Anne sings on new album 'Electronica' by the New Dance Orchestra!!!

Hi everyone!

I hope the world is treating you well, and you are wrapping up warm as the weather takes a turn for the distinctly wintry!

I have exciting news to tell you - some of you may remember that I recorded and performed with the project 'Icon' earlier this year, featuring John Wetton and Geoff Downes of 'ASIA' fame?

I sang guest vocals on their latest album 'Icon 3', and performed a few special shows with them in the UK and Europe, before recording a live DVD concert at the beautiful St Mary-le-Bow church in London.

(Both the cd + dvd are available here:

John Wetton's WebShop)

Well, since then Geoff Downes has been working on a new album of his own - the second album under the project name 'the New Dance Orchestra'.

NEW DANCE ORCHESTRA

The music he creates with 'NDO' is pop/dance in nature, and very unlike anything you might hear with his ASIA, Yes or Buggles work.

But it is a strong side of his musical character to be innovative and contemporary, and like any true artist, he will explore every path, road and facet of his creativity!

In the new album 'Electronica' he sought to create a collection of strong, diverse, bold and beautiful tracks - and to create his vision, he did me the great honour of askingmeto sing lead vocals on each and every track of the album! :o) I was immensely flattered, and excited to work on such a new and different project.

We recorded the album in the early summer, and it was great fun for me to experiment with a whole host of new vocal styles, from pop to soul and dance, through all the shades of upbeat and ballad tracks, plus bringing my own ad-lib stylings to the mix too... I surprised myselfandthe team at some of the new sounds I hadn't heard myself make before! ;o>

But it was a fantastic experience and I think you'd be intrigued to hear this whole new side to Mr Downes and myself!

Now, after mixing & mastering to perfection, it is finally ready for you lovely people to get your paws on, and I hope you will take the chance and experiment with it!

The official release is not until 2011, but you can buy it in advance now from:

www.NewDanceOrchestra.com

Here is the official press release to announce this week's launch...

'ELECTRONICA' - by the New Dance Orchestra

written by Geoffrey Downes * vocals by Anne-Marie Helder * produced by Geoffrey Downes

Geoffrey Downes’ NEW DANCE ORCHESTRA returns with the new studio album, 'Electronica'.

The album features the intricate and evolutionary keyboard music of Geoffrey Downes, whose work in The Buggles, YES and ASIA has received worldwide attention, through the hits “Video Killed The Radio Star” and “Heat Of The Moment”.

All tracks also feature the beautiful Anne-Marie Helder’s magical voice, whose vocals in Panic Room and Mostly Autumn have been critically acclaimed.
This combination of skill and musical talent produces a spellbinding selection of tracks, including the amazing “Shine On” and the stunning “Forgiven”.

This album is exclusively available through www.NewDanceOrchestra.com prior to its general release in 2011.

(QEDG Management Ltd)

More news & musical adventures coming your way soon!

Love & Light from

Anne*x*

*x* HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! *x*

Hi Everybody!

...And welcome to a brand new year!!! :o) OK, so it's been January for a few weeks now, but this is my first chance to write to you all & send my love!!!

I really hope you've had a great start to the year, that the snow was more of a pleasure than a pain ;o) ...and that 2010 is incredible, happy and successful for you!!! x

I set this this blog up nearly a year ago, & clearly I didn't... err... quite embrace its full potential!

I had all the best intentions of doing so... but life got so crazy, so busy, and sometimes it's all you can do to just keep your head on straight; let alone keep on top of all your different social-networking pages, & blogs & blags & gigs & gags.... You get my drift!!! ;o)

But once again, I shall try harder!

(sounds like a school report ;o)

There's a few great things I want to tell you about, to start the year... so I'll make a list here for you to peruse as you drink your tea/coffee!

PANIC ROOM

*NEW ALBUM*

We have just released our brand new album, 'Satellite' ~ and if you already have it, as I know many of you do, then THANK YOU so much for your support!!! :o)

It really is an amazing & special album, I think; and I can say that with no reservation or embarrassment because I am truly proud of what we have created together as a band; of what beauties and rockers and just generally awesome tunes are there on this album...!!!

