Satellite Paradiso
New York City, NY | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | INDIE
Music
Press
"To my ears, Satellite Paradiso on record is exactly what you would expect from a player of his stature and intellect. John references his esteemed history while stretching the boundaries of the genre with new sounds, textures, and rhythms." - Tom Semioli, Huffington Post
“Previews of Satellite Paradiso tracks including “Insomnia,” “Touch the Sky,” and “Angelic” find Ashton pushing the sonic boundaries he forged a generation ago. And his penchant for anthemic melodies is as strong as it ever was. No wonder Mr. Ashton has a difficult time containing his passion.” - Tom Semioli, Huffington Post
“John Ashton unveils SATELLITE PARADISO, a long-gestating all-star project that explores cosmological questions uniting science, nature, and temporality with a totalizing virtuosity. Distortion becomes a palpable electromagnetic field as Ashton embarks on a Dante-esque sonic journey through a rhythmic wormhole in space-time that leads somewhere between 1984 and a timeless utopian future.” - Aidan Levy, The Village Voice
"With Fred Schreck on vocals, the album rockets to invincible heights. As a frontman, Schreck is a force of nature, whose rich vocals are a powerhouse amongst a million electric currents. As an album, SATELLITE PARADISO is a musical wonder, music to completely submerge yourself in and feel every quiver of emotion and be in awe of its dexterity." - Manchester Review (UK)
“From power pop to rock 'n' roll aggression, this is a project just itching for airplay” - Vive Le Rock (UK)
“With its virtuoso riffs, sonic swirls, sassy sax, melancholic cello and powerful vocals, SATELLITE PARADISO is music of the highest calibre.” - Manchester Review (UK)
“SATELLITE PARADISO is clearly a labour of musical love. How John Ashton has managed to cajole and inspire such a plethora of talent onto one album is quite awe inspiring... This record floats and it kicks and it bites, but it always feels like it is involving you. I listened to it and almost felt like I was on it.” - Sabotage Times
“People looking for everything they loved about the Furs will find plenty to enjoy on the album, and people looking for the next chapter in all this will also find plenty to pique their interest.” - Vents Magazine
“There is a definite ‘Furs vibe on several tracks, but SATELLITE PARADISO are forging new paths while retaining elements of the contributors’ past projects. All 10 tracks are immediately resonant and call for repeated plays... I can’t really say enough about this record – it is stunning.” - Jason's Jukebox
"Satellite Paradiso’s self-titled debut was recently reissued by Mi5/Universal. In addition to Schreck and Ashton, the album's jaw-dropping list of performers includes Big Paul Ferguson (Killing Joke), Sara Lee and Gail Ann Dorsey (Gang of Four), Amanda Kramer (Psychedelic Furs/Information Society/Golden Palominos), Cheetah Chrome (Dead Boys/Rocket From The Tombs), sax hero Mars Williams and Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue and Anthony Molina, among others." - Joel Gausten
“(Fred Schreck's) tonality and phrasings are an amalgamation of Ian McCullouch of Echo & the Bunnymen, Steve Kibley of The Church and even Bono of U2. So his vocal “sound,” though not raspy like Richard Butler, will still be very familiar to fans of the Furs because it parallels that era.” - Veer Magazine
“John Ashton has formed a new band, Satellite Paradiso, and it feels like a natural extension of his previous efforts.” - Vanyaland
“(Ashton) has also linked up with artists like Sara Lee of Gang of Four / B-52's, members of his former band - Psychedelic Furs, Paul Ferguson of Killing Joke, plus former members of Lou Reed and David Bowie's bands, and many more.” - Officially A Yuppie
