Downes Braide Association

[Gilly Goodness]

Very pop-prog. Like latterday Yes. Expansive.
Melodic. Am slow to the party. Know Henry and others have been singing their praises but took me awhile to check them out. Just listened to Skyscraper Souls, 18 minutes of shifting melodies, narration and quite good guitar breaks. Plus Braide can sing, relaxed, natural with a hint of Al Stewart in his tone. Noice. Geoff has backed a good horse here. If next gen Yes is not for him maybe he should gravitate his energies to this. Wonder if they will tour?


ELECTRIFY EVERYTHING

[Yorkshire Square]

Is noice, nice or nonce? 🤔

Anyway, they're my band of the moment.

[Yorkshire Square]

There's a live album, so they've done gigs if not maybe an actual tour.

[Gilly Goodness]

Noice. Different. As Kath and Kim would say. High praise. Like discovering sun dried tomatoes.

[luvyesmusic]

There's a live album, so they've done gigs if not maybe an actual tour.

They planned a one-off gig a couple years ago at Trading Boundaries, on February 14th. Management let me know me they had added an additional show the following night, before it was announced, when I said I had to work. The shows were a huge success, and what was a studio band/project intially, both Chris, Geoff and others do have interest in touring this project. Here's hoping. Every album is great, and they have surrounded themselves with a bunch of uber talented folks.

Really, really wish I had flown over there had I known about what the pandemic was going to do to the world. But I couldn't justify rush, rushing with a six hour difference, and February isn't the most opportune time for exploring England that I would want to do if I had spent that kind of money to fly over there, and back..

[Gilly Goodness]

So just found out Halcyon is an Asian kingfisher genus. Bright blue plumage. Also a word for fondly remembered times. Long summer days. Your first girlfriend. Your children playing all day on the green grass beneath green trees. Now I understand the cover of Halcyon Hymns. Genius. By all concerned.

[Gilly Goodness]

Thanks to Henry's incomparable site, learnt that a new DBA album is COMING SOON.

CELESTIAL SONGS is the working title.

Masters have been dropped off. Roger has done another brilliant cover. Am as excited for this like a new YES album. Tremblin' in fact. Sizzlin' like an isotope. Now to go and watch the LIVE paintin' sessions. On youtube. Bliss!

[Gilly Goodness]

LIGHTHOUSE


https://youtu.be/OIGclE4uWHc


This should be an audition tape for Chris Braide to be a part of NextGen YES.
World class songwriter, singer. Juano should team up with him and write anthems for the future.
is that a pipe dream? Sadly I think it is.

[Soundwaveseeker]

I just ordered the live album. I have the first three, but I don't have Halcyon Hymns and now they're almost ready with a new one - I have some catching up to do! I like what I hear from DBA - the songs are more in the ballpark of the dreamy, wistful, romantic and nostalgic than a lot of Yes material, which is fine by me. Lyrically you get the sense of longing for the England of their youth, a bittersweet aura throughout their songs going back to the first one, Pictures of You. Such imagery is pretty universal and can often hit that emotional lever switch located somewhere in the heart.

Musically they're I suppose more in line with Buggles or the Producers album than a Yes one. I'm not sure if Geoff or Chris Braide imagined they would continue to be working together for multiple albums like this, but DBA has proven to be a fruitful collaboration producing quality music. It may have taken them by surprise as well that the music has been just flowing from them.

So DBA is something well worth my listening time. Great songs - Dreaming Of England, Skyscraper Souls, Songs That Can Heal, Glacier Girl, Sunday News Suite - all great stuff. I think I need Halcyon Hymns. Love the Dean artwork.

[luna65]

Fans of Chris Braide should also definitely check out This Oceanic Feeling - a trio with Lee Pomeroy and Ash Soan, one album released in 2015 (Universal Mind). It's sort of '80s vibes, dream-pop like but with a rock edge.

[Gilly Goodness]

Fans of Chris Braide should also definitely check out This Oceanic Feeling - a trio with Lee Pomeroy and Ash Soan, one album released in 2015 (Universal Mind). It's sort of '80s vibes, dream-pop like but with a rock edge.

Will do. Music? It's an ongoin' adventure. 😍

[Gilly Goodness]

RADIO


This Oceanic Feeling


Great. Can hear Tears for Fears doin' this. Anthemic chorus. Mental health theme. Know Soan is one of the most in demand session drummers. Cinnamon bun is funky. As always.

PUT DOWN THE GUN


another interestin' theme. Gun. Violence.


As someone said on TOF fb page. "Sounds like a cross between YES and Prefab Sprout."
By way of TFF. Cool. That'll do.

[soundchaser09]

DBA gives me Buggles vibes for sure, an interesting combo!

[Gilly Goodness]

Accordin' to Geoff on twitter today the new DBA album is due October with tour dates to come. So hopefully Geoff's memoir is out this year too. 😁