKENING'S musical potential.
Welcome to the REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS page. Here you'll find a pretty extensive listing of information containing album reviews, artist profiles, interviews and other miscellanious goodies. Please feel free to explore this page at your leisure. You'll find a lot of details about Daniel Todd Carter's career from the perspective of others. Enjoy!
RECEIVED AN EXCLUSIVE EDITOR'S PICK!
Artist: (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter
Title: (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter's Revelation, FIREFLOWERS
Label: VISIONARYQUEST MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS, catalog # VISCDRT-3
Originally released in December, 2010, released independently by (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter
Genre: Psychedelic / Progressive / Space Rock / Concept Album
Publication: Originally appeared as an Editor's Pick through Goldmine Magazine online on July 16th, 2015.
Reviewed by and picked by: News Editor, Patrick Prince
EXCELLENT REVIEW
A CD of (two long songs) of extreme ethereal expressions from multimedia - instrumentalist composer / producer / artist & creator (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter. Soundscape Ambient Proggers will really, really like such mind expansive expression. Think the opposite of Tangerine Dream's ZEIT - a string of sublime clouds from a not so cold distant planet.
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE DRUM THRONE OF ((( ~ sound animator ~ )))
DANIEL TODD CARTER.
"I was very deeply honored the day I awoke to find an email in my inbox from the editor of Goldmine Magazine informing me that I had been chosen as an editor's pick for this excellent music magazine. I had known of Goldmine since my high school days and had always respected the writing / reviews and coverage of artists that this publication had consistently demonstrated on a very high level for a long time. To see my name amongst top artists such as Pat Travers / Jeff Beck / Andy Summers & Van Halen really made for one of the most proud personal musical moments of my career."
In depth detailed interviews about Daniel's past, current and future activities can be found on his official YouTube channel.
Daniel has very unique and different viewpoints regarding how he feels about Rhythm, Groove, Technique and feel. His extensive and detailed study of the Drums as an instrument and his intense background studying with some of the most revered Drummers in the world has given him a unique perspective on what it takes to achieve your highest goals as a Drummer.
Daniel has an extensive collection of instruments that has afforded him the ability to diversify himself and become quite a unique multi-instrumentalist.
REVIEW
Publication: Originally appeared in an issue of Guitar World (sometime in the year 1996).
Reviewed by: Unknown Contributor
Just listening to the band, Over the garden wall playing a dead on cover version of the 1973 epic, "Firth of Fifth" is enough to make you smile ear to ear. Here it is 1996, and that vintage Prog -Rock sound remains as fresh as ever. It's also evidence of a fine tribute CD / Album to GENESIS, featuring tracks by art - rockers Annie Haslam, Peter Bardens, Crack the Sky, and John Goodsall among others. There are enough new arrangements and spirited performances here to keep things fresh and engaging. A treat for all us Watcher of the Skies.
REVIEW
Publication: Originally appeared in the October - December issue # 18 publication of Progression Magazine (the quarterly journal of Progressive Rock).
Reviewed by: John Collinge
This GENESIS tribute ranks up there with the YES tribute Magna Carta released earlier this year. There's not a bad performance in the bunch, and the selections are smartly chosen, representing the meat of the bands career from Nursery Cryme (1971) through (1983's) Genesis. (The only glaring omission might be a representative cut off "Wind and Wuthering", but at least they rightly ignored "Invisible Touch"). What's more, no one tries to ape Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins or stick too faithfully to original arrangements, lending fresh interpretations to the material.
Some interesting names crop up here, besides the usual Magna Carta staple, (Robert Berry, Magellan, Enchant, Shadow Gallery, Cairo, World Trade). Once again, Annie Haslam guests, performing "Ripples;", Richard Sinclair does, "For absent friends;", former Camel keyboardist Pete Bardens and his band Mirage do "Many to Many;" and Crack the Sky (remember them ?) pitch in on, "I know what I like (in your wardrobe)."
Others joining the project included John Goodsall, (Brand X), and Michael Zentner, "Carpet Crawlers". A highlight feature of this CD / Album includes an appearance by GRAMMY award winning Producer and engineer of GENESIS David Hentschel and singer - songwriter Jay Tausig performing, "Undertow" with Drummer (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter. Kevin Gilbert and Mike Keneally turn in a very respectable performance of "Back in NYC", and the Canadian band, Over the Garden Wall perform, "Firth of Fifth".
