Tag: Jay Schellen

The Classic Tales of Yes Tour 2024

Following their recent acclaimed tour in the USA, progressive legends YES are set to return to UK stages in May and June.

Hot on the heels of their hugely successful ‘Classic Tales Of Yes’ American Tour, Progressive Rock legends, YES, are poised to hit the road in the UK once more on a 9-date trek across the country starting on 23rd May at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and ending in London on 4th June at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, a fitting end for such a majestic band.

‘The Classic Tales Of Yes Tour’ will see YES mining their rich catalogue to deliver a career spanning set of classics, rarely played vintage cuts and new songs from 1970’s ‘Time and a Word’ right up to ‘Mirror To The Sky’, their 23rd album released last year, together with a special section celebrating the 50th anniversary of their momentous ‘Tales From The Topographic Oceans’ opus.

Every show will feature a Roger Dean gallery in the venue’s foyer area. Dean’s masterful artwork of striking other-worldly landscapes has graced classic album covers and posters.  He has sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide.  His artwork appears on the cover of the current YES album Mirror To The Sky. Roger is planning to be at each show on the tour, to meet with fans.

Steve Howe, whose association with Yes began in 1970, along with Geoff Downes, a member of the 1980 ‘Drama’ era line-up are joined by Jon Davison, lead vocalist in Yes for well over a decade now; Billy Sherwood on bass, hand-picked by original bassist Chris Squire and Jay Schellen, who worked closely with Alan White, on drums completing the line-up.

“YES are very much looking forward to playing in Europe and the UK during April, May and June this year. It’s been a while since we toured here and we’ve really missed you all.”  says Steve Howe

Geoff Downes goes on to say: “We’re very much looking forward to bringing the Classic Tales of YES Tour to the UK and Europe.   It promises to be one of our most interesting sets to date, scanning through much of YES’s history and with some previously unheard pieces together with music from out latest album, ‘Mirror To The Sky’. As always, we’re committed to pushing new boundaries and are very excited to be performing another chapter in the rich legacy of the band.“

“Jon D. here, My band mates and I are very pleased and excited to bring to the UK and parts of the EU our current set of classic Yes music which, covering the rich spectrum of Yestory, delighted US fans last fall. We’ll be performing many song favourites but also adding rarities, some of which haven’t been performed in decades!  Let’s all join together in May, band and audience alike, in celebrating what’s best about Yes music. See you there!”

“Very much looking forward to playing all this wonderful YES music across Europe and the UK. It’s an interesting set of music and one that spans the many decades of the bands unique and rich history” continues Billy Sherwood

Jay Schellen says: “I’m very excited and looking forward to performing our 2024 Classic Tales Of YES tour in the UK. This collection of songs is unique in many ways. A classic YES show, thrilling and dynamic!  I’m sure our fans will be excited and pleased as well!” 

The Classic Tales of YES UK Tour Dates 2024

Thursday 23 May                Manchester               Bridgewater Hall*

Friday 24 May                      Glasgow                    Royal Concert Hall*

Sunday 26 May                    Liverpool                    Philharmonic Hall*

Tuesday 28 May                  York                            Barbican*

Wednesday 29 May             Southend                   Cliffs Pavilion*

Friday 31May                       Bristol                       Beacon

Saturday 1 June                   Birmingham               Symphony Hall*

Sunday 2 June                     Gateshead               The Glasshouse (formerly The Sage*)

Tuesday 4 June                  London                     Royal Albert Hall

*UK Shows rescheduled from 2023, all tickets remain valid.

Buy UK and European tickets from Live – Yesworld

and UK tickets Bookings Direct – Yes Tickets and Dates 2024 (seetickets.com)

What The Media Said About The Yes USA Tour

“It was fantastic to see the band dig deep and play selections such as ‘It Will Be A Good Day (The River)’, a song not played live since 2000. What tale can be complete without digging up ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’. The band did a condensed reimagined version which ended the main set with a thunderous ovation. Consider it a treat that YES still exists in 2023.”

Joseph Suto, ROCK SHOW CRITIQUE

“This show is bound to please and have something for everyone. Everyone together produces a sound that is almost indistinguishable from the earlier incarnations. The only real difference is the improvement of technology and better fidelity. If you have enjoyed Yes in the past, you will enjoy this show and if you have never seen them, there is no better time than now.”