And I know that I will be immensely proud of 'Satellite', until my dying day.

A lot of my heart & soul has gone into that little disc, and there will always be thousands of memories coarsing through me as I listen to every track... every emotion gets touched & dragged out of me, the pain and the joy. & It is a part of me now, which is why I have to be brave & present it to all of you, for you to make your own minds up on! That's the scary bit with releasing any album ;o>

I'm my own worst critic, as anyone close to me will tell you... but I am, quite unashamedly, really proud of what the band have achieved with this 2nd album, and I really hope that you all have a great time listening to it too; that hopefully you'll love it too, and will get to know it well and feel & share the passion that we felt in making it. It's for You...

The reviews are starting to flood in thick & fast, and if you keep an eye on the Panic Room website - www.panicroom.org.uk - we'll keep you posted there on what the press are saying.

So far there have been nothing but great reviews, we are very touched & grateful to say! But whatever the press say over the coming years - & there will always be things you disagree with! - I know that myself, and my boys in Panic Room, are very very proud of what we've created here in Satellite. *x*

*TOURING*

We will be taking 'Satellite' out on the road to promote it in Spring 2010, and hitting venues across the length & breadth of the UK.

As well as our own headline shows, we are also very chuffed to be doing some great supports too - e.g.

Panic Room supporting HAWKWIND @ St. David's Hall, Cardiff (30th April),

Panic Room supporting WISHBONE ASH @ Shepherds Bush Empire (15th May)....

whoop whoop!

These dates are still currently being finalised & added to, so keep watching both the Panic Room pages and my own AMH MySpace / Facebook / Website / ReverbNation pages... for updates on all the PR gigs coming in!

I really hope you get to see us live & in our element, this coming March-May!

*'GET READY TO ROCK' Competition!!!*

PANIC ROOM have been shortlisted for the Get Ready To Rock 'Ten-for-10' competition, where 10 deserving bands will be specially chosen to receive big doses of promotion and publicity from the 'Get Ready To Rock' website & radio station, throughout 2010... and the public can vote for their favourite artist from the shortlist of 25, currently showing at the GRTR website. There's an eclectic mix there, of bands, solo artists, rock & acoustic acts...

We'd love it if you could go there & vote for Panic Room, bien sur!!! That'd be awesome.

So if you just follow this link, it'll take you straight to the right page & then you just need to scroll down to find 'Panic Room' in the list! Click the box, & submit it.

Please help a band in need! ;o)

MOSTLY AUTUMN

In addition to promoting the new album & live dates with Panic Room this year, I will also be continuing to record and tour with MOSTLY AUTUMN throughout 2010, who I love dearly!

Many of you will already know that there have been massive shockwaves sent through the band, & its fanbase, by the announcement that Heather Findlay is leaving to pursue her solo musical career?

I have a million & one things I feel, and could say about this, but most of them I have already said to Heather herself, as she is one of my best friends in the world... and these special sentiments are just from me to her.

But, in short.. I will miss her terribly, and am devastated at the thought of not sharing a stage with her any more... and hope beyond all hope that, one day, this may happen again! :o, I already miss her so.

And yet, I understand fully her reasons and her heart, and I know that she is making an incredibly tough decision, with an enormous amount of grace and love... as only Heather could.

She has always been extraordinarily sensitive to the needs & feelings of others, and I know that even now, this ability and devotion of hers is something that both makes her strong, and makes her vulnerable... because she cares about everyone so much.