Notable among the other performances here are Berry's, "Watcher of the Skies" and Magellan's treatment of 'Mama". At 77 minutes, there's plenty of good music on this CD / Album to choose from here. A must for the band's diehards, and a good buy for the average Prog head or fan.
((( ~ sound animator ~ ))) DANIEL TODD CARTER has also established himself as an excellent sideman having contributed to some very interesting albums over the years appearing on record with other world class musicians and talent. Having worked with GRAMMY AWARD WINNING producers and musicians and other very well known talent within the music industry, he has a developed a reputation for ALWAYS being on time in tune and ready to ROCK!
REVIEW
Publication: Originally appeared in the 1998 winter -spring issue # 26 publication of Progression Magazine, (The quarterly journal of Progressive Rock).
Reviewed by: Bill Knispel
This surprising collection showcases many Cleopatra artists paying homage to one of the most venerable Progressive Rock band's ever. The performances are intriguing, with each band leaving individual marks on the material with few radical changes. Space - Rock stalwarts, Alien Planetscapes and Architectural Metaphor weigh in with versions of, "A Sailor's Tale" and "Cirkus" respectively. Arch Met's typifies one impressive feature of this encomium - several "lost classics" were selected for inclusion.
Other highlights include former Crimsonites David Cross and John Wetton with a new version of "Exiles", Controlled Bleeding's rhythmic take on "The Talking Drum", and "In the wake of Poseidon"(one of Crimson's long lost classics), performed ably by Solid Space. The group Drummer (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter is currently involved in. The only dubious selection is Astral Asia's almost rave - style version of "I talk to the wind". While the female vocals are nice enough, the dance / trance - like rhythms simply don't fit with the other performances immortalized herein. While King Crimson was never a Space - Rock band, this selection seriously makes you wonder. Very highly recommended.
REVIEW
Publication: Originally appeared in Interphase Magazine, version 13
Review by: Michael C. Mahan.
ROBERT FRIPP and the revolving door of musicians known as KING CRIMSON have, during their off and on existence since 1969, done more to define all that is "progressive" music than perhaps any other band. King Crimson had two quintessential strings of existence. The early 70's brought them through various permutations that embraced soft beauty and harsh aggression, while their 80's years were more rhythmic, built primarily upon Fripp's scales and Adrian Belew's rock sensibility. "Schizoid Dimension" gathers 13 artists, (including a couple of former Crimson members themselves), to perform covers of King Crimson standards. As is true with all discs of this nature, the material here ranges from nice tries, to carbon copies, to truly very original interpretations, with generally the first being the only ones that we can honestly live without, (which means, let's ignore Chrome's attempt at performing "Moonchild"). "Red" is my favorite Crimson piece, and as such I was elated to find two covers on this CD. Sadly, both renditions were more than direct emulations from the original and left me hankering to pull out the original Fripp - endowed CD than to continue to listen to the redone versions. However, this CD, is graced with four very effective approaches to other songs.
Controlled Bleeding brought a newly exuberant life to "The Talking Drum," a piece that was already possessed of great vigor. Space Rock greats Melting Euphoria did an outstanding job with "Lark's Tongue in Aspic (Part 1)," retaining the strength of the original arrangement, yet restructured with a raspy psychedelic undertone a la Barrett's Floyd. Alien Planetscapes took "A Sailor's Tale" and mixed in elements of psychedelia and even R&B to create a very strong redesign of the original. While Solid Space did an excellent (albeit fairly faithful to the original), rendition of "In the Wake of Poseidon," replete with softly swelling Mellotrons, solid and imaginative drumming via (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter, acoustic guitar and clean male vocals. This CD / Album is not the best approach to "covers" that could have been done, but with the near worship that people feel towards Crimson, one supposes the urge to perform songs in the original style was a bit too strong for many to overcome. However, the strength of the original compositions is always enough to overshadow failings in the cover band's originality.
Daniel is also an extensively and highly trained FINE ARTIST PAINTER & ILLUSTRATOR as well having received intensive instruction from the Connecticut Institute of Art, (formerly located in Greenwich, CT.) He draws, paints and illustrates his REVELATION ART in addition to his musical endeavors.
The Awakening Signal is a series of essays and BLOG writings outlining his extensive study of the Bible.
Stay up-to-date with the latest music news, tips, and insights from VISIONARYQUEST MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS. Our blog covers a range of topics, from music theory to production techniques.
