Doug Woods and Colin Powell
Twitter: @dougandcolin Email: dougandcolin@gmail.com
Doug Woods is well known amongst iOS musicians for his entertaining demo videos and vlogs on his TheSoundTestRoom Youtube Channel.
One of his demo videos was about an app called Jordantron and he had written a piece of music to demonstrate some of the presets in this app. The track was called The Haunting of Sally Caster and was done in the style of Rick Wakeman,
I liked the track but felt it could be even better with a fuller band sound. So I asked Doug for his Cubasis project file and I added a bass, guitar and drums to it. I sent the new project back to him and he was over the moon with it, suggesting that we have a go at doing a whole album in a similar style (70's Prog Rock).
We decided to make it a concept album which told the story of Sally Caster and Doug came up with a basic storyline which I added to.
We then each composed tracks, passing them back and forth via email and Dropbox and adding our own parts to them.
As the album and story progressed, I created an illustrated booklet which tells the story of Sally Caster.
These albums are a testament to the power of the iPad and also power of the internet. Doug and I have never met in person!
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO LISTEN TO ALL OF OUR ALBUMS
The Haunting of Sally Caster tells the story of a young woman who becomes involved in strange events which are associated with the dark history of the house she has just moved into.
​Folklore was inspired by Celtic Mythology. It is a magical mix of Celtic Prog and New Age music, which also somes with a colourful booklet containing the stories that inspired each track.
​Seven Days is a chillout album, with each track representing a day of the week. Relax with a track-a-day or listen to the whole album in one day. it is up to you! ;)
For this album, Space, we have taken our inspiration from the heavens and also some of our electronic music heroes such as Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Tomita and Jean-Michel Jarre. Most of the tracks are named after constellations and there is a selection of longer (around 15 minutes) tracks and shorter ones for you to listen to individually or enjoy the whole trip (almost 1.5 hours).
This album shares a theme with our previous album, Space, but with a different viewpoint. This time we celebrate people who, through the ages have gazed up at the universe from the Earth - The Astronomers!
The Dark Side of the Pen has many tales to tell!
But where do these tales come from?
The depths of the subconscious whose doors have been flung open by drug-fuelled journeys?
Looking at life and the way it is lived?
Stories made up on a stormy night or around a campfire?
A mix of fiction and fact?
Dark childhood experiences?
Another spiritual plane?
Visions of the past or future?
Or just a vivid imagination?
This album celebrates authors of Mystery, Imagination and Terror!
Listener discretion is advised!
Meet the late Walter Canterbury and his closest family.
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Walter is dead but something is puzzling the Undertaker, who calls the Doctor, who calls the Police, who alert the Press!
What that “something” is, and who is involved, is for you to decide, dear listener.
Was foul play really at work? Was a family member or all the family involved? Or was it a fuss about nothing?
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The tracks cover the events and characters in the days following the death of Walter Canterbury.
The framework of the story and its characters are presented as musical sketches for you to construct the story as you wish.
A sequel to our very successful album: 'The Haunting of Sally Caster'.
This story is set 10 years later and the strange adventures of the past are almost forgotten...but not by everyone!
Several familiar characters are out for revenge but let's start with a trip to the seaside...
Perfect for listening to on Halloween, or any time! The download also comes with an illustrated storybook!
The first in what may become a series of albums based upon the Chronicles of Mr Denks and Mr Klade, a pair of paranormal investigators, who record all manner of out-of-place or mysterious events.
This album tells the story of The Time Traveller, or, rather, you the listener can piece together the story in your own mind by listening to the tracks in order
Another story from The Chronicles of Mr Denks and Mr Klade - two Victorian investigators of the strange and unusual. This time they investigate a mysterious fog that is descending in various parts of the city.
The download includes a free PDF booklet that describes the story behind each track.
The American Highway Suite - Darklands and Strange Days.
A musical celebration of the darker, stranger side of America featuring a mix of Electronic Music and Prog Rock. An American road trip album with a difference.
We decided to have a bit of a change in style for this album and go for a Psychedelic Space Rock feel!
In part it is a tribute to some of our favourite psychedelic/space rock artists such as Ozric Tentacles, Gong, Steve Hillage, Hawkwind etc. but it is a genre that we both love and this album came together even more quickly than usual.
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Headphones recommended!
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We hope you like it and spread the word! :)
Sally Caster and Denks and Klade: The Mechanical Girl Takes Revenge.
We thought it would be a great idea to bring together characters from
some of our previous albums, and this is the result! A mix of melodic Progressive Rock, Electronic Music and even a bit of Trap!
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There is a PDF booklet accompanying the download with the backstory of The Mechanical Girl, Sally Caster, Mr Denks and Mr Klade, plus the story behind this album and details of the apps used.
