Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

A great new interview with Bill Rieflin, by The Seattle Times, ahead of next week’s The Humans/Slow Music US live dates in Seattle and Portland.

It’s Bill Rieflin times two at Slow Music and Humans show next week | Concert preview

Bill Rieflin will be on double duty next week when he appears at the Triple Door on April 14 and 15. The multi-instrumentalist, who boasts a wide-ranging resume (Ministry, R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, Robyn Hitchcock), will headline both shows with his improvisational group Slow Music, which also includes legendary English guitarist Robert Fripp, as well as playing in the evening’s opening act, the Humans, which features Fripp’s wife, English singer/actress Toyah Willcox.

“Believe me, it’s not my idea,” Rieflin said of the double billing. It all began when Rieflin was recently out dining in London with Fripp, Willcox, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck (another Slow Music member), and Young Fresh Fellows/R.E.M. guitarist Scott McCaughey.

• Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

“The poster for the double-bill appearance in Seattle….  in the car, photo by Robert :-)“, Toyah tweeted this morning. Not long now until the US dates begin. View another photo at Facebook. Click below to visit The Humans Official Website. (Photo © Robert Fripp)

Toyah and Robert left the UK yesterday, flying to the US for some adventures of The Humans (and Slow Music) variety.

To mark The Humans making their West Coast appearances to promote Strange Tales the band’s live cover of the Hendrix classic Purple Haze is available to stream over at Soundcloud. This final track from the Scala live recordings means the entire 2010 gig is available across the various digital live releases or website exclusives.

THE HUMANS with guest human ROBERT FRIPP
Purple Haze [Live at Scala, London 2010]
Audio recorded/mixed by Paul Nicholson
——————————-
THE HUMANS are Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin & Chris Wong
www.thehumansofficial.com

• Strange Charts: The Humans’ third album, Strange Tales, placed well in various charts upon its release almost a fortnight ago. It charted in the Top 30 of Amazon’s Rock Chart and also entered iTunes Rock chart at No. 65 on just one day of sales.

• Strange Booklet: A digital booklet to accompany Strange Tales was made available at toyahwillcox.com. Usually these are only included with albums bought via iTunes – Get yours here…

• Strange Photos: The digital booklet includes exclusive photos (from the recording sessions for the album), lyrics to all seven songs and production credits.

• Strange Tell Tales: Six tracks (aside from the previously previewed Get In Your Car) were exclusively previewed across a number of websites including Sugar Rush: The Humans Fan Site, This Is Not Retro, Dreamscape, Discipline Global Mobile and toyahwillcox.com. You can listen to a playlist of those preview tracks here…

• Strange Links: Stay updated on all things Humans by visiting The Humans Official and Sugar Rush. (News Source for most of the above info: Breaking Through: The Official Toyah Newsletter)

The Humans’ third album Strange Tales has been becoming available worldwide as each timezone hits Midnight and the world enters March 2014.

Here in the UK it has just been released and is now available to buy at Amazon UK and iTunes. You can also get it at Amazon US and no doubt many other digital music stores very soon.

The much anticipated album has been previewed over the last week via a series of Tell Tales at a selection of Toyah/Humans-related websites.

View further information on the album and listen to previews of all seven songs here. There’s a new page for the album at Toyah’s Official Discography. There’s also a great page celebrating the release of ‘Strange Tales’ at The Humans fansite Sugar Rush.

Tracklist: 1. Slow Descent, 2. She’s Fast, 3. Get In Your Car, 4. Amnesia, 5. Bedhead, 6. Improbable Thing, 7. Sleep Tight

Recorded in Seattle, seven tracks make up the third album created by the transatlantic band comprising Toyah Willcox, Chris Wong and Bill Rieflin. Rieflin once again helmed production of the album. As previously stated, this third instalment in the musical adventures of The Humans adds more instrumentation into the mix with saxophone and violin featuring for the first time.

It’s the final “Tell Tale” today. The album will be available at Midnight tonight, in whichever timezone you are in: The final tell tale previews the album opening track Slow Descent at the album entry for Strange Tales at the Toyah Official Discography.

• Previews of each song are now available at The Humans’ Soundcloud. Visit/listen/follow.

Discipline Global Mobile is exclusively telling tale #6…. Click below to hear Sleep Tight.

