(Symphonic progressive) Vertical Alignment - Signposts (2006), FLAC (image+.cue+covers) lossless

Vertical Alignment is a new USA progrock band that features five musicians and a wide range of guest musicians. Let's take a look at the five band members.

- Jim Braunreuther (vocals and keyboards) sang all through his childhood but didn't first pick up an instrument until he was eighteen. "I borrowed my brother's guitar and taught myself to play," recalls Jim. "I used his Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young book to teach myself different chords. It wasn't until my second year in college that I began to study music seriously." A video viewing of Leonard Bernstein explaining how Beethoven wrote the end of the 5th Symphony impelled Jim into music. He launched into music theory, piano, guitar and voice classes and rapidly expanded his musical knowledge. "Not feeling complete as a musician after only four years of instruction, I was looking for other opportunities to learn," continues Jim. "When I heard about the Musician's Institute in Los Angeles I was determined to go there to continue my instruction." Jim worked every spare hour of overtime he could for about three years to save enough to make the move to California. "I learned more in one year at the Institute than I had learned previously." Jim returned to the east coast and began teaching music in Florida. He eventually moved to Charleston, SC where he has been involved in music education ever since. He advanced into an administrative position for Charleston County Schools where he coordinates the Fine Arts programs for the county. Jim has been singing with Vertical Alignment for the last several years.
- Monty Pierce (guitars and bass) started playing music very early in life. He and his two brothers formed a band and were equipped by their very supportive father with everything they needed to begin. Monty began studying under accomplished jazz session player Vince Lewis while he was still a senior in high school. "Vince opened up a whole new world of guitar playing for me," continues Pierce. "He taught me a style of playing that turned my fingers into pretzels." Monty studied with Vince for three years. During 1979 and 1980 Monty and Pete Jorgensen collaborated in writing a number of tunes to the song lyrics of J.R.R. Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings." "We tried to get rights to use the material by writing to Tolkien's publisher in London," says Pierce. "They informed us that the rights had been sold to Fantasy Films." The duo were never able to publish any of their work and it still lies dorm...Vertical Alignment is a new USA progrock band that features five musicians and a wide range of guest musicians. Let's take a look at the five band members.