Kim Hansen, GHOST CULT MAG

About YES

Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals (1970 –1981, 1990–1992, 1995–present)


Geoff Downes: keyboards (1980–1981, 2011–present)


Jon Davison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2012–present)

Billy Sherwood: guitar, backing vocals ((1994, 1997–2000), bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)

Jay Schellen: drums and percussion (2016-present)

Formed in 1968 by Jon Anderson and the late, and much-missed, Chris Squire, YES have been one of the most innovative, influential and best-loved bands in rock music history. Their 1970s albums The Yes Album, Fragile, Close To The Edge, Yessongs (a triple live album set), Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Going For The One were ground-breaking in musical style and content. Their music also became synonymous with artist Roger Dean whose distinctive YES logo design and artwork adorned the lavish gatefold presentation sleeves of many YES albums.

With sales of over 50 million records, the Grammy-award winning YES were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 where they performed Roundabout from the album Fragile and the FM radio-friendly Owner Of A Lonely Heart from the 1985 album 90125.

YES released their 22nd studio album in 2021, The Quest, produced by Steve Howe and which went to No. 1 in the UK Rock Albums Chart and entered the Official UK Album Chart at No. 20.

In 2022 came the sad news that drummer Alan White, ever-present in the YES line-up for 50 years, had passed away. The news came shortly before the band embarked on their classic, genre-defining album Close To The Edge 50th Anniversary Tour, which he was intending to be a part of until ill-health determined otherwise. The tour was dedicated to Alan.

In February 2023, ahead of the news of the new studio album Mirror To The Sky, YES confirmed Jay Schellen as the new permanent drummer with YES, hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role. “I had done the 2016 tour on my own for Alan,” says Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a beautiful partnership. I learned and discovered so much about Alan’s style. His passion and creativity was phenomenal. The new album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So, this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”

Mirror To The Sky, YES’ 23rd studio album, was released on 19 May 2023 to universally positive reviews in the music press. ‘Mirror to the Sky is very much a band album, where all five members…  have been at the top of their game’, stated The Progressive Aspect. ‘YES will continue to have a role to play in shaping the future sounds of prog.’

Review – Yes – Mirror To The Sky – by John Wenlock-Smith

It’s May 2023 and the world of Yes has been busy with stuff, namely cancelling the previously, hotly anticipated ‘Relayer’ tour because of insurance issues and also the soon to be released second blast of creativity that began with 2021’s ‘The Quest’ album and short UK tour in the wake of the passing of Alan White! That album, ‘The Quest’, was an interesting one as it firmly established Steve Howe’s ongoing leadership and steerage of the band, of which he is now the sole link to the ground-breaking group he joined in 1970. Steve was also very instrumental in their achieving significant success with their golden age of Atlantic albums in the early to mid 1970’s with the classic releases ‘The Yes Album’, ‘Close To The Edge’ and ‘Fragile’. 

‘Mirror To The Sky’ definitely has more than a touch of those halcyon days with it consisting of six longer tracks and three extra tracks on a second disc. All very promising you may say but is it any good or does it paddle previously visited waters and add very little of merit? Both good questions, I personally think that any new Yes music warrants a listen as, despite many folks dismissal of Yes now as a poorer version of the real thing, I actually see much merit in having the band still active. After all, with both King Crimson and Genesis calling it a day now and Deep Purple and Aerosmith possibly approaching their last days of existence, to still have these stalwarts prepared to go out and tread the boards is both heart warming and very worthy of seeing. The last time I saw Yes in Manchester, they played a strong set with Steve being on especially fine form, yes, notes may have been missed but the intent was still there and the fire still burned for sure. 

This album opens strongly with the vibrant Cut From The Stars, which is about dark skies, light pollution and the beauty of being able to see the stars clearly without the disturbance of excessive urban lights. Many folks won’t have experienced the clarity that is offered when urban lighting hasn’t reduced the amount of stars visible to the naked eye. This song is a good one with strong vocals and Billy Sherwood’s bass lines being very reminiscent of Chris Squire and really grace the track. All Connected continues the trend with some graceful pedal steel guitar lines opening the track. This has definite nods to earlier Yes days, Jon Davidson having definitely grown into his role as lead singer and here he really convinces as his vocals certainly evidence the spirit of Jon Anderson while also retaining his own stamp on proceedings, a difficult task but one he manages with style. Steve Howe’s strong guitar work is very prevalent on this track, playing some great lines and licks throughout. Steve has always been a tasteful player who plays to support the song rather than to overpower it. His restraint is important and that knowledge allows the music to swell and pulsate in a pleasing and satisfying manner. 

