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14th JANUARY 2002
NEW JAMES BYRD INTERVIEW & FBT9 REVIEW
James has a new interview online with the website Guitar Noise. Its another classy interview from the Byrdman covering everything from FBT9 to guitar styles and Byrd Guitars.

The website has done a review of FBT9, to read the review click HERE.


12th JANUARY 2002
UPDATED MP3 LINKS
There are now a variety of countries where you can access the albums 'Crimes Of Virtuosity' and 'Son Of Man' on mp3. After having tried a variety of destinations I have discovered that the non US regions offer quicker connection speeds if you are listeing in lo-fi streaming audio.

Remember this is the only place you will hear 'Son Of Man' in its entirety - also listen to and buy the special edition of 'Crimes Of Virtuosity'.

- US MP3 WEBSITE.
- UK MP3 WEBSITE.
- MP3 WEBSITE FRANCE.
- MP3 WEBSITE SPAIN.
- MP3.WEBSITE GERMANY.

23rd DECEMBER 2001
MERRY CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR TO ALL READERS
In the event of there being no more updates prior to the new year then I would like to thank all the visitors to this website for their support and wish you a Merry Christmas and a great 2002. The past year has been a superb one and will go down as a year to remember with 'Flying Beyond The 9' being the most critically acclaimed album of James' career thus far. Here's to 2002 and another Byrd album............

ASK BYRD UPDATED
James has answered a question on multi-fx and individual stomp box debate, his answers also cross over into the right way of running set-ups and the world of stereo rigs. Read Byrd's great reply in the 'Ask Byrd' section.

16th DECEMBER 2001
FLYING BEYOND THE 9 WINS ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD!
The quite excellent website 'Guitar Mania' websitehas selected 'Flying Beyond The 9' as its 'Album of 2001'. Check it out along with a FBT9 review at 'Guitar Mania'.

JAMES BYRD INTERVIEW
To thank Guitar Mania for the award James did another interview with the website, as always its compulsive reading - check it out at 'Guitar Mania'.

13th DECEMBER 2001
ALBUM UPDATE & OTHER NEWS
James has reported that the album is progressing well.  Michael Flatters has completed his vocals, the next step is final orchestration of the tracks and James' guitar parts, then mixing and other post production work.  NO release date has yet been set and James says the album is going along at its own natural pace.

Contrary to the odd rumour and emails I have received James is not looking for a bass player.

For those of you that want to get some more of Michael Flatter's vocal talents down your lugholes (and lets face it who wouldn't!) then be sure to check out the new Takara cd 'Perception Of Reality' out now on Lion Music.

18th NOVEMBER 2001
ANOTHER NEW JAMES BYRD INTERVIEW
This interview was undertaken about 2 months ago but has just been posted at the 'Distorted Views' website.  This is probably the most hysterical Byrd interview you will read and some of James' answers had me in fits of laughter!  Read it HERE.

9th NOVEMBER 2001
NEW JAMES BYRD INTERVIEW
Read James' latest interview with the 'Heavy Metal Appreciation Website' HERE. The interview is also accessible from the interviews page.

6th NOVEMBER 2001
UPDATE FROM JAMES ON THE NEW ALBUM
"I've been working on the new album pretty much every day. This where it's a lot easier just to play in a band. I not only have to write all the words and music, but I'm working on orchestration and arrangements as well. It gets very time consuming to write counter melodies, and decide which symphonic instruments will carry what. This morning I'm getting music ready for my engineer/multi-instrumentalist Brian (Hutchinson). I work with him 3 days a week, and with Michael (Flatters) on the weekends. The rest of the time I spend either writing, or getting as far away from music as possible. Today I'll record a rough of the 7th track for the new album. I have 6 songs with finished orchestration, three of those have finished vocals thus far. I'm leaving the recording of my guitars until all the other parts have been completed on all the songs".

"The war has had a signifigant impact on the direction of the album's content, but don't look for any commercial attempts on my part to use the war to market it. I feel there's too much cashing-in on the tragedy already. The album definately relates to the war lyrically as have many of my previous songs and albums (Atlantis Rising "fallen warrior" during the democratic uprising in China in 1990, JBG Apocalypse Chime "Bosnia"). I'd describe the new album as having a sinister militaristic edge, but also being my most melodic to date. Keep the faith and pray for a change of minds in a good part of the world" ~ Byrd.

20th OCTOBER 2001
The 'Ask Byrd' section has been updated with a question from Walt Smith.

7th OCTOBER 2001
James is currently writing the follow up to "Flying Beyond The 9". He is 3 tracks in and says the album is progressing well. More updates coming soon.

