MindShifter Update!

Of course, Zack Reinig has been involved along the way, and is expected to mix.

Jason Ames and Ted Stockwell creating together again!

Short Update

Ted stopped by the Muse Research booth at the NAMM show in January of this year with Billy Sherwood and Tony Kaye of Circa to see long time friend Bryan Lanser, VP of Business Development at Muse Research. Ted has been an endorsee of Muse since the company's inception.

Production & Archive News!

Ted completed a number of productions this year working with drummers Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Jeff Beck), Ben Smith (Heart, Cyndi Lauper) and Lou Molino III (Trevor Rabin, Julian Lennon), bass players Andy Stoller (Tracy Chapman), Billy Sherwood (Yes, Conspiracy), John Giblin (Phil Collins, Simple Minds) and guitarist Jeff Fielder (Sera Cahoone). More as these releases make their way to market.

Rehearsals had started earlier in the year in Los Angeles with core band members Billy Sherwood (lead vocals, bass), Lou Molino III (drums), Dan Schmalley (guitar) and Ted Stockwell (keys) in preparation for taking Billy Sherwood's version of Pink Floyd's THE WALL on tour. Tony Kaye, Keith Emerson and Geoff Downes had all expressed interest in rotating thru the guest keyboard slot playing along with Ted. "The idea was to take a core band out along with a handful of rotating guest players - however, due to Billy's schedule and those of a number of the guest players, the tour was scrubbed before announced. From the rehearsals that were had, it would have been a show not to miss!", Ted explained.

Jason Ames Saunders has recently finished his next solo album and is completing negotiations with management and labels. With both Ted's and Jason's schedules keeping them in different parts of the world, their new release has been elusive. Both are intent in finding time to allow for completion of their next collaboration.

Happy New Year 2006! The year of the dog!

It was a year ago that Loyal made its stage debut. Hard to believe that another year has gone by. January 28th, 2005 was the debut of Loyal as performed by the original White band. Played in front of the largest crowd White has played to date, much of Loyal, material from Yes' Drama and songs from 90125 were played to a crowd of more than 800 (some estimates placed the number at 1100). A video retrospective of this period is in the works. "It was a very happy time for the band - its fun to look back at the footage and relive those memories," Ted commented recently.

The Videos Page has also been updated to include Machine Messiah in both Quicktime and Windows Media formats.

Loyal - Ted has been in contact with a bunch of industry friends who will be participating on this album, we'll save the surprises for the release date. It's looking like fall 2006 for the launch. Several more new tracks have been written and many of the existing tracks have been reworked. As previously mentioned, the same production team that put together the 2004 album has been brought back to improve upon their work.

New Album, Band and Tour Rise out of Merkaba Ashes!

Exciting news to pre-announce. A new band, tour and album are set to head out on a world tour shortly after Yes complete their current outing.

As foreshadowed in the last update, Merkaba has morphed into something new. Band name cannot yet be disclosed, however a world tour with Chris Squire and Billy Sherwood (Conspiracy) and the Alan White Band [working title] featuring Alan White, Ted Stockwell, Karl Haug, Kevin Currie and Steve Boyce is in the works for end of the year 2004/2005. The tour would feature both bands playing from their latest releases (The Unknown for Conspiracy, and Loyal [working title] for the Alan White Band [working title]), as well as a joint set featuring a selection of rarely played Yes material featuring members of both bands on stage together.

Yes management, 10th Street, feels the latest material is ready for radio airplay and very strong. Tracking will be complete mid June with Zack Reinig and Ted Stockwell scheduled to complete mixing shortly afterwards.

In other Treason alumni news, Jim Dixon's Isolate has completed tracking. Zack Reinig is also scheduled to mix this release in the fall. Of course, with this push to get these two releases out the door, and Karl, Jim, Ted and Zack's time constrainsts, the third Treason record remains incomplete.

Karl Haug Joins Merkaba in the Studio!

Karl Haug has been asked by Alan White to contribute in the studio and beyond on the Merkaba project. Karl has contributed slide electric guitar to the track Burn All the Maps, a Steve Boyce compositon. The track is a very up and energetic full band piece that fits very well into the new direction of the band. "It's great to help out Alan and the guys - and it was nice to get the call", Karl commented. Steve Boyce concurred, "Karl is just a great player and a great guy."

Zack Reinig has completed mix on three more tracks - Loyal (Stockwell, Currie, White), Rite of Rain (Stockwell, Currie, White) and Burn All the Maps (Boyce, Edens). Alan will be back to finish off New Day (Stockwell, Currie, White) before starting rehearsals with Yes at the end of March. Current production also includes Following You (Boyce) and Mighty Love (Boyce). In other production news, Alan has a close friend and industry legend remixing both DreamAway and Shine(Burried Treasure) to provide an alternative soundscape for the band. Commented Zack Reinig, "It's always great to have new ears on material and to move it forward. It raises the bar of the final product." The band is awaiting for the results with baited breath.