Luminosity is another longer song and these longer format tracks really suit the group as they allow the band room to improvise and explore musically, which suits and reaffirms their validity and raison d’etre. It also harkens back to their 1970’s heyday where longer tracks were their normal way of working. I feel this method and manner of working suits them best. It also makes for good listening, well it does for me at least and I think they have really made an important musical statement with this album saying in effect, yes we are still here, making the music we want in a way that you can hopefully want to connect with, appreciate and enjoy. Come and join us, judge for yourself we are not a tribute act and we do still have validity and worth. This album shows that commitment to me, Yes may have had their problems and issues over recent times but here we see a band still hungry for approval and not content to fall back on former glories. They are still keen to make good progressive music for the 21st Century and get out to folk and deliver that same quality of experience as they have previously done.  

This album may not have the same strength and impact as ‘Close To The Edge’ but it certainly tries and plays to their strengths remarkably well, well that’s what this says to me anyway! I also must mention the albums longest track, the epic Mirror To The Sky which, at nearly fourteen minutes in length, is the albums centrepiece. The song opens with some solid guitar lines from Steve and a gentle acoustic guitar before being joined by Billy’s fine bass and strong drumming from Jay Schellen and more solid fluid guitar parts from Steve, all before a word is sung. This three minute instrumental opening section leads into emotive vocals from Jon Davidson, ‘dream of a sky without fire’ being the refrain. This is a moody soundscape that builds slowly and solidly and the song progresses well with its various sections combining to create an epic whole. It is a well crafted track that shows the sum is greater than the whole and that, only together, does the group really make sense. There is a great guitar riff that runs throughout that really elevates the track as it is very impressive and effective sounding. More clipped arpeggios lead to a mellow keyboard section in which atmospherics and harmonic touches add to the overall sound palette. This is all most impressive sounding with great bass playing holding it all together and a superb descending guitar riff with orchestrations from Geoff Downes before Steve Howe takes flight delivering a fiery solo which, along with Geoff’s elegant orchestrations, brings this satisfying track to a mighty fine conclusion. 

The final track of the main album, Circles Of Time, is a gentle, mostly acoustic driven, track with more fine Jon Davison vocals and a gentle tambourine helping to deliver some rhythmic impetus. A suitably subdued Steve Howe solo also graces the track and this one really works for me as it is a gentle close to a really good solid set of tracks.

The bonus disc has three tracks, a longer piece called Unknown Place that is bass heavy and is a rather good, medium-paced, number yet is one that allows good guitar and bass interaction. It is quite punchy number and repeated plays reveal it to be a very strong track. Billy Sherwood really shines and you can see why Chris Squire wanted him to take his place in Yes. Also impressive on this track are Geoff Downes‘ commanding organ parts that sound great, very Wakeman-esque really and, overall, this track is really rather a good one. The other two songs, One Second Is Enough and Magic Potion are good but don’t really generate the same excitement for me, both are pleasant and well delivered but not essential for me, although I really do like that bass!

So there you have it, nine tracks over two discs and the vast majority is really great music. In today’s era, compared to some of the bland music being made, this will do very nicely thank you! It will be interesting to see how this translates to a live environment next year on the UK tour. 

Released 19th May, 2023

Order the album here:

Yes – Cut from the Stars (lnk.to)

YES Announce UK Dates For The CLASSIC TALES OF YES Tour 2024

Progressive legends YES have announced UK dates for the Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024. The 9 UK dates includes a visit to London’s Royal Albert Hall and the Bristol Beacon together with 7 dates rescheduled from the 2023 UK tour, for which all tickets remain valid.

YES are delighted to include the Royal Albert Hall among their 2024 UK tour dates having first played this prestige venue in 1968 and many times since through their illustrious career. Tickets for the Royal Albert Hall show (Tuesday 4 June 2024) and Bristol Beacon (Friday 31 May 2024) go on sale on at 12noon on Friday 12th May 2023.

The tour will feature Steve Howe (guitars, vocals), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar, vocals), Jon Davison (vocals and acoustic guitar) and new drummer Jay Schellen. Jay began playing with YES, in 2016, when long-serving drummer Alan White was beset by health issues. Following Alan’s untimely passing in 2022, it is with Alan’s blessing that Jay has permanently joined the band.

The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024 promises to include many iconic tracks from the YES back-catalogue covering fifty-plus years and, possibly, music from the new album Mirror To The Sky (to be released on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023).

Looking forward to the Classic Tales of YES Tour, Steve Howe said:  “We’re putting together a great setlist covering the length and breadth of YES’ career.”

“As always, we are committed to pushing new boundaries and are very excited to be performing another chapter in the rich legacy of the band,” added Geoff Downes.