- Jim Braunreuther (vocals and keyboards) sang all through his childhood but didn't first pick up an instrument until he was eighteen. "I borrowed my brother's guitar and taught myself to play," recalls Jim. "I used his Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young book to teach myself different chords. It wasn't until my second year in college that I began to study music seriously." A video viewing of Leonard Bernstein explaining how Beethoven wrote the end of the 5th Symphony impelled Jim into music. He launched into music theory, piano, guitar and voice classes and rapidly expanded his musical knowledge. "Not feeling complete as a musician after only four years of instruction, I was looking for other opportunities to learn," continues Jim. "When I heard about the Musician's Institute in Los Angeles I was determined to go there to continue my instruction." Jim worked every spare hour of overtime he could for about three years to save enough to make the move to California. "I learned more in one year at the Institute than I had learned previously." Jim returned to the east coast and began teaching music in Florida. He eventually moved to Charleston, SC where he has been involved in music education ever since. He advanced into an administrative position for Charleston County Schools where he coordinates the Fine Arts programs for the county. Jim has been singing with Vertical Alignment for the last several years.
- Monty Pierce (guitars and bass) started playing music very early in life. He and his two brothers formed a band and were equipped by their very supportive father with everything they needed to begin. Monty began studying under accomplished jazz session player Vince Lewis while he was still a senior in high school. "Vince opened up a whole new world of guitar playing for me," continues Pierce. "He taught me a style of playing that turned my fingers into pretzels." Monty studied with Vince for three years. During 1979 and 1980 Monty and Pete Jorgensen collaborated in writing a number of tunes to the song lyrics of J.R.R. Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings." "We tried to get rights to use the material by writing to Tolkien's publisher in London," says Pierce. "They informed us that the rights had been sold to Fantasy Films." The duo were never able to publish any of their work and it still lies dormant today. Monty has three educational degrees but his electrical engineering degree led to his interest in advanced music technology. He went on to become a very specialized schoolteacher while continuing his music. Monty played with the Christian rock band "Sceptre" during his tenure in Greenwood, SC in the late eighties and early nineties. "Playing with Sceptre was an interesting experience that exposed me to many new things," continues Pierce. "It was during that time that I began to explore the potential of the MIDI guitar with my then new Roland GR-50." Monty recently resurrected the GR-50 and incorporated it into his current rig. Monty moved to the Lowcountry in the year 2000 and again began active collaboration with Pete & Terri. "This collaboration grew into the project that we now call Vertical Alignment," concludes Pierce.
- Pete Jorgensen (vocals, guitars, keyboards, ethnic flutes, sequencing) loved music from his earliest days. He grew up listening to Romantic era Classical music and moved on to Progressive Rock in his early years. "I always loved the intricate sounds of bands like Genesis and Yes," Jorgensen says. "Many of their songs were small concertos." This foundation shaped his musical direction in later years. Pete began playing guitar at the age of twelve. Within a few years he began writing songs. Pete played his early works in coffee houses and small venues from Wisconsin to Vermont in those early years. After committing his life to the Lord, Pete discovered the Jesus Music of such artists as Resurrection Band, Phil Keaggy, and Kerry Livgren. "Livgren's music was a real eye-opener for me," Jorgensen says. "As a former member of Kansas, he was the first Christian musician I had heard doing progressive rock." This had an influence on Pete's songwriting as he sought to portray the Lord's purpose in his music and to reach a higher level of musicality in his playing and compositions. "Since that time I only write new music out of a revelation of the Lord's intention in the earth today." In a small town in northern West Virginia in the early eighties Pete & Terri Jorgensen opened "The Omega Room," a small Christian coffee house that hosted area bands and individuals with a Christ centered message. Pete & Terri formed their first Christian rock group, "The Omega Band" in that time. They did new original tunes written by Pete and cover tunes by Christian bands like David and the Giants. In the late eighties in Rock Hill, SC Pete formed the art rock band "Tabernacle." The original group consisted of eight musicians including a gal on violin. "Tabernacle was truly bombastic music," says Jorgensen. "Without knowing it at the time, we definitely were pushing into progressive territory." The band went through several iterations before disbanding. At one time they appeared with "Sceptre," the band to which Monty Pierce belonged. In the early nineties Pete formed the band Ground Zero. "We called our music 'alternative art rock,'" he said. "We performed mostly the original material that I wrote for the band. The style paid tribute to the then emerging alternative rock, but always leaned towards the more progressive sound that I love. The early music of King's X was also a strong influence." Ground Zero performed in various venues in North and South Carolina. They released a "double EP" in this time which featured their hard rocking style on the first side and the progressive music of Peter J on the second side. In that same time, Pete and his wife Terri both became closely involved in MorningStar Fellowship of Charlotte, NC. For almost four years they played in the fellowship's praise band led by Leonard Jones. The band performed primarily new original material composed by Jones, but they also did several of Pete's works. His song "Come" was included on the first MorningStar music release, "Come Dwell Here." "Working with Leonard was a challenge," Pete says, "but he had an enormous influence on my songwriting. To this day I use the things that he taught me. He was and is an astounding musician and songwriter." Much of the music that Pete wrote in that time came out of his experiences at MorningStar. Pete now resides in the coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina along with his wife of 27 years Terri and two daughters Rachel and Melody. He is currently working with various musicians in the progressive rock band Vertical Alignment. The band's music varies from the progressive pop sound of "Kingdom of Summer" to lengthier and more involved progressive pieces such as "Freedom's Call." "I like to explore different styles in my writing, but all of my tunes still reflect my prog roots," Jorgensen concludes. Vertical Alignment is preparing their first CD release now entitled "Signposts."
- The other two members are Mike Adams (drums) and Terri Jorgensen (bass and djembe).