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We recommend you read the story and then listen to the album or vice versa! You can discover more adventures of the main characters on The Haunting of Sally Caster, Sally Caster 2: The Revenge, The Chronicles of Mr Denks and Mr Klade: The Time Traveller (and Mr Denks and Mr Klade also feature on The Absurdium Fog).
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Here is an executive summary of the story of this album:
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The Mechanical Girl has gone insane and is running amok in the timestream! It will take the combined efforts of Sally Caster, Mr Denks and Mr Klade, and the help of a new character to help track her down and bring back harmony to the timestream!
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We hope you like it and spread the word! :)
This is the prequel to our first album: The Haunting of Sally Caster. It comes with a PDF booklet containing the story which relates to the tracks and information about the album.
You can now follow the whole story through our albums, from The Madness of Benjamin Folde through The Haunting of Sally Caster, Sally Caster 2: The Revenge to Sally Caster and Denks and Klade: The Mechanical Girl Takes Revenge.
Here is an executive summary of the story of this album:
Benjamin Folde, a former prominent surgeon in the City of London, moves to the little village of Wyntersbaine, where he becomes the local phyisician. He uses money from an inheritance to build a mansion house called Folde Hall falls in love with a younger woman called Annabelle. They are very happy together until one daya Annabelle tragically dies soon after giving birth to their daughter.
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Benjamin is grief-stricken but he loves his daughter dearly, even though she is bed-ridden and unable to walk. Benjamin tries all kinds of things to help her to walk, eventually resorting to terrible surgeries, constructing a contraption, with a clockwork mechanism, that is bolted onto his daughter's body. Hence she becomes The Mechanical Girl.
One day, when Benjamin takes her to a fairground, she disappears and so begins Benjamin's dark descent into madness as he tries to find her and her kidnapper.
We hope you like it and spread the word! :)
This album is a little different to our usual offerings (and not just because it has a shorter title!).
Not only does it feature a more varied selection of musical styles but it also features fellow musician Dave Lionelli (aka DaveyPoo) and Doug's wife, Jo on some tracks.
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It celebrates the wonderful world of Radio, from the very early days to the 22nd Century and beyond!
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This was a fun album to make and shows that we try not to take ourselves too seriously.
During the recording of our previous album, Radio, which featured American composer and musician, Dave Lionelli, we decided it would be interesting to record a whole album with Dave and we called the collaboration project Lily's Gone Mad, which also became the title and subject of the album.
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It was a fun album to make, with Dave adding a funkier groove and 80s vibes to the Doug Woods and Colin Powell electronic/retro Proggy style.
We shared composition duties and instruments, with more crossover than usual on our albums, since Dave is a wonderful keyboard player as well as bass and lead guitarist. So all of us played just about everything at some point!
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Here is a storyline that fits with the tracks on the album but feel free to make up your own as you follow Lily's journey:
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Lily Louise Pepper is 23 and a Dreamer. She wakes up every day and goes to work for a strange man called Challis Juneberry in his Shop Of Mysterious Gifts. Challis has (had?) a wife called Hildreth who is never seen any more. Challis calls Lily “Miss Lily”.
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Lily feels lonely at the shop and she longs for something different.
Lily's sole living relative is her uncle, Floyd Pepper, a retired musician and vaudevillian who has been living in a retirement community in Surrey since the theater closed. Surrey is a boat and then a train ride away from where Lily lives. She often thinks about what Floyd used to be back in the good old days, before life and age took hold of him and made him more a brick around her neck than a person.
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In her head she wonders about what happened to the unseen Hildreth and also thinks about her responsibility to Uncle Floyd, who she has to make such an effort to visit. Lily longs to be able to live her own life. She could be so much more if she was not tied to the shop and visiting her uncle.
Lily then feels guilty and gets upset and eventually has a breakdown as her emotions are ripped apart. Is she losing her grip?
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Lily boards the train for the umpteenth time but this time there is a moment of clarity as Lily Turns a Corner. She makes one final visit to Uncle Floyd and “takes care of him”. Maybe she found him a nice nursing home? Maybe something else happened?
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Lily then returns home with a new sense of purpose in life. Who knows where it will take her?
After returning home from a stressful and strange period of working away, Miss Lily Louise Pepper decides it is time to re-introduce herself to society. She re-vamps her image and puts herself out there as an actress. Her striking good looks and artificially large personality soon land her a part in the London's West End, where she is a huge success.
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With success comes lots of admirers and, unfortunately also lots of unbalanced and less savoury characters. With her entourage, Lily believes she has finally found true love and adoration and is completely unaware of the true intention of one man in particular. This man, known as The Gaffa, is a Mr Fix-it in more than one sense. He makes sure everything and everyone is at the right place at the right time but also has a shadier side, allowing people to indulge their wildest fantasies in one of the many themed rooms of his boutique hotel in Soho. He helps them go deeper into the experience by supplying various designer drugs.