The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024 dates are as follows: 

Thursday 23 May                 Manchester               Bridgewater Hall*

Friday 24 May                      Glasgow                    Royal Concert Hall*

Sunday 26 May                  Liverpool                    Philharmonic Hall*

Tuesday 28 May                  York                            Barbican*

Wednesday 29 May             Southend                   Cliffs Pavilion*

Friday 31May                       Bristol                       Beacon

Saturday 1 June                   Birmingham               Symphony Hall*

Sunday 2 June                     Gateshead                The Sage*

Tuesday 4 June                  London                     Royal Albert Hall

*Show rescheduled from 2023, all tickets remain valid.

Bristol Beacon and London Royal Albert Hall tickets go on sale on Friday 12 May 2023 at 12noon.  Buy tickets fromhttps://bookingsdirect.seetickets.com/tour/yes/

About YES

Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals (1970 –1981, 1990–1992, 1995–present)
Geoff Downes: keyboards (1980–1981, 2011–present)
Jon Davison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2012–present)

Billy Sherwood: guitar, backing vocals ((1994, 1997–2000), bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)

Jay Schellen: drums and percussion

Formed in 1968 by Jon Anderson and the late, and much-missed, Chris Squire, YES have been one of the most innovative, influential and best-loved bands in rock music history. Their 1970s albums The Yes Album, Fragile, Close To The Edge, Yessongs (a triple live album set), Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Going For The One were ground-breaking in musical style and content. Their music also became synonymous with artist Roger Dean whose distinctive YES logo design and artwork adorned the lavish gatefold presentation sleeves of many YES albums.

With sales of over 50 million records, the Grammy-award winning YES were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 where they performed Roundabout from the album Fragile and the FM radio-friendly Owner Of A Lonely Heart from the 1985 album 90125.

YES released their 22nd studio album in 2021, The Quest, produced by Steve Howe and which went to No. 1 in the UK Rock Albums Chart and entered the Official UK Album Chart at No. 20.

In 2022 came the sad news that drummer Alan White, ever-present in the YES line-up for 50 years, had passed away. The news came shortly before the band embarked on their classic, genre-defining album Close To The Edge 50th Anniversary Tour which they dedicated to Alan.

In February 2023, ahead of the news of the new studio album Mirror To The Sky, YES confirmed Jay Schellen as the new permanent drummer with YES, hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role. “I had done the 2016 tour on my own for Alan,” says Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a beautiful partnership. I learned and discovered so much about Alan’s style. His passion and creativity was phenomenal. The new album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So, this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”

YES launch ‘All Connected’; second single from ‘Mirror To The Sky’

YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are pleased to announce their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023. “This is a very important album for the band,”says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing, and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.

Today, the band are pleased to launch the video for the album’s second single. Listen to and watch ‘All Connected’ here:

Jon Davison comments: “I, along with my Yes band mates are excited to announce that the second single from our new album, Mirror to the Sky is out now. It’s entitled, All Connected, and it’s a longer piece, clocking in at a challenging 9 minutes. Steve added a beautifully poignant instrumental steel part which starts the journey. This section emotionally builds and crescendos into a glorious lead way for the vocals to begin telling their story. Billy composed complex and compelling musical themes which I helped to arrange, and we both composed vocals and lyrics, each of us singing our respective parts, making for a rich vocal tapestry.”

Billy Sherwood adds: “The initial idea came from a musical sketch I’d created using the idea of our “connectivity” in regards to communications in the modern age. It’s very exciting to know YES are maintaining that edge and energy we all know and love, this track is firing on all cylinders. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it.”

You can also watch the previously released video for ‘Cut From The Stars’ here: https://youtu.be/NdEF-vMO8vc

‘Mirror To The Sky’ will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean:

Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster

Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

Ltd 2CD Digipak

Standard CD Jewel case

Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet

Digital Album

The blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.

Pre-order now here: https://Yes-Band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky

The tracklisting is as follows:

CD1:

1. Cut From The Stars 05:27

2. All Connected 09:02

3. Luminosity 09:04

4. Living Out Their Dream 04:45

5. Mirror to the Sky 13:53

6. Circles of Time 04:59

CD2:

1. Unknown Place 08:15

2. One Second Is Enough 04:04

3. Magic Potion 04:08

As they were wrapping up The Quest, Yes found themselves with song sketches, structures, and ideas that were demanding attention. Yes received unconditional support from InsideOut boss Thomas Waber, who encouraged them to keep going in the studio, months before The Quest would even go on sale. It was like throwing gasoline on their creative fire.

“When we delivered everything, and they were just getting the vinyl and everything into production for manufacturing, we were still very much in that creative zone,” explains Steve Howe. “That belief that Thomas had in us really meant a lot,” he says.