It’s Tell Tale #5 and Dreamscape has the privilege of bringing you the preview of the beautiful ‘Amnesia’ from the forthcoming album Strange Tales by The Humans. This album is sounding sooo good! Roll on 1st March! (Thanks to Craig, toyahwillcox.com and The Humans)

She stays / She goes / She sways / She glows / She hums / She ahhs / She strums / She begs / She screams / She acts like a dream – This Is Not Retro are telling tale #4…

TOYAH ANNOUNCES NEW THE HUMANS ALBUM ‘STRANGE TALES’ + EXCLUSIVE AUDIO PREVIEW

TOYAH has announced that her collaborative project THE HUMANS will digitally release a new album on March 1st. ‘Strange Tales’ is the band’s third album… We are very proud to be able to bring you an exclusive audio preview from the album.

• Continue reading at This Is Not Retro.

The title, cover art, tracklist and release date for The Humans’ third album was revealed last night.

Strange Tales, featuring seven new songs, will be released digitally, worldwide, on Saturday 1st March 2014. The highly anticipated album was recorded in Seattle and is produced by Bill Rieflin. The tracklist is:

1. Slow Descent, 2. She’s Fast, 3. Get In Your Car, 4. Amnesia, 5. Bedhead, 6. Improbable Thing, 7. Sleep Tight

A selection of “Tell Tale” previews of songs from the album are being made available via Toyah related websites and social media. The first, the full version of Get In Your Car, was uploaded to Soundcloud last week, and the second, a preview of Improbable Thing, was released last night. The third “Tell Tale”, a preview of Bedhead is also now at Soundcloud , after premiering at The Humans’ Sugar Rush fansite.

The Humans are also playing live dates in Seattle in April, with further concerts expected to be announced.

• View further details on this release here. Stay updated on all things Humans by visiting thehumanofficial.com for news, gig details, videos, gallery, audio and biography information. Visit soundcloud.com/thehumansofficial for track previews. (News Source: Breaking Through: The Official Toyah Newsletter – Sign up here)

Sugar Rush: The Humans fansite is telling tale #3 today. Visit to hear an exclusive audio preview clip from the forthcoming new album by The Humans.

There’s now a dedicated section at The Official Toyah Willcox Website for The Humans: With the great response to Get In Your Car, the third album just about to be released and live dates in America in April… it’s a busy time to be Human! Click below to visit.

You can now hear the first taste of The Humans’ forthcoming album release. Get In Your Car can be listened to at Toyah’s official soundcloud.

The track was recorded in Seattle and is one of seven tracks which make up the third album to be released by the transatlantic band comprising Toyah Willcox, Chris Wong and Bill Rieflin. Full details of the digital album release will be announced in the next week. The band will play two live dates at Seattle’s Triple Door Club on 15 and 15 April 2014.

Bill Rieflin also features in the band Slow Music who will perform at the same dates in at the Triple Door Club. Rieflin is currently rehearsing as part of the new King Crimson line-up who will play concerts for the first time in over a decade.

• Source: The Official Toyah Website. Listen to the song at the Official Toyah Soundcloud.

Toyah and The Humans are celebrating Valentine’s Day with a preview of the band’s forthcoming third album in the form of a brand new song.

♫ Get In Your Car ♫ Happy new music day (valentine’s) from Toyah and The Humans… the first taste of The Humans’ forthcoming album release. Listen to this new song at Soundcloud.

The Humans are Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin & Chris Wong.

The Official Toyah Facebook has posted intriguing lyrics updates over the last couple of days. Wondering if these are from a new song, or songs, on The Humans’ third album?

♫ all is not as it seems / stuck by the glue of destiny ♫

♫ Changing playmates, changing playgrounds / paint a better backdrop, submerged in city sounds / Stop your excuses, don’t you feel useless / Feel the attractions, start a chain reaction ♫

♫ sleep tight, dream a thousand dreams where you’re swallowed by the sea / sleep tight, dream a thousand dreams dancing on moonbeams ♫

The Humans’ forthcoming, and much-anticipated, seven-song third album is provisionally scheduled to be released in April of 2014.

One of the new songs is called Bedhead. There will be preview clips coming soon to toyahwillcox.com and thehumansofficial.com.

• The Humans are playing live dates in Seattle in April. Further US dates are expected to be announced, with UK concerts a possibility also. More info here. Stay updated on The Humans at the Sugar Rush fansite. (News Source: Breaking Through)

Slow Music was formed in 2005 as a way to create live ambient/textural/environmental music in a live context. Rieflin describes how, “openness and stillness become a part of the musical vocabulary, as well as density and activity. It can be both beautiful and surprisingly intense. And, being improvisational in nature, you never know what will happen next, which makes it all the more exciting.” Innovators to the core, Slow Music has no website, no band photos, nor commercially available music. The best way to listen is to show up. It’ll be worth it.