TITLE: Lord Have Mercy / Hemp the Hype
By: Mike Mullarkey
*article originally published in the July 20th, 1992 issue.
Does anyone remember a few months back, when I expressed confusion about, "Roger from Stylie's" new band? Well, its several months later and vocalist Roger has another, new more permanent band. They are called Lord Have Mercy. I caught up with them at a gig after opening up for Eek - A - Mouse at the Apocalypse on Sunday June, 7th 1992.
"The band that you used to write up", Roger tells me, "was called After Forever". "I came out of Stylie a year ago, and I've worked with 5 different projects since. I've worked with a bunch of different people, and we all gelled together eventually through a place called The House of Pain," a now defunct location where Lord Have Mercy used to practice. "It was October 1991 that Lord Have Mercy started as a full band."
The bands line - up includes (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter on Drums and Percussion, David Aaron on Guitars, ("and other Guitars"), and Sean McGregor on Bass Guitar. I asked Roger to describe Lord Have Mercy's sound. "Rastamosh is a term we use. Reggae / Trash Conscious Rock . I love Reggae". It's beautiful music. But the roots Reggae doesn't get played anymore. Dance Hall does, but we have the heavy edge too. I love Hardcore. It's got energy".
Lord Have Mercy are currently touring under the banner, "Hemp For Life". I asked Roger to explain the relevance of this title. "We all know what Hemp is. People like to call it Marijuana. And you know what life is, that's when you live. There's Hemp in my life, and there's hemp in a lot of people's lives. Marijuana is a very misunderstood thing". "It's been in prohibition for over 50 years," Sean points out. Roger goes on, "The name Marijuana itself is derived from the Government, meaning the Devil's weed. So what we are doing is trying to bring it back into context by calling it Hemp, its GOD given name".
I asked what Lord Have Mercy is about. It's obvious that they're concerned more with just rocking us (although they are certainly very good at that). Daniel says, "There's so much negativity in the world today. We just want to teach positivity and awareness". "Drug awareness", Roger interjects. "Be conscious of what's around you. Ignorance is the seed of fear, and that's what keeps people down isn't it?" Getting into the political side of things, everyone agrees that we should all register to vote, and that the legalization of cannabis is an important issue.
From this point we began to discuss the future of Lord Have Mercy. Daniel explained what direction the band would be taking. "We're going to be disappearing into the studio soon to record an album. And then we'll be going right back out on the road and tour all over the northeast and New England in the fall all over the place to support this disc," Lord Have Mercy's self - titled debut. "We're also going to be writing a whole new show of completely brand new material and we will be opening up the musical spectrum a little more. More Space music and Dub and Progressive influences", Roger adds. "Kind of Psychedelic."
Roger goes on to talk about the new album. "We're going to manufacture it, release it and distribute it ourselves. We're accelerating the whole process. Everyone knows all about the whole corporate rock scene, and how long it takes, and even the indies have become like corporates now. We've already got a good local scene, so why not now?" I asked the band members to express their opinions on the Connecticut scene. "The scene is strangled right now," Roger says. "The promoters in Connecticut don't work together, and the two scenes, (Norwalk and New Haven), are separated. Unity is the key."
Roger does see hope however. He had this message to give to the people. "Get your lazy asses out of bed, stop watching the boob - tube and go see something real, instead of being sedate behind your Nintendo's." He also adds that, "We've had a lot of success with the younger people, but the older people - our age - I don't see them coming out."
The members of Lord Have Mercy do "Their version of the Seattle sound." The guys remembered this with great fondness, ("Not"!), David says, "There were 5 bands on the same bill that night, and the guy who composed the article also did the flyer, this is a Seattle band, etc" "What a dumb - ass," David adds. Daniel goes on to elaborate more, "Although there are a lot of really good bands coming out of Seattle right now, it's basically a tag. They're always going to try and pigeon - hole you." He adds, "Hopefully, the next spot for happening bands to come out of is right around here. First it was L A then Seattle. why not Connecticut next?"
That, then, is the story of Lord Have Mercy. If you like any kind of music that challenges you, rocks really hard and totally makes you think, you just might want to check out their next show. (They're playing with HR at the Apocalypse on Friday, July 31st, 1992; KNOW IT!) And give their new CD a chance when it comes out in the fall. Do unto your local scene as you would have done unto you. If you wish to contact Lord Have Mercy, you can reach them through their recording engineer Scott Robertson at The Garage Recording Studio in Stamford, CT. They can be reached at (203) 323 - 6331. Thanks for reading and peace to you all.