“We truly get along as people,” says Jon Davison. “I feel like everyone’s focused inward to the greater circle, concentric to the core of highest standards that define Yes. It’s a wonderful thing to witness and of which to play a part. I believe this reflects vibrantly in the music and the creative input that each one is willing to apply, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the greater whole that is Yes.”

“There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadn’t done anything in the studio for so long. Ideas were just copious,”says bassist Billy Sherwood. “The pace of it was fast. As soon as we were finished with The Quest, and the mix had come out, we took a couple of little breaks there to catch our breath. But there was still music flowing around in the loop. It was just constantly being looked at and worked on. As we were all home and in that mode, things started progressing quite swiftly. We just went one album into another without really announcing, ‘Hey, we’re working on a second record right now.’ We just continued to work on material. It came about pretty naturally, and then we refined it as the process went on. But the initial bursts — there was a lot of material around!”

Much to everyone’s delight, including that of longtime-fan Thomas Waber, Yes have pushed into territory they practically invented — the prog rock epic — albeit in a thoroughly new and modern way. “I always felt that it would be great to have stuff that’s a little bit more epic,”he says, although he resisted the temptation to push for something that would be too formatted and could come off as contrived. He just gave the band space to do what they do and let things develop. “They were so excited by The Quest and the momentum they had that they went straight back in to the studio. What they were writing, even early on, was obviously headed in that epic direction — what Yes music really is to me. It is almost a genre onto itself. It is ‘Yes Music.’ Mirror To The Sky certainly is Yes Music.”

Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. What’s more, the tracks, like Yes’ best, take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes which also showcase Steve Howe’s dazzling guitars, Jon Davison’s angelic, crystalline vocals, Billy Sherwood’s deftly dancing bass, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes’ impeccable sounds, exquisite melodies and fills, and Jay Schellen’s masterfully controlled explosions, on drums.

Jay Schellen, who has been touring with the band since 2016, was hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role when White sadly passed away in 2022. “I had done the 2016 Topographic Drama tour on my own for Alan,” says Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a partnership, and a beautiful partnership, I might add. I learned so much, and discovered so much about Alan’s style, and why it was the way it was. It fit his personality so perfectly. This album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”

YES announce new studio album ‘Mirror To The Sky’ for release 19th May 2023; launch first single ‘Cut From The Stars’

YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are pleased to announce their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023. “This is a very important album for the band,” says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing, and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.

Today also sees the launch of the first track taken from the album. Listen to Cut From The Stars & watch the video here:

‘Mirror To The Sky’ will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by longtime Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean: 

Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster

Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

Ltd 2CD Digipak

Standard CD Jewelcase

Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet

Digital Album

The blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.

Pre-order now here: https://Yes-Band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky

The tracklisting is as follows:

CD1:

1. Cut From The Stars 05:27

2. All Connected 09:02

3. Luminosity 09:04

4. Living Out Their Dream 04:45

5. Mirror to the Sky 13:53

6. Circles of Time 04:59

CD2:

1. Unknown Place 08:15

2. One Second Is Enough 04:04

3. Magic Potion 04:08

As they were wrapping up The Quest, Yes found themselves with song sketches, structures, and ideas that were demanding attention. Yes received unconditional support from InsideOut boss Thomas Waber, who encouraged them to keep going in the studio, months before The Quest would even go on sale. It was like throwing gasoline on their creative fire.

“When we delivered everything, and they were just getting the vinyl and everything into production for manufacturing, we were still very much in that creative zone,” explains Steve Howe. “That belief that Thomas had in us really meant a lot,” he says.

“We truly get along as people,” says Jon Davison. “I feel like everyone’s focused inward to the greater circle, concentric to the core of highest standards that define Yes. It’s a wonderful thing to witness and of which to play a part. I believe this reflects vibrantly in the music and the creative input that each one is willing to apply, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the greater whole that is Yes.”

“There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadn’t done anything in the studio for so long. Ideas were just copious,” says bassist Billy Sherwood. “The pace of it was fast. As soon as we were finished with The Quest, and the mix had come out, we took a couple of little breaks there to catch our breath. But there was still music flowing around in the loop. It was just constantly being looked at and worked on. As we were all home and in that mode, things started progressing quite swiftly. We just went one album into another without really announcing, ‘Hey, we’re working on a second record right now.’ We just continued to work on material. It came about pretty naturally, and then we refined it as the process went on. But the initial bursts — there was a lot of material around!”