The equipment page sees an update from James regarding his change from DiMarzio HS-3's to Virtual Vintage 54B pickups in the bridge position.

Hope you enjoy the new look website.

4th September 2001:  
Yet another review is added for Flying Beyond The 9, and yet again it is very positive. This album is certainly the most critically acclaimed Byrd album yet.  There are now 21 reviews for FBT9 online, no doubt more to come!

In related Byrd news FBT9 engineer and multi instrumentalist Brian Hutchinson's musical prowess can be heard on the new album by Cairo entitled 'Time Of Legends'.  Brian contributed guitar (alongside Louis Maldonado) and in addition has one solo on the album.  The album is available on Magna Carta records and a review can be found HERE.  You can also visit the bands website HERE.

30th August 2001: 
Another review for FBT9 added to the FBT9 review page. 

In related news FBT9 vocalist Michael James Flatters album with TAKARA will be released late this year on Lion Music in Europe. Michael remains on board for the the next Byrd project too.

18th August 2001: 
James has done an interview for the UK rock website Metalliville.  To view the interview click on the interview section HERE.

9th August 2001: 
Byrd -flying beyond the 9 will now also be shipping through CDNOW in late August. CDNOW is accepting advance orders now on the album now. Price is $14.99 or £10.71.  To visit the correct page direct click HERE.  

James Byrd has just signed a new deal with Lion Music for the follow-up to 'Flying Beyond The 9'. The yet untitled album will continue the symphonic approach to production and will again feature Michael Flatters on lead vocals and Brian Hutchison on keyboards.

Review for FBT9 added from Monsters World Of Metal, see it in the reviews section.

Interview with James added from the Music Extreme website, see it in the interviews section.

30th July 2001: 
Another review for FLYING BEYOND THE 9 has been added, this time from the UK rock website HARDROXX.  To view this review click HERE.

Here is the cover art to the Jason Becker tribute 'Warmth In The Wilderness' on which James contributes a solo to 'Outro Jam'.  To order the album now go to Lion Music's website. Expect a few words from James on this project in the next few days.

24th July 2001: 
A new interview with James is online at the ROCK REPORT website, it covers pretty much all of James' career and is especially clear on just what has gone down with Shrapnel Records, to read the interview click HERE.

A superb review of FLYING BEYOND THE 9 by Alanna Evans from the metal site RAINBOW FLAMES METAL DOMAIN has been uploaded, to read this great in-depth review click HERE.

Just got my copy of POWERPLAY magazine, the interview with James is quite superb being 4.5 pages long. I am working on getting clearance to feature part of the interview here at jbyrd.co.uk, the magazine also has a great review of FBT9 and the cover CD features the track PARADISE TONIGHT.  UK residents should be able to find the magazine in all big newsagents.  It is also available in selected countries throughout Europe.  Fans outside of Europe who would like this issue can find ordering information at the Powerplay website.

16th July 2001: 
Added 2 new reviews for FLYING BEYOND THE 9, the number of reviews for the album now stands at 16 with more to come.  To see the new review go to the reviews page HERE.

15th July 2001: 
UK and European rock magazine POWERPLAY has a new interview with James, a review of FLYING BEYOND THE 9 and to top it off 'Paradise Tonight' features on the magazine cover CD!!  I will post more details as soon as I receive my copy but in the meantime check out the magazines website for ordering/subscription information.

It also gives me great pleasure to announce the emergence of a new James Byrd website, this new website is located in Japan and is being made by Kenichi Tomita, Its bound to grow over the next few months and hopefully it will allow Byrd fans in Japan to get the latest info in their native tongue - check it out HERE.

7th July 2001: 
Three new reviews for FLYING BEYOND THE 9 have been added, to view them click HERE.  In other jbyrd.co.uk related news look out for a new section coming in the future, the new section will focus on James' home studio gear which is bound to be a great insight for all gear head visitors.

Also look out for a forthcoming interview at the Rock Report website, I will post details when its online.

27th June 2001: 
Two reviews added for FLYING BEYOND THE 9, both contain very high praise and are from Rock Reunion and Metal Coven websites.  There is also an interview with James in the current edition of German rock magazine ROCK IT! The interview is in German but I hope to have a translation for you soon.  The magazine has also reviewed FBT9 and rated it 5/6.

20th June 2001: 
New reviews added for FLYING BEYOND THE 9, CRIMES OF VIRTUOSITY and SON OF MAN.  Also there is currently one copy of SON OF MAN available on ebay, only 2 days left on this auction, follow this link.

Related News: FBT9 vocalist Michael James Flatters is about to fly to Los Angeles to commence mixing/mastering of the new Takara album on which he contributed lead vocals.

