With new album, Invocation, out on RED7 Records, alongside his latest single, the murderously rocking ‘Van Helsing’, British slide guitarist Troy Redfern’s headline UK tour is just around the corner, starting in Frome on 17th June.
The UK tour will see Redfern perform Invocation in its entirety, plus tracks from his previous albums that have never been played before.
The 11 concert dates will showcase Redfern’s three-piece band comprising the man himself on guitar and lead vocals), Keira Kenworthy on bass and backing vocals), and Nicky Waters on drums and percussion.
Invocation is available in limited edition coloured vinyl, black vinyl, plus two different CD cover artwork designs, and can be ordered here, following a recent successful Kickstarter campaign for the forthcoming album.
Over the course of his last two albums The Fire Cosmic (2021) and Wings of Salvation (2022) Redfern has found his voice stylistically in terms of writing and playing, but with Invocation carves out his own identity as to who he really is an artist.
The guitarist headed to the west Wales coast with his trusty 1929 National Triolian resonator guitar for a week of solitude in a remote Sheppard’s hut to sketch the initial song ideas for the new album.
“It was important for me to really clear my mind of all distractions so I could really focus on what I wanted to write on this album and the direction I wanted to take it in,” he remarked.
“I tried some unorthodox approaches to song writing that included meditation where I would imagine hearing a song in my mind, as complete as possible including visualising the performance live. Next, I would pick up the guitar and capture the idea on my phone. That way I wasn’t led by what I would usually do when I pick up the guitar. It was a very freeing, powerful experience, and a discipline that I’ll use again to write more songs in the future.
For Invocation, Redfern decided that he’d bring back the production team that worked on The Wings Of Salvation. Dave Marks was brought back again for production duties, also taking on bass, keyboards and percussion duties, with Jo Webb mixing and mastering. Lee Russel’s Dulcitone Studios in Kettering was again the logical choice to record Paul Stewart’s (The Feeling) drum tracks as the converted chapel has the perfect ambience for huge sounding rock drums.
Due to the streamlined process Invocation was written, recorded, and mixed in just under six weeks. “It really was great to be able to realise and bring to fruition these songs as quickly as we did,” said Redfern. “It kept the ideas fresh and stopped them from becoming overworked and tired.”
Eleven tracks strong, Troy Redfern commented on each of the songs on Invocation as follows:
‘The Strange’ – “The opening tune on the record explodes with a soaring slide motif that conjures up elements of 70s glam, blues but with a unique melodic spin. I wanted to make a bold musical statement with this song. I condensed a lot of ideas that I had for this one down to simple, memorable lines to make it as strong as I could. This song really is a melting pot of a lot of my influences from the past forged into something new.
“’The Strange’ is about the realisation that a relationship is falling apart in slow motion,” said Redfern. “Despite how difficult it may seem to break away, it’s about the sense that life is slipping by is an ever-present feeling.”
Redfern’s gained a reputation for dirty shimmering slide guitar-led blues rock with a touch of heavy glam rock – ’The Strange’ continues this but replacing the previously-favoured T. Rex nuances with Slade-driven rhythms, while the sneering embittered vocals favour Silverhead or perhaps their current counterparts The Struts, with some distorted garage psychedelic guitar sonics one the side. You can check out the video for it here at RAMzine.
‘Getaway’ – “This song is straight up rock ‘n’ roll. I’d just bought a 60s Teisco guitar, I restrung it, plugged it in and this was the first riff that came out of it. It’s strange how different instruments almost have songs in them, there to be revealed when the time is right. ‘Getaway’ deals with themes of starting over, being reborn after going through the trials of life.
‘Van Helsing’ – “The deceptively quiet resonator intro soon gives way to one of the biggest guitar riffs on the record. ‘Van Helsing’ is a powerhouse of a song, dark and brooding until the chorus breaks through to reveal one of the biggest choruses on the album. With ‘Van Helsing’ I wanted to explore a heavier, darker aspect of my writing. I’ve always loved the vibe of heavy riffs, and this certainly is that. To me the chorus is one of the strongest choruses that I’ve written, I worked hard on the harmonies to nail the vibe I was looking for.” Available to stream on Spotify here, you can check out the video here at RAMzine.
‘The Calling’ – “I’ve always wanted to write a slow motion, epic kind of a tune. ‘The Calling’ was a song that was born out of that desire. This song is about escaping the technological net we all live in, and to get out into the wilderness to reset and get perspective on what’s important in life.” The fourth single from the album, it’s also available digitally on Spotify here, you can check out the video for it here at RAMzine.
‘Native’ – “This track fades into a western post-apocalyptic western audio landscape, with tribal drums and tremolo guitar setting the scene. This song was another that seem to just fall out. I plugged in the ’62 Silvertone Jupiter guitar and started playing and the idea formed completely organically in the moment. It feels very special when that happens, and now that it’s been road tested, I know that audiences are picking up on the vibe of this track.’
‘The Fever’ – “This is a slide guitar blues barn-buster with subtle nuances of rock, glam and psychedelia. Lyrically, it deals with themes of emancipation and breaking out. It’s Troy Redfern full-circle blues rock and roll! ‘The Fever’ is about pushing back and breaking through all the obstacles when you’re feeling held down. It’s about feeling as if it’s you against the world.”
‘All Night Long’ – “Coming out of the gates hard and fast like a Dodge Charger, ‘All Night Long’ combines hard rock ‘n’ roll with slide guitar fury! When I wrote this song, I always imagined it a set opener. It’s got power and edge, but also a big sing along chorus. For this track I decided to my trusty Fender Strat which has a different texture to my other guitars, it gave the song a unique sound.”
‘Blind Me’ – “’Blind Me’ is a song about the dark side of love. It’s about finding out things aren’t what they seemed, and the brutal reality of finding out the truth. This is the first time that I’ve strayed into ‘country’ territory, I usually like to leave it well alone, but again this song came to me with its style locked in. Once I’d recorded the initial idea, I knew what this song was asking to be.”
‘Voodoo Priestess’ – “A voodoo hellraiser of a blues boogie coated in Tiki/psychobilly paraphernalia. ‘Voodoo Priestess’ is a tale of coming under the spell of a temptress who uses otherworldly powers to ensnare her victim. Resistance is futile, because as we know, the female of the species is more deadly than the male.”
‘Take Me High’ – “This straight ahead, upbeat rocker celebrates the power of the endorphin rush of new love. Muscular slide riffs syncopate the verses adding to the intensity of the delivery but also contrasting the uplifting openness of the chorus. The verse on this song came first, initially as a nod to Bo Diddley, but soon morphed into its own thing. I’d had the chorus melody floating around for some time and it seemed just to snap into place with this one.”
‘The Last Stand’ – “The closing tracking track on the album was originally written to a drum loop to create a hypnotic groove which is re-enforced by the repeating guitar line played on the ’64 Teisco guitar. The song deals in themes of revenge and vengeance and plays out like an old western movie. There’s a slightly mysterious vibe on this track, a sense of uneasiness which is echoed in the eastern style slide solo.”
Tour dates are listed below, with tickets available by clicking here.