"The album is shaping up to be very strong, and the feedback from management, industry and everyone who has heard it has been incredibly positive. It's definitiely a new, delicate, yet powerful sound. We may even have to change the band name to reflect the strength of this project!", commented Ted recently.

Stay tuned!

Welcome to 2004 - a new year, and (soon) some new releases!

Ted and Zack have finished mixing the 1st half of the new Merkaba album, tentatively entitled The White Album. 5 songs are completed, including Shine (Buried Treasure), DreamAway, Love Will Always Return, What Love Is and Shapes.

Merkaba is:

The White Album should be completed recording and mixing by end of March, and available to all shortly after that. Shine (written by Stockwell, Hogan, White) has already been previewed by Alan White on Seattle radio stations and will soon be heard nationwide on XM Radio in January. Check Alan's website for details.

.Aug 26, 2003 - Mars is the closest to earth in centuries, and the Alan White All Star Band took the stage for the first time! The band featured Alan White, Ted Stockwell (Treason - keys), Steve Boyce (Merkaba - guitar, vocals), Kevin Currie (Merkaba - vocals), Roger Fisher (ex-Heart - guitar), Jim Cliff (ex-Richard Marx - bass), Goldy McJohn (ex-Steppenwolf - keys), Shelley T (vocals) Janet Foos (vocals, keys), Aury Moore (vocals) and Reek Havok (percussion). Most of the players had never played together before and many had never met, yet after a 4 hour rehearsal covering a number of Yes, Heart, John Lennon, Steppenwolf, Spencer Davis Group and a couple of standards, the group took the stage for a 90 minute set. Opening with I'm a Man, Love Will Always Return and Imagine the outdoor venue was a celebration of humanity as far as the eye could see.

The show was such an overwhelming success that there is talk of a December tour. The entire show was recorded by a TV crew, although release specifics are currently unavailable. Check Alan's site for all the details.

CD Baby, a leader in independent music distribution, now carries the entire Treason catalog online, and will soon make Treason available on Apple Computer's remarkable iTunes Store

Ted has been continuing writing and tracking for Treason's forthcoming 3rd album, Elemental. Stockwell has been working with with old friend Ted Hunt and they have invited Heart Drummer Ben Smith to join them on completion of Heart's current tour. Rythmn section tracking with Ben will begin in September. Zack Reining continues to co-produce with Ted Stockwell.

With two shows under their belt, Merkaba continues in the studio. A planned 3rd live appearance with Alan White and Ted Stockwell is rumored to be in August 2003. Shows in May were fantastic, with the fans telling the band it was the best version of Merkaba ever! Merkaba played in front of an estimated crowd of 2500 for their first show, and a sold out crowd of more than 700 in Seattle. Alan and Ted have played on six tracks so far, and tracking will continue in August during Alan's scheduled break from Yes.

Projects continue - inside and outside of Treason.

Alan White, Steve Boyce and Ted Stockwell have been working hard on the new Merkaba album. Alan has been tracking rock solid, incredible drum tracks, and Ted has been adding keys and guitar. Did you say guitar? "To give the tracks a little different flavor, and to work with the keyboard parts I've been adding, I have been playing both acoustic and electric guitar on some tracks. I've been having a ball, and I think everyone is pretty happy with the state of things", Ted commented recently. Alan summed it up a little more concisely as "slammin'".

To see how this new expanded Merkaba sounds, Ted Stockwell and Alan White will be performing live with Merkaba at the end of April and beginning of May. Follow this link for more info. Seattle Performance Tickets here.

In other project news, Zack Reinig and Ted recently had Ben Smith (Heart) over to Treason Studios adding drums to a project of Zack's. "Ben is a real solid drummer and he gave life to a this project. Doesn't hurt that he's a fun guy to hang with too!", Zack said of the session.

Tracking continues for Elemental. There are lots of tracks, well over two hours of demos and tracks in various states. With Ted's involvement in Merkaba, Jim Dixon's involvement in Isolate and Jason Saunders new solo album out (link here) - it looks like Elemental may be delayed for a bit. Stay tuned for more develeopments.

Projects, projects, projects. Treason has been working both in and out of the studio. Let’s catch up.

Jim Dixon’s band Isolate has been working feverishly on material for their debut album There is Only Technology. The band consists of Jim on Bass and Vocals, brother Pete on guitars and youngest Dixon, Will on drums. Isolate have spent much of the past six months polishing demos, and the first weekend of December they entered Treason Studios to start production. Jim is helming the band as producer/engineer, leaning on some old friends for a bit of advice here and there. Isolate is dominating current wall of sound along the vein of Disturbed. “It’s great to be tracking at Treason Studios, and working with family. This is a project I’ve looked forward to for a long, long time and it’s great to realize a dream.” Jim said recently.