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Lily is poised on the verge of real stardom but then a disaster happens! The latest play she is performing is is closed after 2 shows and is a complete flop. Lily is devastated. The Gaffa seizes his opportunity and tells Lily not to worry, this is just One of Those Days and he can make everything feel better for her.
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The Gaffa takes her to his hotel into a room with a Gothic theme that has a large pair of gates in the centre, flanked by two stone statues. He tells her that she can experience the peace and happiness that is on the other side of these gates if she takes one of his pills. Lily is unable to resist and takes the pill. As she slips into unconsciousness, she feels peaceful...at first. Then things get much darker and frightening. She begins to feel restricted and then finds it more and more difficult to breathe!
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Lily is experiencing the dark side of the Gaffa, who has wrapped her in Gaffa tape like a mummy and the final bands of tape seal her eyes, nose and mouth. She tries to scream but no sound escapes. The gates are starting to open and she somehow seems to be approaching them despite not being able to walk. Then there is only a velvety darkness.
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The next thing Lily is aware of is that she is looking down on a funeral procession, led by a white carriage being pulled by six white horses. Inside the carriage is a white coffin, covered in white lilies. Lining the pavements are hundreds of people who are casting white lilies into the path of the procession.
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Lily realises she has now passed to another realm of existence - one where there will be no more tomorrows.
Doug and Colin go back to their Symphonic and Classic Prog Rock roots for this new album and the theme is VIKINGS!
Each track is associated with an aspect of Viking Mythology or Cosmology.
The belief in Angels is ancient and multi-cultural, including several major religions and spiritual paths.
They inhabit a spiritual realm and are usually invisible but are able to act as mediators between humans and God(s). The word "angel" comes from the Greek "angelos", meaning "messenger" although the Hebrew word for angel "malakh" can also be translated as "shadow side of God", as well as "messenger".
Angels were described long before the Old Testament of the Bible was compiled, with some of the earliest depictions coming from the Akkadian culture, around 2350 BC - although the concept likely existed long before then.
Different cultures give them different names. For example, in India they are Devas, Rakshashas and Rishis, in Africa and Brazil they are called Orishas and in Japan there are Yokai and Oni.
Nowadays, a small subset of Angels are a staple of the New Age movement and Mind, Body Spirit exhibitions but there are many thousands of different Angels within many hierarchies, some very different to what many of us would call Angelic!
Doug Woods and Colin Powell present a variety of music inspired by the Grand Theatre!
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers, typically actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance.
Elements of art, such as painted scenery and stagecraft such as lighting are used to enhance the physicality, presence and immediacy of the experience. The specific place of the performance is also named by the word "theatre" as derived from the Ancient Greek θÎατρον (théatron, "a place for viewing"), itself from θεάομαι (theáomai, "to see", "to watch", "to observe").
Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements.
This album tells the story of The Mechanical Girl from her own perspective and, more particularly, what happened from the time she saved Sally Caster’s daughter to when Sally Caster and Denks and Klade discovered her rampaging through the time-streams.
To follow the full story of The Mechanical Girl through our albums, listen in this order: The Madness of Benjamin Folde, The Haunting of Sally Caster, Sally Caster 2: The Revenge, The Mechanical Girl A.I. and Sally Caster, Denks and Klade: The Mechanical Girl Takes Revenge.
For this album we decided to move towards a more Cinematic style, with some world music sounds, 80s nostalgia, orchestral soundtracks and of course a nod to Prog!
Unusually, for us, there is no intentional storyline linking the tracks but we hope that each track tells its own story.
It has been a little longer than expected but we hope you enjoy our latest album, Tales from the Edge of Yesterday. This is an homage to the classic period of Prog Rock (late 60s - early 70s) but with plenty of added Doug and Colin.
We hope you like it and spread the word!
After what seems like an age since our last album (actually it was July 2021) this album came together over just a 2-week period!
You've heard of women who don't realise they are pregnant almost until they give birth? Well, this album was a bit like that. Doug and I had both been busy with other things and then Doug did a livestream demo of an app called Fink Signatures, which used a percussive guitar sound. I could hear other sounds over the top and Doug sent me the bare bones track to work with. The following day we had our first track and Doug wanted to do a whole album in a similar vein. So that's what we did - the inspiration just came gushing out from nowhere!
So, now let Doug Woods and Colin Powell take you on a journey, rising high, levitating, into an alternative realm of light, and some darkness, far above the mundane to experience a great peace before returning back to everyday life once more - with renewed energy, ready for another day.
We hope you enjoy it and share it widely!
Thank you so much for all your support.
