Here are some of the great messages from the Cairo Archives (page 4)

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(No subject)
Tuesday, 20-Jun-00 00:33:10

Hi Bret
How has it been going? Just a couple quick questions and one comment. First off, do you guys own Cairo West Studios? And do you guys have jobs outside of music? Just curious.

The comment I wanted to make to you is that my best friend was told last August that he had a cancerous brain tumor and had about 2 years to live. Well, they opened him up and the tumor had grown tremendously. There was nothing they could do. In the process, he hemorrhaged and told the family that he would not last the week. He is a very strong guy and puts everything in faith and takes what is handed to him gracefully. No anger or sorrow towards God or anyone for that matter. Well, to make a long story short, he was over at our place last weekend for dinner. In his last cat scan, the tumour had shrunk considerably which was of total amazement to the doctors. The only real side affect is he lost most of his sight. But he doesn't let that get him down. I played him your cd's and he was amazed by the music and strength of the lyrics. He wants me to tape them for him. I told him no problem.

Sorry for taking up so much space but I thought you'd like to here it. Thanks for the great music and inspiring lyrics Bret.

Mike

The Fifth Cairoist?
Wednesday, 07-Jun-00 15:41:16

Hello, Bret. your CD is still an amazing piece of work, and I'm proud to have it as part of my collection. You cannot (well, maybe you can)
imagine the difference that prog rock has made in my life. The fact that true and dedicated musicians continue to forge ahead in this age where drum machines have a monopoly is very hopeful sign that we are not as far gone as a society. In case you didn't already know, Progression magazine stated that a lot of prog-rock bands were merely re-hashing old chords. Cairo was not mentioned as one of those bands, however. As a matter of fact, Cairo along with Mastermind was stated as doing something completely new!
I have a question for the entire band. In the Conflict and Dreams CD, you list five members in the band, but there are only four of you in the picture! Please tell me why, cause it's driving me crazy!!

Thanks,


Johnny

Johnny crash

Magna Carta Tribute Albums.
Thursday, 01-Jun-00 17:27:27

Hello! I really enjoyed the early "tribute" albums released by Magna Carta, "The Moon Revisited" (Pink Floyd), "Supper's Ready (Genesis), and especially "Tales From Yesterday" (Yes), but the fact that Yes is one of my favorite bands makes me a bit biased towards that one. On those early album the bands from the Magna Carta label (Cairo, Enchant, Magellan, etc.) contributed their tracks, alongside other "appropriate" artists. Cairo's version of "South Side of the Sky" is a real highlight of the Yes tribute, and (to my ears anyway) their version of "Squonk" outshines the original Genesis version by miles! (I like Bret's voice much better than that of a certain balding pop-star ex-great drummer, who shall remain nameless!...Or should that be "shameless"?) However, on the most recent MC tribute albums (Rush, ELP) none of the labels "bands" (including Cairo) are included, rather the tracks are done by various one-time-only assembly's of various "guest stars". I think that the current way that Magna Carta is making their tribute albums is really quite lousy! They sound like what they are, albums pasted-together in the studio, without the cohesiveness that you get from all full-time band, who know each others playing inside out. Being a Cairo fan, I am really not satisfied by just hearing Mark Robertson play for a minute at the tail end of an "all star" track! I want to hear Cairo AS A BAND take on a song like "Knife Edge", "The Endless Enigma" or "The Score", with their own distinctive sound! For the Rush tribute, instead of one song with Jeff Brockman ONLY, how about a full fleged Cairo version of one of Rush's more "keyboard"-based tunes (so that Mark would have something to do!), "Lock And Key" seems like a good choice. (I'm not a big Rush fan, so others who are more familiar with their music might have better suggestions). I just wonder if this changee in "tribute" format was Magna Carta's idea, or the idea of some of the musicians??? It seems that MC could "promote" their own bands better by featuring them in a major way, as they did with the earlier albums. JEFF MATHEUS

Jeff Matheus

Me
Thursday, 25-May-00 04:54:16

f---in' great!

Rogelius

Has Mark Robertson been in "Keyboard" Mag?
Tuesday, 09-May-00 22:30:30

Mark Robertson of Cairo is without a doubt one of the best keyboardists around today, right? Has Mark been featured in "Keyboard Magazine", "Electronic Musician" or any of the other "musician" mags? If so, I would like to read the article, if not...we need to get the addresses of these magazines and DEMAND one! Too much credit is being given to mediocre commercial musicians who can barely play a note, and not enough credit is being given to real artists like Mark!