Much to everyone’s delight, including that of longtime-fan Thomas Waber, Yes have pushed into territory they practically invented — the prog rock epic — albeit in a thoroughly new and modern way. “I always felt that it would be great to have stuff that’s a little bit more epic,” he says, although he resisted the temptation to push for something that would be too formatted and could come off as contrived. He just gave the band space to do what they do and let things develop. “They were so excited by The Quest and the momentum they had that they went straight back in to the studio. What they were writing, even early on, was obviously headed in that epic direction — what Yes music really is to me. It is almost a genre onto itself. It is ‘Yes Music.’ Mirror To The Sky certainly is Yes Music.”

Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. What’s more, the tracks, like Yes’ best, take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes which also showcase Steve Howe’s dazzling guitars, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes’ impeccable sounds, exquisite melodies and fills, Jon Davison’s angelic, crystalline vocals, Billy Sherwood’s deftly dancing bass and Jay Schellen’s masterfully controlled explosions, on drums.

Jay Schellen, who has been touring with the band since 2016, was hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role when White sadly passed away in 2022. “I had done the 2016 Topographic Drama tour on my own for Alan,” say Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a partnership, and a beautiful partnership, I might add. I learned so much, and discovered so much about Alan’s style, and why it was the way it was. It fit his personality so perfectly. This album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”

Jay Schellen joins YES as a permanent member

YES are delighted to announce that drummer Jay Schellen has joined the band as a permanent member.  Following the sad passing of our iconic drummer, Alan White on 26th May 2022, Jay will fulfil Alan’s wishes in becoming the new drummer with YES.

Jay Schellen was Alan White’s choice to stand in during the Topographic Drama tour, in 2016, and shared drumming duties with him from 2018 onwards. Jay had previously played alongside YES’ keyboardist Geoff Downes and late bassist Chris Squire together with long working relationships with Alan and YES bass guitarist Billy Sherwood.  This gave Jay a deep insight into the workings of the dynamic rhythm section that drives YES’ music.

Steve Howe says “We’re all delighted to welcome Jay officially into the fold! He’s been a great support throughout the last seven years, and we couldn’t have found a better all round team player.”

“I am thrilled to become the new drummer with YES,” says Jay. “I grew up playing along to YES records and I am proud to have worked so closely with my musical hero and great friend Alan White these past few years. I will strive to honour his memory as we drive towards the future with the band.”

YES Announce UK Dates For The Relayer Album Series Tour 2023

Progressive legends YES have announced UK dates for their long-awaited Album Series 2023 Tour featuring their 1974 Relayer album in its entirety together with a selection of other classic YES favourites. Tickets are on sale from 10am on Friday 14th October.

The Relayer Tour was originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic and last year’s highly successful 50th anniversary of their legendary Close To The Edge album. The Royal Albert Hall was the original choice for the tour’s London show but has no availability, so the band will make a nostalgic return to an old haunt, the former Hammersmith Odeon.

The coming tour features Steve Howe (guitars), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar) with Jay Schellen (drums and percussion) stepping into Alan White’s shoes following his passing in May 2022.

The show will comprise of two sets by the band. The first will feature favourite classic tracks from YES’s extensive catalogue. YES will perform Relayer, their seventh studio album, in full in the second set. Relayer marked a slight change in direction bringing an edgier feel to this album. At almost 22 minutes in length, the opening track Gates Of Delirium included a battle scene between keyboard and guitar. The battle gives way to the beautiful closing ballad Soon, a prayer for peace and hope.

Relayer continues with Sound Chaser, a prog-rock-jazz fusion experiment demonstrating the power of Alan White and Chris Squire, and To Be Over, a calm and gentle conclusion to the album, based on a melody by Steve Howe and Jon Anderson.

Released in late 1974 on Atlantic Records, Relayer continued YES’s success reaching number 4 in the UK album chart and number 5 in the US Billboard chart.

The UK Relayer Tour dates for 2023 are as follows:

Saturday 10 June Birmingham Symphony Hall

Sunday 11 June Southend Cliffs Pavilion

Monday 12 June York Barbican

Wednesday 14 June Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Thursday 15 June Gateshead The Sage

Friday 16 June Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 

Saturday 18 June Manchester Bridgewater Hall

Tuesday 20 June London Eventim Apollo

Tickets from Yesworld.com, Bookingsdirect.com and all usual outlets.