Meanwhile Ted Stockwell has been lending a hand on keyboards to friend Ted Hunt. Some of the songs that Ted Hunt is completing include Believe and Moment in Time, tracks that the two had worked on before the debut Treason album. Ted Hunt has worked on 13 tracks and completed most of the tracking at his own Gator Studios. The two Ted’s are having a great time updating some of the old songs, and working on some new ones. “Ted Hunt is an incredible talent, and time has only made him better. His voice and guitar sound better then ever. It’s a real pleasure to work with him again”, Stockwell commented.

Ted and Steve Boyce are also planning to work together to complete the next Merkaba album. Ted will add keyboards to some of the tracks and there has been some discussion of mixing at least some of the album at Treason Studios. Alan White (Yes) has already contributed most of the drumscape to the recording.

Sue Ennis has been working with Ann and Nancy Wilson on the forthcoming Heart album. She has been immersing herself back in her roots and finds the reunion invigorating.

Zack Reining has just returned from a two-month stint with Black Heart Procession. Zack mixed their most recent album, and then took to a US tour recreating his work nightly in clubs across the nation with them. Zack said of the tour, “It was an incredible experience, yet it was a lot of work. The band played to a wonderful reception, and I think we did a good job pulling off a live performance of the recorded material.”

Finally, Pete Stern, Zack and Ted have been writing, tracking and realizing Elemental. “There are four songs that really work well together and we’re all really happy with currently. We have a bunch of other material, some leftover from Spinning. At this point, however, we’re liking the new direction and seem to be headed to re-inventing the band a third time”, Ted remarked recently. Pete added “We’re in the midst of creating a real vibey, moody record. It’s not so much of a rock-star outing as it is a glimpse into our soul. It’s very cool, and personally, I feel it’s the best work we’ve done.”

Alan White (Yes) completed tracking drums on his second contribution to Elemental. The track, which is yet to have lyrics, was written by Stockwell, Sherwood and White. This is Alan and Billy's first venture writing with Treason. In addition to writing, Billy Sherwood (Yes, World Trade, The Key) has agreed to contribute Bass Guitar. "I'm excited to have Alan White and Billy Sherwood contributing to Elemental. Both musicians contributed to Treason's debut, and to have them writing and performing on this new material feels like a homecoming for us" Pete Stern recently commented.

In other news, the first Femme Fatale track written by Sue Ennis and Ted Stockwell, entitled Thunder, is nearing completion. Koshala has been recruited to handle the vocals. The song is smooth groove oriented and will be submitted to Hollywood for consideration for upcoming TV programming. Sue and Ted have a couple others in the works, also targetted at television programming.

In other film news, Stockwell has reported that he has pulled out of continued scoring for Liz Latham's latest film entitled "God's Perfect Hate" about the death of James Byrd Jr. in Texas. Ted commented, "I'm deeply saddened to have to discontinue my involvement, but scheduling has moved against us. I wish Liz the best in her effort to complete a worthy cause. Themes written in anticipation of the first cut may find their way into other projects I'm involved in."

Ted Stockwell did an hour television interview in March. The taping was for a pilot series entitled Fresh Ground : Conversations with NW Artists. The topic was longtime Heart, Lovemonger and Treason writer, Sue Ennis. The series is being created for both Bravo and VH1. To find out more, send email to FreshGround.

Tracking has started on Elemental. Zack Reinig, Ted Stockwell, Pete Stern and Chad Kunesh (Healer) have begun to work on the intial recordings. Currently, Ted and Pete have been playing all instruments, with Chad Kunesh (who helped out with Guitar on Spinning) back to handle the 'edgier' rythmn guitar tracks. Alan White (Yes) is slated to be behind the drums in April, and John Giblin has also agreed to help out again with bass. Sue Ennis has completed the first new lyric for the track Flesh to Bone.

The other members of Treason will be contributing as tracking progresses. Elemental is expected to be complete in 2003.

The European press was busy in January and February, Germany's Rock Review and Vampster checked out Spinning. Rock Review stated "Treason work their mixture of Hard Rock and Metal giving a rough, undeniable charm to this disk ...", while Vampster raved "...the musicians in the band are masters, with Jason Saunders being undisputed as a first-class vocalist ..."

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Both projects are in play, as well as scoring for Liz Latham's latest film entitled "God's Perfect Hate" about the death of James Byrd Jr. in Texas.

Jim Dixon has been working on a new album for his sideband IsoLate. Demos are complete and tracking will start soon. IsoLate is a comprised of Jim Dixon on Lead Vocals and Bass Guitar, Pete Dixon on Guitar and Will Dixon on Drums.

Jason Saunders has been working in Italy on a new album collaboration as well as making some appearances fronting the Voodoo Roosters - his blues band.

Karl Haug continues to be a fixture in the Seattle area doing sessions, solo shows and working on a solo album.

Pete Stern has been keeping the beat, attending to his family and gearing up for the next recording sessions for Treason.

Zack Reinig has been busy putting out albums by Suitcase and Jen Wood at Treason Studios, and is gearing up to working with Goeff Tate, The Minds and Black Heart Procession in 2002. Of course, he continues to work with Ted, Sue and Jim on all current projects.