16th June 2001: 
New review added to the FLYING BEYOND THE 9 review page from the website ELECTRIC BASEMENT, to read it click HERE.

13th June 2001: 
Added an interview with a Seattle based guitarist called John Jaunese.  John is the proud owner of a Byrd Guitars Super Avianti and the interview gives a great insight into the instrument.  To read the interview go HERE.

6th June 2001: 
*EXCLUSIVE* interview with FLYING BEYOND THE 9 multi-instrumentalist and engineer BRIAN HUTCHINSON now online, read it HERE.  

Also don't forget to check out my *EXCLUSIVE* interviews with JAMES BYRD and FLYING BEYOND THE 9 vocalist MICHAEL JAMES FLATTERS.

2nd June 2001: 
An excerpt from FLYING BEYOND THE 9 vocalist Michael James Flatters recent interview with rock reunion is online in the interview section, to read it go HERE.

29th May 2001: 
Added a new FBT9 review, this time from the German website 'THE METAL OBSERVER' see it HERE.  Also today is the 'official' in-store release date for FLYING BEYOND THE 9.  The label is LION MUSIC and the catalogue number is: LMC2102 2.  

MP3.COM 
JAMES BYRD'S ATLANTIS RISING - CRIMES OF VIRTUOSITY is still available HERE to buy, but not for too much longer. A re-licensing agreement for the C.O.V. album is in the works. As soon as it is signed, 'Crimes of Virtuosity 2000 MP3 Edition' CDs will no longer be available. If you want the Crimes of Virtuosity CD, get it HERE soon. The complete album on D.A.M. CD is still available, and features the never before released track which is the 1st movement from a concerto James composed and recorded in early 1996: 'BYRD'S BOLERO No46 Mvt 1'. The album also features the Japanese bonus track 'SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES' re-mixed to the same specification as the European releases. 'CRIMES OF VIRTUOSITY' was entirely remastered for this MP3 edition, this release is bound to become a collectors item so grab it while you can!!

24th May 2001: 
Added three new FLYING BEYOND THE 9 reviews, one from ROCKHARDPLACE, the second from RAINBOW FLAMES METAL DOMAIN and the third from the French website GUITAR HEROES. See them HERE.

23rd May 2001: 
Added a new section - REVIEWS - this page is to show all the Byrd reviews from around the world, both web and press.  If you know of any URL's or magazines with Byrd reviews past or present please email me with the details.  FLYING BEYOND THE 9 T-Shirts and Mugs are now available, click the link at top of the page.

21st May 2001: 
Uploaded my personal review of FLYING BEYOND THE 9 HERE. If any fans would like to submit their review please email them to me and I will happily post them.  Rock Area have also just posted a stellar review of FBT9, click HERE and go to the reviews page.

16th May 2001: 
Guitar 9 now has FLYING BEYOND THE 9 in stock and ready to ship today, the price is $14 [inc US Shipping] and $18 for European orders.  In addition to this there are also sound clips to the following tracks: FLYING BEYOND THE 9, DARK HEART, W.T.O. [WE TOOK OVER] and NEVERMORE.  I have personally ordered from this company in the past and the service has been superb [3 days to the UK], far surpassing that of amazon, cdnow etc.  To view the album at Guitar 9 and hear the sound clips click HERE.

15th May 2001: 
A brand new super in depth *EXCLUSIVE* interview with JAMES BYRD has been uploaded, this will tell you everything you wanted to know on this landmark BYRD - FLYING BEYOND THE 9 release right from the creators mouth.   Check it out HERE.  

Lion Music are now shipping copies of FLYING BEYOND THE 9 that are ordered through their website.  Price is $16.50 including Free Shipping, most customers so far have received their copies within 4-5days.

Coming Soon: *EXCLUSIVE* interview with FLYING BEYOND THE 9 multi instrumentalist and engineer BRIAN HUTCHINSON.

7th May 2001:
A new *EXCLUSIVE* interview with 'FLYING BEYOND THE 9' vocalist MICHAEL JAMES FLATTERS has been uploaded, check it out HERE. To follow this there will be an extremely in-depth interview with JAMES BYRD on his take on 'FLYING BEYOND THE 9', this will be in turn followed by an interview with 'FLYING BEYOND THE 9' Multi Instrumentalist and engineer BRIAN HUTCHINSON. 

'FLYING BEYOND THE 9' is now available to preorder from Lion Music, as an added incentive it will be shipped prior to the May 29th Official Release Date, preorder now from: http://www.lionmusic.com 

Make sure you do not miss any of the many updates coming over the next few weeks, sign up to the mailing list on the main page NOW, you will not be flooded with emails, this service is strictly to inform you of Byrd news and website updates, you can be removed at anytime if you desire.

