London, UK-based Psychedelic Prog Rock Duo High Chair have released their new album “Hey Mountain Hey”, the 3rd in a trilogy of album releases from the prolific group.
Artist Biography:
High Chair is Billy Surgeoner and Rokiah Yaman. I is the third in a trilogy of High Chair releases and like the other two albums, The Butter Thief (2018) and The Dharma and the Drama (2019), is a mix of psychedelic, prog, space and indie rock songs, with lyrics that evoke other worlds or realities.
The music on HMH was started in the ‘90s and early demos were recorded on TEAC reel to reel machine (as were the other two in the trilogy). The songs were all re-recorded between 2019 and 2021 on Logic Pro X. Billy wrote the music, sings lead vocals, produced and played or programmed all instruments, virtual and otherwise. Rokiah sings harmony vocals and helped complete the lyrics.
Billy started playing and writing music in the early ’70s in the progressive rock band The Mynd, based in North East England. His brother Bob was the lead guitarist. Starting out on bass guitar and vocals he then moved to keyboards, after acquiring a Mellotron. The band’s influences were Genesis, Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Barclay James Harvest. When The Mynd split in ’79, Billy moved to London and throughout the ‘80s played keyboards in several new wave/post punk bands including the Glam Punk band The Cuddly Toys.
From 2005 he started to release Ambient CDs under the name High Chair. This was mainly spacey/meditational music. From 2014 to 2017 he released four Electronic dance CDs under the name Chiron Dawn. Most of these CDs were released on Bandcamp.
Rokiah is a guitarist singer-songwriter who has played in bands covering acoustic folk, rock and acapella. She released her first album of original songs Shortest Road in 1998 and is now recording a set of new songs for an EP produced by Billy. She is drawn to music of the 60s and 70s and particularly loves the Beatles and Yes.
About the album :
About “Hey Mountain Hey”:
The album is the third in a trilogy, the first, “The Butter Thief” (2018) and the second, “The Dharma and the Drama” (2019). Title comes from the Shakespeare play The Tempest. The song “Tree and Leaf” is loosely based on a short story by Tolkien, while “The Door of the Law” refers to Kafka’s short story of the same name, and “The Pollen Path” is based on an old Navaho saying. The music from all three albums is very varied but is mainly Progressive and Psychedelic rock in style. Most of the music and some of the lyrics for these albums were originally demoed on reel to reel tape in the 1990s. They languished in the loft till they were recently resurrected, re-recorded and completed with additional new lyrics and better production.
More about the music, release and genre:
Artist Name: High Chair
Location: London UK
Release Title: Hey Mountain Hey
Release Date: June 14 2021
Label: Kiyabisu Records
Musician Names/Instruments: Billy Surgeoner: Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Violin, Guzheng, Vocals, Rokiah Yaman: Guitar, Vocals
Producer Name(s): Billy Surgeoner
Similar/RIYL: Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Todd Rundgren, King Crimson, Nick Drake, Yes, Rush, My Bloody Valentine.
Genre(s): Psychedelic/Prog/Space/Indie/Pop rock
Tracklist:
- Stargazer
- Tree and Leaf
- Chrome Trees
- E-ternal
- Once Again
- Bring It Down
- Breath of Life (Black Wolf Lament)
- Letting Go
- The Door of the Law
- The Pollen Path
Websites:
Stream or purchase “Hey Mountain Hey” on Bandcamp.
Stream on Spotify.
