East Temple Avenue band release new AOR album
In 2017, guitarist/songwriter/producer Darren Phillips hosted a melodic rock radio show in his native homeland of Australia. Throughout the lifetime of the show, Darren conversed with many artists from across the melodic rock world and inevitably the conversation turned to songwriting and collaboration. These conversations spawned Volume One of The Darren Phillips Project and an ongoing friendship/collaboration between all involved.
In 2018 Phillips approached to bass player Dennis Butabi Borg (Cruzh), lead guitarist Philip Lindstrand (Find Me, Arkado) and drummer Herman Furin (Work of Art) with the idea of doing an entire album together and actually forming a studio band. Phillips’ longtime friend and producing partner Dan Skeed (Urban Stone), would also come along for the ride, which left the essential position of lead vocals to be filled.
For Phillips, having previously worked with Robbie LaBlanc (Find Me, Blanc Faces) on two other occasions, the American was the first and only choice. Fortunately, LaBlanc agreed and the ETA line-up was complete.
Working in their respective studios, in Australia, Sweden and the USA, the band started the songwriting and recording process, which would then make its way to Phillips’ and Skeed’s Sydney-based studios Skeed Music, for mixing and mastering.
The first single ‘When I’m With You’ was released in May 2019 to much critical acclaim, and its follow-up ‘Don’t Make Believe’, made several ‘Songs of the Year’ lists when it was released in October 2019 and attracted the attention of well-respected German label AOR Heaven, with whom the band signed a publishing deal with in April 2020.
The band having never been in the same room together, of course, have the ultimate goal to meet, perform and record together. East Temple Avenue have spent 2020 hard at work completing the ten tracks that appear on their debut album, ‘Both Sides of Midnight’ which will be released on November 27th, 2020.
