Specimen13 - Echosystem

What could Superman possibly have in common with members of King Crimson? And what on earth could comic books possibly have in common with progressive music? The answer: SPECIMEN13 The five pieces to be presented in this first musical offering are the fruits of several years of labor with collaboration on an international scale. At the heart of Specimen13 there is: DENIS RODIER : Drums, Electronic Percussions, Artwork Denis Rodier has drawn Superman for a decade and is now the artist on L'Ordre des Dragons and L'Apogee des Dragons, a graphic novel series for French publisher Soleil. He never stopped playing the drums. MARTIN VANIER : Guitars, Bass, Soundscapes Martin Vanier is an ex-member of the prog group TALISMA. He has always played guitar. Also playing on the "ECHOSYSTEM" EP: ADRIAN BENAVIDES : Audio Engineering, sound design, drum programming and additional synth ALEX DOWERK: U8 Touch Guitar ERIK EMIL ESKILDSEN: U8 Touch Guitar, soundscapes TREY GUNN: Warr Guitar TONY LEVIN: Chapman Stick PAT MASTELOTTO: Traps & Buttons EOGHAN MCCLOSKEY: drums BILL MUNYON: Sound design MARKUS REUTER: Production, sound design and U8 Touch Guitar BERNHARD WÖSTHEINRICH: synthesizers ................................................................................................ THE PROJECT Specimen13 blends progressive rock with video technology and comic book illustration. The launching of Echosystem is but the introductory phase of the project's vast repertoire; 33:44 minutes of powerful Eclectic Prog Rock similar to the contemporary stylings of Tool and the more recent works of King Crimson. But much more will follow. Specimen13 is a developing multimedia project-multimedia in the truest sense of the word!-and this first offering, Echosystem, is but a taste of what's to come! The subsequent release of the final album will be accompanied by videos in the form of Web TV, and also by the complete Specimen 13 Graphic Novel created by the internationally recognized Denis Rodier. Specimen 13 is music, video and illustration. Sound and images. THE BAND The creative core of Specimen 13 is comprised of Martin Vanier, guitarist from the progressive rock formation Talisma and Denis Rodier, drums, electronic percussion and visual creations. DENIS RODIER Denis Rodier is a comic book illustrator that has collaborated on some of the most popular American series in history, such as Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman and above all, Superman. It was his work in these publications that earned him his greatest accolades, particularly the story of "The Death of Superman", best seller and winner of numerous awards. Since 2008 Denis has been busy on his own series L'Ordre de Dragon and L'Apogee Des Dragons, published in Europe by Soleil Editions. As a painter, his work has been seen internationally in such publications as the illustration compilation Arzach Made in U.S.A., the picture book Shoes for Amelie (nominated and winner of several Awards of Excellence). He has painted covers for Newstime Magazine, Planet of the Apes, The Demon and many more. As well as being in several private collections, his work has been exhibited in New York, Rome, Durbuy, Belgium and the Quebec Museum of Art. Denis has always participated in multiple musical projects as a percussionist, notably the musical show Melomaniaque featuring Gregory Charles which aired on ARTV. With the dawn of the XXI century he founded Speciman13 which has involved some of the most eminent artists of the Quebec music scene such as Martin Vanier (Talisma), Michel Blanchet (Mystick, Eila) and Gaston Gagnon (Garolou). MARTIN VANIER After studying at the Vincent D'Indy music school, Martin Vanier joins the band Talisma around 2000. With his creativity and his texturals licks emerging from his guitar synthesizer, Talisma is soon labeled as a "pure progressive rock band". It releases two albums with Vanier, the most recent being Chromiuim in 2005. Soon, Vanier joins forces with Rodier in Specimen13 and some concerts are aligned with Michel Blanchet on the Chapman Stick, most notably, a memorable night with laureat rock poet Lucien Francoeur, frontman of the legendary Canadian rock band Aut'Chose. But his greatest show of creative virtuosity takes shape in the songs found on the new Specimen13 EP Echosystem. Discography: Talisma (Unicorn Records) Corpus (2003) Chromium (2005) Specimen13 Echosystem (EP) (2012) ................................................................................................ All compositions written by Denis Rodier & Martin Vanier - All visuals by Denis Rodier Arranged & mixed by Adrian Benavides & Markus Reuter Produced by Markus Reuter for Unsung Productions Mastered by Lee Fletcher for Unsung Productions ................................................................................................