But, she is making a really tough, brave choice - with no small amount of heartache and inner conflict - and this is something she must do for her, to set her on her way towards ultimate creative fulfillment. When you feel that need, you just have to follow it... it's an open door, and it feels unnatural not to go through it & to explore! And we all know that Heather has so very much creativity inside her, & so much yet to even be discovered... that what lies through that door can only be magical. *x*

So, I wish her only success and beauty and happiness on her chosen path, with a lot of fun & adventure thrown in too I hope!... And, I hope that all of you out there who care about her will do the same. Heather is branching out, not digging up her roots! The roots run deep, especially in the Mostly Autumn family tree, and there's no leaving them behind! She has a devoted family there for life, and we all love her & want her to be the happiest she's ever been. :o)

...And, as her branches grow outward & into all sorts of new directions, we will be right there alongside her watching her grow, with pride and with love! And we'll be sharing the journey with her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx*xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

~~~ I love you v v much, Faery-Face!!! ~~~

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx*xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

....But now I'm gonna stop pouring my heart out now, because after all this is a public place...! ;o>

And there's not a lot of things that I'm comfortable telling just everyone... but how I feel about my friends & loved ones, well, I am always happy to do! I don't care who knows it. :o> x

I'm sure there are other things to tell you.... things that Mostly Autumn have got lined up, other musical things that I might be looking at this year, etc etc....

But, for now I'm just gonna leave that there. Because I'm derailed now, & I've left myself a bit lost for words....

and that's not good for a songwriter. ;o) heheh!

But anyway, I'll be back soon (I promise!) and will tell you more about what's going on.

Meanwhile, thank you for reading... and for keeping an open heart.

I wish you a very happy day, & night, and everything that follows!

Keep smiling. *x*

Love, Light & All things sparkling....

from

*x* Anne *x*

OOooh, p.s. If you haven't seen Avatar yet.... go see it now!!! In 3D!!! It's Awesome!!!

:o)))

Welcome to my brand new Blog!!!

       

       HEY THERE!!!

 

          ...And welcome to the very first post on my all-new 'Little Red Rock Blog'!!! 

If you have come here, you will already be a friend or a fan of me, Anne-Marie Helder.... also known as the Little Red Rock Chick!!!

And so, it is only fitting that we have a special space here, just for us, where I can share with you all my thoughts and ideas...

The adventures & dreamings of my life as a songwriter.... 

My mystical and musical musings(!)..... 

My thoughts, however bizarre or beautiful.... 

My news, of course.... 

And, just my general everyday scrapes & silliness! 

(~probably more of the latter ;o)

I have had my own website for years, and on there I had a 'diary' section.... but really what I was hoping to achieve there was a collection of my thoughts & musings, day by day, week by week.... & that's exactly what a Blog is now! 

So, I happily take a bold step forward into the future, to share with you a whole lot more of my life & my Self, and unleash the Blog Beast!!!!!

I'm actually a very private person, some of you will know this;  many musicians and songwriters are, because it's not the 'standing on stage' thing we crave, but the Making of the Music....

but I figure that what you might not be able to get out of me in person, after a gig when I'm all zoned-out and spacey, you might be able to hear from me here!!!.... And so I hope the things I say and feel, might be of interest to you :o,

And if they're not, that's ok too!!!

I'll just try & be as honest as possible, while also giving you the formal announcements & things that you need to know.... but really, this is a space for musings and wonderings, & funny stories from my day, & maybe even the etchings of a song as it comes into being.... !

But it'll just be whatever it wants to be, and you can tell me what you think ~ & if it's cool, or as dull as a donkey!*

So without further ado, I'll let you know that my next post will be about all the musical things coming up this February/March in AMH world... and there's a lot of it!!! :o}

I have recently posted a blog entry about all the news on my Official MySpace (see link to the right).... so I shall copy all the relevant info to here, where you can read it all in the same place.

Those of you who've already scoured through that blog, needn't read it twice! ;o)

But in future, I shall make this my main Blog, & copy the content over onto MySpace so that the two are singing from the same... errr... setlist!

And now, my Little Red Rock Roomies..... (for that's what I'm gonna call you, if you hang out here with me in my 'Little Red Rock Rooms'!)  ....I shall bid you farewell, and leave you with my favourite things.....

Love & Light,

Peace & Plectrums...!

from

Anne *x*

p.s. I do quite like donkeys though...! ;o)