YUP!
TITLE: Norwalk band Bellydancer shakes rattles and rolls.
By: Michael C. Juliano
*article originally published in the Friday, December 29th, 2000 edition.
Like a loaded freight train rattling fiercely through a midnight mist, the powerful playing style of Norwalk band Bellydancer hits one's soul and sends it flying into the night. Fronted by seasoned Norwalk resident and former Stylie and Lord Have Mercy vocalist Roger Guimond, the 5 member group, which started in Norwalk 3 years ago and plays locally in and around the New York City and tri - state area, performs a style coined as "Country Vampire Rock."
"It's a moniker we use because it has a bit of Country, a bit of Rock, and a bit of seduction to it," said Mr. Guimond, who compared the bands seductive style to that of Led Zeppelin. "We thought we would give it a little flavor." Aside from Mr. Guimond, Bellydancer is rounded out by Guitarist Tim Arevalo and Bassist Curtis Miles Long both of Norwalk, and Drummer (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter of Stamford, CT and back - up vocalist Rebecca Koetting of Paramus, NJ. The thunderous voice of Mr. Guimond, which, filled the large hall of Shenanigan's in SoNo from floor to ceiling and then some during a December 13th, gig with Electric Hill from Stamford, debuted in 1989 as the lead voice for the Reggae band "Stylie." During his 2 years with "Stylie," Mr. Guimond, 32, toured up and down the east coast, opening up for big name acts such as The Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, Bad Brains, Buster Poindexter and Run DMC amongst others. In late 1991, after Stylie, Mr. Guimond went on to form another successful though very short lived band called Lord Have Mercy with his now current Drummer, (((~soundanimator~))) Daniel Todd Carter. The both of them, then continued to proceed to tour all over New England and continue to open up for even more big name acts such as Eek - a - Mouse and Human Rights amongst others. Mr. Guimond also continued his vocal career as the lead singer for Flowerland from New Haven, CT from 1991 through part of 1997, during which time the band released three CD's under their own label, "Kick us when we're down" records. They then released under the same label a compilation called "Flowerland Box Set, 1991 - 1997," which includes previously unreleased tracks he and Flowerland original Stephen Christopher recorded in New York City during the summer of 1996. Following the disbanding of the group in 1997, Roger and Stephen formed the present group Bellydancer. Soon thereafter, Mr. Guimond put out Bellydancer's first self - titled debut CD. Produced under the "Kick us when we're down" label, the release offers two songs written by Mr. Guimond, one of which reflects upon his travels through Canada called, "Moonshine on the Dew line."
In addition to putting together the Flowerland Box Set and the recording entitled, "Bellydancer," Mr. Guimond co - produced and sang on, "Waiting for Daybreak," an Energy records release by the New York City based band, Larva, featuring Todd Youth. In addition, he recently produced and album by Ms. Koetting in Austin, Texas. Entitled, "Austin Sessions," the album, which contains eleven originals, by Ms. Koetting came about as a result of her meeting Mr. Guimond last year through a friend while she was living in Stamford, CT working as a magazine editor.
"When Roger was down in Charleston, SC with Flowerland, he met a friend of mine who was writing an article on the band," said Ms. Koetting, a New Jersey native. "Roger told him he was looking for a backup - singer, so that's how we met." Recognizing her talent as a musician and songwriter, Mr. Guimond, who knew of some exceptional musicians in Austin, suggested they head down to Texas to lay down some tracks. Roger asked, "You want to go down to Austin?" said Ms. Koetting. "Next thing you know, we made three trips down there and it's at the manufacturer's now as we speak, and it will be coming out in January, 2001." For more information on Bellydancer and Mr. Guimond's label, you can surf to www.kickus-down.com and when you get a chance, it might be refreshing for you to go out on the town next time Bellydancer is playing, to absorb some, "Country Vampire Rock," and check out an intriguing band of excellent musicians. Keep an eye out for them.
Don't just take our word for it - Listen to what Daniel's former clients and friends have to say about working with VISIONARYQUEST MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS.
((( ~ sound animator ~ ))) Daniel Todd Carter has satisfied clients and has also earned the praise from friends and colleagues which include producers, professional musicians, theatrical directors and more.
Dave Aaron --- Currently, lead guitar for RA (Universal Records), former guitarist with Lord Have Mercy.
"In all the years I have played, no one has laid down a fatter, more steady groove than Daniel Todd Carter. His precision and attack cuts through while serving the song with class."