About YES

Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals (1970 –1981, 1990–1992, 1995–present)

Geoff Downes: keyboards (1980–1981, 2011–present)

Jon Davison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2012–present)

Billy Sherwood: guitar, backing vocals ((1994, 1997–2000), bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)

Jay Schellen: drums and percussion

Formed in 1968 by Jon Anderson and the late, and much-missed, Chris Squire, YES have been one of the most innovative, influential and best-loved bands in rock music history. Their 1970s albums The Yes Album, Fragile, Close To The Edge, Yessongs (a triple live album set), Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Going For The One were ground-breaking in musical style and content. Their music also became synonymous with artist Roger Dean whose distinctive YES logo design and artwork adorned the lavish gatefold presentation sleeves of many YES albums.

With sales of over 50 million records, the Grammy-award winning YES were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 where they performed Roundabout from the album Fragile and the FM radio-friendly Owner Of A Lonely Heart from the 1985 album 90125.

YES released their 22nd studio album in 2021, The Quest, which went to No. 1 in the UK Rock Albums Chart and entered the Official UK Album Chart at No. 20.

In May 2022 came the sad news that drummer Alan White, ever-present in the YES line-up for 50 years, had passed away. The news came shortly before the band embarked on their 50th anniversary tour marking the release of their classic, genre-defining album Close To The Edge.

Q&A With Jon Davison of Arc of Life – by John Wenlock-Smith

John Wenlock-Smith partakes in a Q&A with Jon Davison about the new Arc of Life project for which Jon is the vocalist.

1/ Arc of Life is a new project, how did to come into existence?

While on the road with YES a few years back, Billy and I found a mutual inspiration to start writing during the long drives on the tour bus. Jay was soon involved, supplying his creative input and positive perspective. We then unanimously felt Jimmy was a natural fit.

2/ Who suggested Dave Kerzner for the keyboard role?

Again we unanimously agreed, as with Jimmy, that Dave would bring the perfect musical ingredients into the Arc fold. We were all thinking the same thing in a sort of collective consciousness, but to answer your question accurately, I believe it was Billy who first gave voice to the idea.

3/ What are the main themes to the album?

The most prominent theme is the evolution of mankind. The concept of an arc of life signifying the rise in man’s consciousness and eventually leading to a far greater understanding, passed all political power play and the greed and indifference which plague and sustain the inequalities of our world. Through this ascension of evolution, man’s intelligence will become highly developed, revealing technological advancements beyond our wildest imaginations.

4/ Were you tempted to get a named producer in for the album or Roger Dean for the cover? 

We did seriously consider both at one early point.  We discussed the idea of working with Hugh Padgham, but eventually agreed that producing ourselves, with Billy’s skills at the helm, meant ultimately having complete creative freedom.

By choosing to not work with Roger Dean we thought we might minimize the Yes comparisons. I suppose they are inevitable anyway, but we certainly didn’t want to add to them (lol.)

5/ Aside from Yes, what other influences are apparent?

Back to Padgham and The Police sound. Another influence was Peter Gabriel, particularly in a song like, Talking With Siri.

6/ Is this a one off project or can we expect to hear more new material and, if so, is there a time frame for this?

We actually have a lot more material already in the works that will eventually surface on the next record. We have no time frame as of yet for ARC II. More importantly for now, we have so much to look forward to with this record.

7/ This band could have great potential for the live arena, could there be live shows post covid? Could you tour with Yes for example?

We want to be out on the road, sharing our music with as many people as possible, worldwide. We are totally keen to the idea of opening for a bigger arena type band. The only way it would be right touring with Yes is if each member of Yes also performed in the context of their respective solo and side projects. An event highlighting the current day Yes family tree, if you will, followed by a headline performance by Yes.

8/ I think the overall response has been overwhelmingly positive?

That is great to hear. The album has been a long time coming and it’s rewarding to finally witness its coming to light and the enthusiastic reaction of so many.

9/ What’s happening with Yes, is there any progress on new material yet?

We’ve been creating and recording since the pandemic hit and have our sights set on a new album. The rest I’ll leave as a surprise.

10/ What’s the story behind the album cover?

The album cover is symbolic of the dawning of enlightenment just off in the horizon as mankind perceives its light at the end of the long and treacherous tunnel through which we have journeyed – to reach at last the exit of the deep cave of darkness and ignorance. What can I say… I’m an optimist (lol!)

‘Arc of Life’ was released on February 12th 2021.

Order the album here:

ARC OF LIFE – Arc Of Life – CD Jewelcase | Frontiers Music Official Shop

Review – Arc of Life – S/T by John Wenlock-Smith

Lockdown in the UK, and indeed across the world, has brought significant change to all of us. It has also decimated musicians from being able to perform live and has cost them in funds they would have expected to earn from touring and the merchandise sold at shows around the globe. This has meant that many artists have had to adapt to new ways of maintaining contact and, in many cases, using the downtime to work on new or hitherto abandoned projects.