24th April 2001: 
FLYING BEYOND THE 9 album cover now online, advance orders will be taken very soon from Lion Music.

4th April 2001: 
Lion Music are now in receipt of the FLYING BEYOND THE 9 masters and artwork and are negotiating licensing/distribution agreements thru-out various world territories. Release date is set for MAY 29TH 2001.

27th March 2001: 
New link to latest Byrd interview with Rock Reunion online magazine in Interview section. Also 3 new Byrd pictures from James' latest photo shoot in the Image Gallery.

26th March 2001: 
Added an article by Joe Romagnola that appears on the back inside cover of 'Son Of Man'. Also various pages will be getting facelifts over the next few days.

15th March 2001: 
FLYING BEYOND THE 9 is done. The cover and photos are still in the works but should be finished within a week. I still don't have a known release date. One major change in the production of the album took place in the final sessions. Harpsichord was replaced by Grand Piano on all the songs. 

JB: "I knew that if it changed, it would be all the songs because I wanted the album to be unified by production from song to song. I began to hear (in my mind) piano, and I thought it might lend a very elegant (If less cutting) sound. I think it definitely did. Since the album was primarily composed via keyboards, it sort of brought the song writing 'home again' and grounded it. Besides, when was the last time you heard a metal (I use the term very very loosely) album with grand piano? I don't know, maybe someone's done it, but it became 'right' when I heard it".   

Track Listing 
1. Flying Beyond The 9 - [4:15] 
2. Dark Heart - [5:00] 
3. W.T.O. (we took over) - [4:59] 
4. Nevermore - [5:10] 
5. Everything To Me - [6:20] 
6. Unity (while you were sleeping) - [5:58] 
7. Paradise Tonight - [5:03] 
8. All of Me (an allegory to the Church) - [4:58] 
9. Avianti Suite - [4:15]

One song has no guitar in it whatsoever. "All of Me". 
JB: "Sure I could have put guitar on it, and I felt people expected it but it just didn't seem right. It's a song, period. I produced the lead vocal in this song very differently and it's intentionally "small" sounding. Sometimes one wants words to be of ultimate importance. The decision was based on the idea that (Hopefully) people who enjoy my music are mature enough to imbibe something completely different and appreciate structure and lyric over instrumentation. It's a deeply personal song. My guitar is just a tool, and it wasn't right for this song. I also like the transition from words with no guitars, to a track with guitar from one end to the other with no words (Avianti Suite)".   

As you have read 'Flying Beyond The 9' is looking set to become a groundbreaking release, not just in Byrd history but also for the rock genre as a whole. As soon as more news becomes available I will post it here

5th March 2001: 
Last weeks earthquake in Seattle thankfully didn't affect James or the progress of 'FLYING BEYOND THE 9'. More news soon.

10th February 2001: 
The last ten days Byrd has been doing transfers of the master tape tracks onto a computer hard-drive. These were done 2 instrument tracks at a time (There were 16), so it was very time consuming: 9 songs x 8 passes x 9 confirmation playbacks, then 9 x 8 tracks of MIDI information. In a nutshell, each song took about 3 hours to get into the new format. The change in format is so that there are additional tracks for more vocal harmonies and such.

The recording of additional tracks commenced last night. The new format (Cakewalk 9.0) has allowed Byrd many additional tracks of recording. The new tracks and actual mixing become somewhat concurrent in this format. As mixes are built, decisions for additional tracks may be made on the spot, and the additional tracks are then overdubbed on the spot. Last night James worked on the title track. The bass guitar parts were replaced by their permanent bass parts, and equalization was undertaken on the basic tracks which consist of guitar, bass and drums. Then additional vocal harmonies were recorded and added to the song. Next, the work will be evaluated in terms of sound, and then the symphonic tracks will be dealt with; all the violins, harpsichord, horns, etc.

Byrd will then be adding additional little guitar parts here and there on tape at his home studio, and these will be brought with him to the mix-down studio for fly-over transfer into the mixes.

Along with above news James said: "This is the best of times; I'm finally hearing the album "Jell" as it was intended. The process of mixing an album can be very simple, or very complex, depending on the nature of the music. This one is fairly complex, but this is due the format change which was required to facilitate the full scope of the instrumentation".

James has also taken several CD's into the studio with him [as do every recording artist] to help get reference points for various things, amongst these are: Queen - Greatest Hits [for vocal production values], Yes - Big Generator [bass sounds] as well as Yngwie Malmsteen - Magnum Opus [for drum sounds] and a few others.