Don Falcone --- Professional Musician & Producer - Leader and Captain of Spirit's Burning, one of America's premier Space Rock bands / collectives.
"Daniel was integral in breathing life into the Spirit's Burning "Crazy Fluid" album. Besides offering his thoughts for the albums possible directions, his Drums and Drumming were the starter component for what became two very different songs. This included the albums opening track, "Holy water and the sea movers", plus "Martian Crystals" which featured vocals by former HAWKWIND singer Bridget Wishart. Daniel returned to the crew on the Spirit's Burning & Clearlight album, "Healthy music in large doses", once again providing the rhythmic seeds for a special track."
Steve White --- Professional Bassist currently with Triple Bock and formerly with Gig-a-Bit and Daniel's oldest longtime friend and the very first musician Daniel ever played with.
"I just wanted to make some commentary about the incredibly talented Daniel Todd Carter. His new website is awesome and is very reflective of his immense talent. I have been familiar with Dan's music for years and have the greatest respect for it. It is interesting and well thought out, and the two CD's that I have of his are staples in my collection. This new website I feel is very indicative of Dan's musical vision."
Ready to get started on your next musical project? Contact VISIONARYQUEST MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS's Music Studio today and let's make some music together!
((( ~ sound animator ~ ))) SOLO:
((( ~ soundanimator ~ ))) Daniel Todd Carter's SOLO project began life way back in May of 1985 at the young age of 19 years old back home in his parents basement with the very beginnings / ideas and the actual writing down of these ideas humbly and handwritten in a notebook which he still has to this day. Actually though, the project which started out under the title of REVELATION wasn't officially born until 10 years later in 1995 at the age of 29 with the undertaking of recording his debut CD / Album, AWAKENING. This is when the project was actually legitimately launched with the conception, composing and recording of his debut CD / Album which was to be the first in his debut series AWAKENING trilogy.
The (((~soundanimator~))) SOLO project is a very unique expression and was formed to engage in sonic explorations of inner and outer space phenomena and describe these concepts in both musical (instrumental), lyrical (vocal & spoken word), and visual terms. Utilizing both acoustic and electronic instruments as tools of exploration, the musical direction has and will always remain pointing towards a futuristic Ambient / Progressive / Electronic / Experimental / Ethnic and otherworldly direction where improvisation and structure are equally important to the projects distinctive sound. Listeners might never know what to expect when listening to (((~soundanimator~))). The true intention for Daniel is to never remain stagnant, seeing that this project is a journey, with never ending possibilities and ever changing landscapes.
The (((~soundanimator~))) SOLO project was also created as a vehicle of expression to travel into the distant past and the far reaching future from the perspective of present day reality. The project also explores life as we know it or trying to understand it here on Earth and possible other life out there in the vast cosmic ocean of interstellar space, and an in-depth outlook on the conscious and sub-conscious mind and the human condition of present of present day reality yet once again.
*** VISIONARY SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE MIND AND THE EDGE OF TIME ***
CLOUD SPACE:
CLOUD SPACE is yet another very progressive forward thinking psychedelic space ambient ethnic future and spiritual JAZZ project that (((~sound animator~))) has very recently formed and co-founded with the very talented Tenor and Soprano saxophonist & Multi-instrumentalist David Moore. Both individuals are current natives of Phoenix, AZ and the valley of the sun though both began life in other parts of the world. Daniel originating from the New York tri-state area and David originally from Memphis, TN. They initially met in June 2019 at a very popular venue in downtown Phoenix, AZ called the Nash which has been consistently voted by Downbeat magazine as one of the finest JAZZ venues and bandstands in the United States several years in a row. Rehearsals began for the duo on September 18th, 2019. Their debut performance occurred quietly playing covers and standards for a dinner hour at a venue called Cibo's in downtown Phoenix, AZ on January 12th, 2020. This incredibly original and unique project was formed to engage in the ever evolving search for GOD and the exploration of spirituality and attaining a higher plain of thinking through musical expression. This project is in the process of exploring its own parameters and establishing itself as a totally unique entity that can never be successfully imitated or duplicated. Plans have been made for the creation of not one but two E.P's to be created this year with a full length debut to follow up in 2021. If you are at all interested in finding out where JAZZ is going to be heading as we enter into the mid 21st century, then you have definitely come to the right place and have found a project / band that will captivate you with their intense musical performance ability and spiritual vision. Keep an eye out for them.
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