 The upside to this time is the growing number of releases that have emerged and are really something of worth, Steve Hackett’s ‘Mediterranean Skies’ album, Transatlantic ‘The Absolute Universe’ , Lifesigns’ ‘Altitude’ and now this new offshoot from the Yes stable, Arc of Life, featuring current Yes members, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood, along with some talented friends.

Going under the banner of ‘Arc of Life’ this new album is of interest to most Yes fans and to lovers of the band’s current output. In the continued absence of the full group and any new music from them, this is a more than adequate consolation and has great potential, showing much promise for possibly another band in a similar vein to, and influenced by, Yes.

I say influenced by because this is not a ‘Yes by numbers’ trip, this is a new band making its own way. Admittedly it wears its influences clearly on its sleeve and shows similar characteristics at times, but it is most definitely not a new Yes album under a different name.

This album has ten tracks and each of them have something worthy of listening to, some bearing similarities to Billy’s earlier work with Chris Squire on ‘Conspiracy’ and with Tony Kaye on the ‘Live in Japan’ album, although the presence of Jon Davison does makes a huge difference. Also noteworthy are the other band members, Jimmy Haun, Jay Schellan and Dave Kerzner, who are all vastly experienced and talented musicians in their own right and have all floated around the edges of Yes circles.

The album is a mixture of some shorter radio friendly AOR type songs and three longer tracks that allow for some stretching out. The album opens strongly with Life Has A Way which has a strong chorus to it and lots of keyboard flourishes from Dave Kerzner. It has echoes of a Yes type of sound but it is also subtly different. One thing I will say is that it sounds awesome in the car played at a decent volume, it fair powers along with great bottom end and a very unlike Steve Howe guitar solo from Jimmy Haun. As to be expected, Jon Davison is in fine voice here too.

The next song is a bit more laid back. Talking with Siri is about communicating on an i-Phone, an interesting comment on how we communicate these days but, overall, it is a little bit throwaway in my opinion. You Make It Real is far better with a fine chugging rhythm to it. The song is about nervousness when meeting a potential significant other and about when we can resume meeting face to face again, the song ends on a sustained keyboard tone and is highly effective.

Just In Sight is the first of the longer songs at 6:15, this one has lots of keyboards and sound used throughout with some Chris Squire-like bass lines along with a recurring guitar line and tone to it. This track shows the talents that these guys possess clearly. Especially good is the interplay between Jay Schellan and Billy Sherwood which impresses as you listen and there is a good guitar section at the 3:30 mark that harks back to Steve Howe’s playing before returning to the main song at 4:42 mark. This is definitely one of the stronger songs on the album.

I Want to Know You Better reminds me, sound wise, of Love Will Find A Way from Yes’ ‘Big Generator’ album with its marriage of prog and AOR tones. This is rather a catchy little number, all told with a great keyboard motif in the middle, the chorus also being memorable all making this track ideal for a good radio cut.

Locked Down is the second longer track at 9:46 with compelling Lyrics and a superb bass section running alongside a great guitar solo from Jimmy. It has great vocals from Jon and Billy with fine harmonies too. In fact throughout the entire album the contrast between Jon and Billy is incredibly special and enticing. The song also has very strong and prominent bass lines from Billy, all adding up to what is a very good track indeed.

The penultimate song, Therefore We Are, is a real classic number and one which stamps class all over its 9:30 running time. The bass is again very prominent and, in this song, there are lots of processed and layered vocals in this song but don’t worry, it all sounds excellent and is not overly compressed. The musicianship on this song is epic with another brief guitar flurry from Jimmy and some call and response vocals between Jon and Billy. I think this might be the best track on the album, along with Just In Sight.

The closing number on the album is The End Game which opens with some really strong guitar chords and more of Billy’s cultured bass as Jon sings about the endgame. This is quite a muscular track to conclude the album with and it works well overall and finishes what has been an interesting and varied listen.

Certainly musically this one is a very strong album with lots of good songs, memorable and well recorded and produced. Only Time will tell if this is a one-off or just the first outing of a new band, we will have to wait and see I guess.

Released 12th February 2021.

Order the album here:

ARC OF LIFE – Arc Of Life – CD Jewelcase | Frontiers Music Official Shop

ARC OF LIFE release second single JUST IN SIGHT

Arc of Life is Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen (additional drummer) from YES together with Dave Kerzner on keyboards and Jimmy Haun on guitar.

The new band release their debut, eponymous, album on February 12th and have just released a video for the second single from the album, ‘Just In Sight’.