Jeff Matheus

Additional Musicians
Wednesday, 03-May-00 18:02:47

Hey Jamie is not just an additional musician !! .. he ROCKS !!

housemix@pacbell.net

 

Will Cairo tour?
Wednesday, 03-May-00 15:35:07

Hi. I've been a fan since I bought your first album 5 years ago. I must say that Conflict and Dreams is one of my all time favorites. Will you be touring to support the new CD? I'd love to hear you guys play live.
Thanx,
Dan

Dan Weizenbaum

The Absolute Best!
Tuesday, 25-Apr-00 01:32:04

I don't intend to hedge. You guys ARE the best. Not one of the best. You stand out in today's music scene the way Babe Ruth stood out among the other baseball players of his day. I've not been this excited about music since Steven Hackett left Genesis. Speaking of which, I am just a bit nervous over the personnel change. Everything - including the guitar work - was so perfect on the first two cds. I'm very much looking forward to the new CD.

Joe Palcsak

Cairo is Awe-inspiring!
Saturday, 22-Apr-00 23:09:50

I have been a big fan of Cairo since the first album. "Conflict & Dreams" only furthered my belief that Cairo is one of the finest progressive rock bands ever, in fact Cairo is so musically sublime they put some of the most "influential" forebear’s of Prog to shame!
I'm am thrilled to hear that a new album is on the way, can't wait to hear more of Brett's excellent vocals, and Mark's dazzling keyboards!
Cairo, along with artists like Pendragon, Landmarq, Billy Sherwood, Iona, Janison Edge, World Trade, Jadis, etc., have given me faith in the FUTURE of music again! Thanks, JEFF MATHEUS
Billy Sherwood

Jeff Matheus

The Absolute Man
Saturday, 22-Apr-00 13:40:17

Bret,
I always enjoy your work and was happy to see you were included in TG's upcoming project "Leonardo The Absolute Man".
I was wondering if you could talk a little about the project, your role, and how the music is compared to say Explorer's club, etc...
I'm looking forward to hearing you and all the other fantastic musicians on it. I'm really curious about how the guys from Dali's Dilemma sound playing Gardner's stuff.
Also, do you know when it is due?
Thanks

BDR

 

Record labels & other stuff
Wednesday, 05-Apr-00 16:13:25

Hey there guys! You've probably considered this already, but have you though about approaching
the German label InsideOut after your 4 album Magna Carta deal has been completed. Don't get me wrong, I love what there doing from an artistic standpoint, but there is a noticeable lack of touring support. InsideOut on the other hand, are
a fairly prominent prog label which seems to, if anything, encourage touring! Recent releases are live albums from Spock's Beard (DT support act) and Swedish act The Flower Kings. They also signed US band Enchant, who I believe are also from the SF Bay area, so I don't see why they wouldn't be very interested. They have also signed DC Cooper (from Royal Hunt) for his solo
album, and he is from Pittsburgh, originally, I think - so I don't see why fellow Pennsylvanians
and Magna Carta labelmates Shadow Gallery can't do the same as well! He even sang vocals on there most recent album, Tyranny. I'm surprised they haven't spoken about stuff like this, because Royal Hunt have released 2 double live albums recorded in Japan, and SG have also commented on the lack of tour support from MC, although they have said that they appreciate the artistic freedom they are given. Catch 22, it seems!

Basically, of all the recent prog rock I've heard - and it's quite a lot - on Magna Carta and other labels, Cairo and Shadow Gallery are far and away
the most promising, SG for there mind-boggling technical proficiency, and Cairo (my personal fave) for their phenomenal compositional skills.
These are two bands that I think deserve to be witnessed in concert (although the recordings do serve the music well), particularly in Europe, where the ELP/YES legacy is still felt.

Sorry for carrying on a bit, but maybe you guys should talk to some other bands on European labels like Inside Out, just to prepare for the future. Their web site is:

WWW.insideout.de

and it is fairly obvious from looking both at it and at their actual product that they are prepared to really finance music like this! Their
distribution seems very effective too, as there is certainly more prog in the UK stores from them than from MC and other US labels. Strangely enough, in my native South Africa, MC albums are sporadically available, but usually supplied indirectly through UK distributors!

Hope some of that helps, and keep up the fantastic music. Now I'm off home to hack ineptly
at a Chopin prelude! We live in hope...