Vertical Alignment will be joined by an array of stars from the world of Christian Prog on their first full CD, "Signposts." Appearing with the VA regulars on the release will be Randy George and Wil Henderson of Ajalon, Steve Babb, Fred Schendel, and Eric Parker of Glass Hammer, David Wallimann of Glass Hammer and Young Earth, Carl Groves of Salem Hill, Mike and Shaun FitzPatrick of the band FitzPatrick, Eddie Jerlin of Everlasting Arms, Kevin Jarvis of Farpoint, Lenna Pauley of Progressive Positivity Radio and The Radiant Flow, lyrics by author Stephen Lawhead and more. The collaboration and interaction that has become this release has been nothing short of extraordinary. It is rare that a debut release boasts such a stellar cast.
"Signposts" is the first of many planned releases by Vertical Alignment. Through online distribution, the band hopes to reach a much wider audience. "The Internet has broken all barriers," continues Jorgensen. "It doesn't matter if you're in New York or Indonesia. Everyone has equal access to our music." Vertical Alignment hopes to reach a broad range of listeners in this fashion. "We want people everywhere to hear the message and the music," adds Jorgensen. "'Signposts' is a song and an album for these troubled times in which we live." "Signposts" takes a new look at both history and current events. The musical endeavor searches for new meaning in both tragedies and victories familiar to us all by using the varied musical styles of progressive rock. "It's a musical concept album unlike any other," says Jorgensen, who is the chief songwriter for Vertical Alignment. "We go on a musical search for Signposts; for those lessons in high profile events of yesterday and today that can guide our steps. I believe that we all can learn from mistakes and even see a larger life lesson in such history shaping scenarios. I sincerely hope that 'Signposts' will be more than highly enjoyable music," says Jorgensen. "I hope it becomes a search for deeper perspective on our true purpose of life in this fading timeline to all who listen."
The songs of "Signposts" are collected from the last fifteen years of songwriting by Jorgensen. "The oldest one is 'Ballad of the Titanic' which I wrote together with my wife Terri back in 1990," continues Jorgensen. "That song looks at the lesson of man trusting in his own pride." The most recent song on the album is an ending reprise which has a verse about last year's tragedy of New Orleans which followed the devastating Hurricane Katrina. "I believe that big events, whether tragic or victorious, have huge lessons for those with ears to hear," says Jorgensen. The album concludes on that upbeat note. "The end of the matter is this. Be encouraged because there is a sure path that leads out of and above the distress of our times," adds Jorgensen.
Vertical Alignment is joined by a stellar cast of musicians on this release. Members of the bands Ajalon, Glass Hammer, Salem Hill and more all guest star on the album. The almost 80 minute long release will be a treat for fans of both classic and current progressive rock music. "Several of the songs are shorter and more accessible but the album is filled with mini-epic stories and maximum musicianship. The next to last song, 'Kingdom of Summer', features lyrics by famous novelist Stephen Lawhead," says Jorgensen. "Steve heard the tune and loved it. He gave us full permission to use his fantastic words. I feel deeply honored to have him as a part of 'Signposts.' The album builds on a concept that (website information) "sometimes God uses major world events to point to a higher way; a better way. Vertical Alignment explores such events starting with the Second World War as portrayed in "Dress Rehearsal." Many other events are searched out including September 11, 2001 in "The Towers." The state of the world today in recent history is the last statement in "Rented Houses." The promise of a bright future is proclaimed in "Kingdom of Summer" with lyrics by Stephen Lawhead. Gamuts of emotions are felt as great events portrayed in song shape our existence and remind us always of the God who is there."
The music on this debut CD is very pleasant, melodic, accessible and modern sounding symphonic prog with an important role for the vocals. The climates range from dreamy with acoustic rhythm guitar and piano to compelling and bombastic with lush vintage keyboards and howling guitar runs.

Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010

EAC extraction logfile from 26. March 2011, 20:05

Vertical Alignment / Signposts

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Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
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Used output format : User Defined Encoder
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TOC of the extracted CD

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2 | 3:07.26 | 8:02.66 | 14051 | 50266
3 | 11:10.17 | 6:30.47 | 50267 | 79563
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8 | 66:04.59 | 7:53.51 | 297359 | 332884
9 | 73:58.35 | 5:23.61 | 332885 | 357170

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Filename Y:\EAC\wurensh\Vertical Alignment\Vertical Alignment - Signposts.wav

Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 0.6 X
Range quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC CCC79694
Copy OK

No errors occurred

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