Discography
SATELLITE PARADISO (Mi5 Recordings / Universal Music Group)
iTunes: http://apple.co/2brlGPu
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dwQ5iv
ITUNES BOOKLET
http://bit.ly/23ScM4H
MUSICIANS
John Ashton (Psychedelic Furs) - Guitars & Loops
Fred Schreck (The Ancients/Crush) - Vocals, Guitars, Keys
Sara Lee (Gang of Four/B-52′s/Todd Rundgren) - Bass
Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie/Lenny Kravitz/Tears for Fears) - Bass
Roger Morris (Psychedelic Furs/Castle Bravo) - Guitars, Keys
Duncan Kilburn (Psychedelic Furs/The Strangers) - Sax
Frank Coleman (Jayne County/Bentmen) - Drums, Piano
Paul Ferguson (Killing Joke) - Drums
Paul Garisto (Psychedelic Furs/Iggy Pop) - Drums
Don Yallech (Psychedelic Furs) - Drums
BP Hurding (X-Ray Spex/Classix Nouveaux) - Drums
Mars Williams (Psychedelic Furs/The Waitresses/Liquid Soul) - Sax
Amanda Kramer (Psychedelic Furs/World Party) - Piano, Keys
Jo Quail - Electric Cello
Jonathan Donahue (Mercury Rev) - Keys, Loops
Jane Scarpantoni (Lou Reed/Yeah Yeah Yeahs) - Cello
Alexandra Cutler-Fetkewicz (Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia) - Violin
Mark Volman (Flo & Eddie) - Backing Vocals
Jen Gloeckner - Backing Vocals, Synth, Loops
Invisible Arranged By John Ashton & Anthony Molina
Lyrics By Fred Schreck
Mixed By Anthony Molina & John Ashton at White Light Recording Studios, Kingston, NY
Mastered By Anthony Molina at White Light Recording Studios, Kingston, NY
Satellite Paradiso logo by Dave Furneaux
Album design by John Ashton with Frank Coleman
Photos
Bio
Satellite Paradiso is the new all-star project from John Ashton, formerly of The Psychedelic Furs.
John Ashton has been a musical icon since the punk era, when The Psychedelic Furs became hitmakers as well as critical darlings, and their song, “Pretty in Pink,” transcended the world of pop music to become the title of a John Hughes film and a generation’s catchphrase.
Satellite Paradiso gives Ashton a new platform, liberating him to go wherever his imagination takes him. The music explodes in the kind of glorious, insanely catchy, melodic rush that typifies the best of The Furs, while clearly setting its own agenda for the future.
Powerhouse vocalist Fred Schreck (The Ancients), bassist Robert Burke Warren (The Fleshtones) and drummer Frank Coleman (Jayne County) complete the core of the live band.
Special guests often appear, not surprisingly, since the crew for Ashton’s first album mushroomed into a 20-piece ensemble for the ages, including bassist Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz); drummer Paul Ferguson (Killing Joke); guitarist Cheetah Chrome (Dead Boys, Rocket From the Tombs); Mercury Rev's Anthony Molina and Jonathan Donahue; Flo & Eddie’s Mark Volman (The Turtles, Frank Zappa, T.Rex); and original Furs members Duncan Kilburn (sax) and Roger Morris (guitar, keys) -- just to name a few.
The press has taken notice.
"A monstrous, swaggering wall of sound." VIVE LE ROCK (UK)
“Akin to his celebrated contemporaries, Johnny Marr and The Edge, he is that rare breed of player whom you can identify in a single note or chord.” - HUFFINGTON POST
"John Ashton unveils SATELLITE PARADISO, a long-gestating allstar project that explores cosmological questions uniting science, nature, and temporality with a totalizing virtuosity. Distortion becomes a palpable electromagnetic field as Ashton embarks on a Dante-esque sonic journey through a rhythmic wormhole in spacetime that leads somewhere between 1984 and a timeless utopian future." THE VILLAGE VOICE
"Single of the Month. Album of the Month. With its virtuoso riffs, sonic swirls, sassy sax, melancholic cello and powerful vocals, SATELLITE PARADISO is music of the highest calibre." MANCHESTER REVIEW (UK)
Band Members
Links