Cheers
Matt

Matt McKeon

A New Release from CAIRO
Saturday, 01-Apr-00 02:23:54

Hello from Melbourne Australia! I've been a big fan of Cairo since hearing "Conflict and Dreams" back in 1998. I've just found this web site, and are delighted to hear that Cairo are producing a new album. I had begun to think that you guys had disbanded or something. I can't wait to hear the new one! Is there anything like a release date yet? Prog is very hard to come by in Australia, although there seems to be a bit of a world wide revival going on at the moment (led by the heavier, prog-metal style),and so I've been able to pick up both Cairo albums. Hopefully the third one will find its way to our distant shores!

I would like to conclude by thanking Cairo for it's beautiful music, and strongly urge all its members to continue creating progressive rock. It may be a relatively obscure genre, but for those who appreciate it, prog rock can be a truly transcendental art form, helping both artist and listener to reach "new ground."

Best Wishes all,
Jason E.

Jason Ewing

(No subject)
Wednesday, 29-Mar-00 06:12:17

All kind of info about new CAIRO cd will accept
petelies@iobox.fi

petelies@iobox.fi

From Ecuador
Friday, 17-Mar-00 00:00:05

Greetings...

... and compliments on your excellent job. I'm Esteban, from Ecuador, South America. How did I learn about Cairo? What made me purchase your albums? The 'Magna Carta' tags on them!. I'd venture to say that I wouldn't be enjoying your music right now otherwise! Now I own both of your albums.
The first album I listened to was 'Conflicts And Dreams'. Both my brother and I had been collecting Magna Carta releases for some time back when the opportunity to purchase some new music came. "This one must be good, too", we thought. The thing is that we weren't mistaken! It was a pleasant experience hearing the opening track, 'Angels...'.
As you might guess, prog-rock/metal albums can't be found at record stores down here. Because of that fact, we generally purchase music at online stores. Who knows, we might be the only persons on this country who have had the privilege of enjoying your music. Rest assured we're spreading the word among our friends. Word of mouth among music fans seems to be a important 'ingredient' for a band's success, (particularly) in this style of music.

Keep up the fine work,
Esteban.

Esteban

About Magna Carta
Tuesday, 14-Mar-00 05:26:30

Hi Bret,
can't wait for your next cd, please hurry up! (juz kiddin'!).
From the rumors I read on the net, Magna Carta is a good prog talent scout label, but doesn't support tours for its bands. Also Shadow Gallery seem to be disappointed about this. And for us (the fans) it's a pity not to have the chance to see the Magna Carta bands live.
I hope in the future you and the other bands on Magna Carta will have the opportunity to make concerts, especially in Europe where you all are very appreciated. Maybe the only solution is another label...Magna Carta is going to be a "side project bands" label (LTE, Explorers club, Mullmuzzler...etc).
Carry on Bret! Bye

Flavio

Flavio

IF THERE IS A NEW ALBUM TO COME
Monday, 06-Mar-00 19:22:17

HELLO BRET¡
THANX FOR ANSWERING MY MESSAGE, I LIVE IN NAUCALPAN IT IS A BIG CITY PLACED NEAR TO MEXICO CITY, WE HAVE A TERRIBLE AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM AND WE ARE ONE MILLION PEOPLE LIVING HERE.
RECENTLY GOT YOUR FIRST CD, AND IT IS AMAZING, HOWEVER I LIKE MORE HOW YOUR SOUND ON CONFLICT AND DREAMS, I HOPE YOU KEEP ON MAKING THIS KIND OF WONDERFUL MUSIC.
I AM WAITING YOUR NEW RELEASE, IF IT IS POSSIBLE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS AND ALBUMS.
THANX A LOT SERGIO.

SERGIO SANDOVAL

Highest Regards
Tuesday, 29-Feb-00 20:03:40

Hello Bret,

I wanted to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoyed your first two CDs. The song "Silent Winter" really struck a nerve with me. I don't want to sound sappy but the lyrics to this song are hauntingly descriptive of a relationship I had with a woman named Winters a long time ago (!!) This song sends chills down my spine every time!
I sincerely wish you the best of luck and future success. Being a musician myself I admire the band's talent and you can without a doubt be very proud of the work you have done. Scott

Scott Smith

good job!
Tuesday, 15-Feb-00 06:12:00

Hi, guys
I'm a French guy who used to listen some kind of metal. Bought Conflict & dreams because of the Magna Carta sign on the back of the CD box. What a good choice!!
Keep on doing such a great job! When will the next Cairo CD will be out? 5xcuse for the poor English

ben

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