Featuring: Bill Rieflin keyboards & percussion (Bill has played drums w/ R.E.M., Swans, and is a member of the newly reformed King Crimson); Robert Fripp guitar, guitar-like things, soundscapes (Robert’s guitaring is legendary, and is a founder of King Crimson): Peter Buck guitar and things (Peter’s guitaring in R.E.M. is singular; he’ll probably play some of these shows with a butter knife); Matt Chamberlain drums and drum-like things (Matt has played with almost everyone in the world, such as Pearl Jam, Edie Brickell, Critters Buggin, SNL house band; look him up – it’s impressive); Fred Chalenor upright bass (Fred is at home with both Hughscore & Hans Eisler).

The Humans making their first ever west coast performances!

The Humans are: Toyah Willcox – voice, voice loops; Chris Wong – bass, and occasional guitar; Bill Rieflin – bass, and loopy percussion stuff.

Toyah – a hugely successful English pop singer, film & stage actress, and writer – formed The Humans in 2007 after being invited by the Estonian ambassador to tour Estonia and to perform for the president. With both a strong pop sensibility and playful experimental streak, this creative formation marked a radical departure for Toyah. Eschewing the conventional rock band line-up, the core of The Humans focuses on her voice flanked by two bass players. Although the records & live shows include a wider range of instrumentation, Humans music centers around singing and bass. Their third CD, to be released later this year, is the most catchy and danceable record yet.

Monday April 14, Tuesday April 15: 7.30pm. Tickets: $25 advance // $30 day of.

• Continue reading at The Triple Door.

• Toyah’s Digital Advent: The Official countdown to Christmas Eve reaches day eight today, and a very special gift – The Humans Live At Scala London 2010. A full digital live album for Christmas – Listen here… View the full Advent here…

• Rare Photos: Additional photos from the late 1970’s were also added to the Calendar yesterday – View these amazing shots here…

• A Very Vintage Christmas: Toyah is mentioned in Vintage TV’s December Podcast. She is also still pictured on the Home Page of their website. There are still numerous chances to catch both editions of A Very Vintage Christmas – View the full schedule here…

• Vintage TV: Both editions of A Very Vintage Christmas are also now available to watch online at Vintage TV’s website. Watch Part One here, and Part Two here.

• Dark Night Of The Soul With Julie: Toyah’s ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ was included in Julie’s Christmas Special playlist last night on WFMU – View the full list here…

• The Humans Live 2014: Two of the US dates have now been confirmed as taking place at The Triple Door Club, Seattle on 14th/15th April – Visit the Official Gigs page…

• Toyah Live 2014: More tickets now on sale, a new ‘Crimson Queen’ gig in Clitheroe, and another ‘Acoustic’ show being announced soon – Visit the Official Gigs page…

• Introducing The Tempest: Toyah will be introducing The Tempest, in which she played Miranda in 1979, at this event at the BFI Southbank, London on 12th February next year.

• The List: Interview: Gavin Mitchell on Bowie, sandwiches and sleeping in the library: First concert you ever attended Toyah at the Apollo – Read the full Q&A here…

• RBKC Libraries Blog: From Club to Catwalk: 80′s fashion talk at the V&A: An article on the recent V&A event which Toyah participated in (and also mentions in her latest blog) – View here…

• Elves Bells!:A Caboodle of Cool Christmas Songs: Toyah – I Believe In Father Christmas – It took 30 years, but this 1982 television performance was released as a single last year. If you are a Toyah fan, her Winter In Wonderland just became available – View here…

• Santas Working Overtime: Spend the Holidays with Toyah, VTO, Hi-5, Chris Ward, Not Literally, John Rossall – View here…

It’s “Throwback Thursday” and The End Records are offering everyone a free download of Small Town Psychopath from The Humans album Sugar Rush. Toyah for free via official.fm!

Ensure you are signed up to Toyah’s official mailing list, Breaking Through. Next week there will be a competition to win a signed (by Toyah) CD of the, just released, Weekend Guitar Trio album Live At Kings Place, plus a copy of the 2013 In The Court Of The Crimson Queen CD and the rare 1-track radio promo CD single of The Humans’ These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. Sign up by clicking below. (News Source: Official Toyah Facebook)