10th January 2001 : BYRD PRESS RELEASE
James Byrd has announced that he will be releasing an all-new album of self-described "Progressive Symphonic Metal" titled "Byrd –Flying Beyond The 9" through the European label Lion Music in March of this year. "This album has been more than 2 years in the making" said Byrd, "And is not a ‘band’ product in the expected sense. The album is best described as a solo album, yet is not all instrumental. I have been working with only two other people to complete this work. Vocalist Michael James Flatters and an engineer/multi-instrumentalist who’s worked for several very notable acts in the past; Brian Hutchinson. Flying Beyond The 9 is the album I began in 1998 to establish a path for the rest of my career in terms of where I want my music to begin again. I realised with the completion of Crimes of Virtuosity (JVC) that the future of my own musical direction had to have a more future oriented slant, and that it was a question of integration within myself as an artist. I asked myself then, ‘what is it in my own style, which must be amplified to reach not a new identity, but a completeness of identity?’. I believed that the new album had to be quintessentially ‘me’, yet entirely fresh sounding and capable of setting a new course. It involved a lot of self-examination and criticism really. My initial inspiration for a significant portion of the approach, was hearing something on the radio; it was a couple of tracks from the first Van Halen album from 1979 which convinced me that there is something very compelling about just one incredibly punchy rhythm guitar as a fundamental. I heard that what I, and also others (Like Yngwie), had been doing since the 1990’s was actually becoming cloudier and cloudier due to the sheer amount of guitars used. So the new album would feature just a solitary guitar track. Historically, I felt that my weakest point as an artist has been production. I’ve never been one to senselessly defend my own catalogue, but have always tried to see weakness so that I could eliminate them. Flying Beyond The 9 is neither ‘retro’, nor at all like anything I’d call ‘trendy’. It’s extremely classical, yet also very ‘pop’ in so many ways. Rather than go on and on describing the album, I will just say that when it comes out, I think people will find that I have taken the best elements of my own history, and set them into an entirely new framework for the future. There are more than 60 tracks of symphonic instrumentation behind one guitar track, and the sound is glorious now. I can’t thank Brian enough for his genius at engineering. I knew that I needed help with engineering. Brian came into this project out of desire to truly see and help me fulfil this vision and his help has been so invaluable that I can’t begin to say enough here. Likewise, Michael James Flatters (Lead vocals) has been an absolute joy to work with. I feel so blessed by these people, I just need to say it: I could not have done this album with anyone else. These people were unified and committed to Flying Beyond The 9, and it’s been a relief and pleasure to NOT wear the engineering hat. I sincerely hope that the new album can mark a point for me of professionalism in production, and every effort has been made by all of us to insure that it does. There are so few artists left who attempt to write and perform truly progressive music these days which feature the guitar as a major point of interest, yet this is what I do. I will just quit if it has to be ‘Limp Biscut’ or whatever they’re called. Bands like Symphony X, well God-bless them because they are a rare breed of players who make this effort. Mike Romeo, Uli Roth, Frank Marino, and Yngwie, these are not only my counterparts, but also my dear friends. I hope that I can continue to be a part of this small elite who has simply refused to quit, and I also would like to thank Lion Music for joining in commitment to the cause of serious music in non-serious musical times. Thank all of you so much for your interest and God Bless. See you in the speakers.", Byrd.  

9th January 2001: 
The lineup for 'Flying Beyond The 9' is: James Byrd - All Guitars, Michael James - Lead Vocals, Brian Hutchinson - Bass, Drums, Keys and backing vocals. Brian is also involved with producing and engineering the album. James hopes for a early March 2001 release. The album is now in the mixing stages.

7th January 2001: 
Added the interview James did for rockreunion.de in mid 2000. Another great interview telling the rise and fall of Fifth Angel as well as an overview of his solo career thus far. See it in the interviews section. 

4th December 2000: Message from James Byrd.
"In honor of 10,000 visits to the fan club, and the approach of 10,000 hits on MP3.com since July 15th, I have made the entire album ‘Son of Man’ available to all of you as streaming audio on my MP3 page. Finding out last year that this album was sold-out on Shrapnel and that they would not be pressing more was a frustration both to me and to many people who’d to written me inquiring as to where to find the album. Although you still can’t purchase the album, you will be able to hear it in it’s entirety anytime you wish absolutely free. I concluded that it was within my rights to make my catalog available in the streaming format on MP3, and as time allows I intend to make all my work available in streaming format on MP3. In other news, the all new jamesbyrd.com website is going to be available within about 10 days, courtesy of Wild Willy Parsons websight company Dead Elvis Productions. The support of you all has been so much appreciated".

Byrd