THE EMERALD DAWN are a multi-instrumentalist, eclectic, melodic progressive rock quartet, who combine elements from classical music, jazz, folk and rock to produce their own original, distinctive and exciting sound—a sound that is cinematic, epic, experimental and powerful. Usually haunting, often beautifully melodic and always highly atmospheric, the music of The Emerald Dawn paints images or tells stories that stimulate the imagination and takes the listener on unforgettable musical journeys.
The Emerald Dawn have been making huge waves in the UK prog scene over the past few years, having made it into the top ten in both the Best Band/Artist and Best Album categories in the 2023 annual Prog Magazine Readers' Poll. The band won the best performance vote at HRH Prog XII in 2023, the largest prog festival in the UK. This summer the band will be headlining at the 2024 Soundle music festival. The Emerald Dawn's latest album 'In Time' won the Prog Explorations Plus award for the Best Album of 2023. The Prog Mind ranked the band's keyboard player's performance fourth, the band's guitarist's performance second, the band's bass player's performance second, and the band's drummer's performance best in the world. In addition, the listeners of Progphonic and Game of Prog voted The Emerald Dawn 's vocalist runner up in the Best Female Vocalist category.
In the last couple of years, The Emerald Dawn have gone down a storm at Prog for Peart, A New Day, Fusion, A Sunday in September (London), Danfest, and Summer’s End Progressive Rock Festival, and have headlined at Prog the Forest in London. The band have had both a three-page and a two-page feature in recent issues of Prog Magazine.
The Emerald Dawn comprise Tree Stewart (keyboards, flute, acoustic guitar, and vocals), Ally Carter (guitar, tenor and soprano saxophones, and keyboards), David Greenaway (6-string fretless and fretted bass guitars), and Tom Jackson (drums). The Emerald Dawn was originally formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, by multi-instrumentalists, Tree Stewart and Ally Carter, before moving to St Ives in the far south west of England, where they were joined by jazz drummer Tom Jackson and, more recently, by bass player David Greenaway.
‘As epic and as beautiful as it is possible to get...‘ Scream Magazine
‘Often gorgeous and sometimes transcendent...potent pastoral-tinged prog flows from the stage.’ Gary Mackenzie, Prog Magazine
‘Their live shows are a feast for the senses, with stunning visuals and a powerful energy that electrifies the crowd.‘ Chris Parkins, London Prog Gigs
UPCOMING LIVE DATES 2024
May 25th, 2024 - 45 Live, KIDDERMINSTER, UK, plus The John Hackett Band
May 26th, 2024 - The Corporation, SHEFFIELD, UK, plus Ghost of the Machine
May 27th, 2024 - Ivory Blacks, GLASGOW, UK, plus Long Earth
May 29th, 2024 - Bannermans, EDINBURGH, UK, plus Marley Davidson
May 30th, 2024 - Trillians, NEWCASTLE, UK, plus EBB
May 31st, 2024 - O'Rileys, HULL, UK, plus EBB
June 1st, 2024 - The Soundle Music Festival 2024, Key Theatre, PETERBOROUGH, UK, (headlining) plus Solstice, Amanda Lehmann, Spriggan Mist, The Blackheart Orchestra, and more
September 22nd, 2024 - The Robin, WOLVERHAMPTON, UK, with Pearl Handled Revolver
October 27th, 2024 - The 1865, SOUTHAMPTON, UK, with Drifting Sun
VIDEOS
Click here to watch videos of The Emerald Dawn
MUSIC
Click here to listen for free to The Emerald Dawn or to purchase the band's CDs or digital downloads
AWARDS
The Emerald Dawn's 2023 album 'In Time' won the Prog Explorations Plus award for the Best Album of the year.
The Emerald Dawn were voted best band at HRH Prog XII.
Tom was rated Number 1 in the top 10 drum performances of 2023 by The Prog Mind.
David was rated Number 2 in the top 10 bass performances of 2023 by The Prog Mind.
Ally was rated Number 2 in the top 10 guitar performances of 2023 by The Prog Mind.
Tree was rated Number 4 in the top 10 keyboard performances of 2023 by The Prog Mind.
Tree was runner up in the Best Female Vocalist category by the listeners of Progphonic and Game of Prog.
The Emerald Dawn came third in Prog Magazine's Readers' Poll for the Best Unsigned Band of 2022.
The Emerald Dawn came sixth in Prog Magazine's Readers' Poll for the Best Unsigned Band of 2021.
Tony Colvill of The Progressive Aspect chose The Emerald Dawn’s 2021 album, ‘To Touch the Sky’, as his album of the year, as did Jim Lawson of Progzilla Radio.
David was rated Number 10 in the top 10 bass performances of 2021 by The Prog Mind.
Tree was rated Number 7 in the top 10 keyboard performances of 2017 by The Prog Mind.
Ally was rated Number 6 in the top 10 guitar performances of 2017 by The Prog Mind.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Wild Thyme Records, the brand new label for emerging prog bands, have chosen 'In Time' by The Emerald Dawn as their first vinyl release, and it can be purchased from Burning Shed
The reviews so far:
'a very profound and moving musical journey... magical... you will find a veritable pot of gold here. Truly impressive and staggeringly wonderful -- a real joy to behold, I suggest you reserve your copy now and await your time to hear this masterpiece.' John Wenlock-Smith, Progradar
'a deeply impressive concept album. ...a work of genius. ...a work I believe will set the progressive world alight.' Steve Lazenby, Lazland
'“In Time” should consecrate the group among the progressive rock elite... Utterly exquisite...' Thomas Szirmay, Prog Rogue
'Excellent album... sur mon podium 2023.' Philippe Andre, Profil
In March 2021, The Emerald Dawn released their fourth studio album, 'To Touch the Sky', to rave reviews.
'I think I have a contender for my "Album Of The Year 2021"... To Touch The Sky is a magnificent album that seems to provide evidence that The Emerald Dawn are truly on their way... My simple advice is to clear a space on your CD shelves to house this masterpiece.' Prog Rock Music Talk (full review here)
'One of the finest modern progressive acts and well known for their atmospheric and haunting take on progressive rock, To Touch the Sky, an album consisting of three tracks, is what you play someone when they want to know what new bands to listen to. Evolving their sound (as all the best bands do) To Touch the Sky is an absolute masterpiece in contemporary prog from start to finish and has to be listened to as one whole piece of work, there’s no dipping in and out of here, this is an album that needs your full attention, and one that rewards the listener.' The Spirit of Progressive Rock (full review here)
'building on the creative success of "Nocturne" that promised a masterpiece to be delivered next, the St. Ives group serve it up... the group’s greatest glorious achievement... they do touch the sky with their music.' Let it Rock (full review here)
'After Nocturne it would have been easy for The Emerald Dawn to tread water, they have not and now have two quite different but equally great albums. When not writing and just listening, this album has been a quality rioja, and on a further listen a single malt.' The Progressive Aspect (full review here)
'The Emerald Dawn keeps getting better. Their musicianship was never in question for me, but their continued ability to produce interesting, poetic, and ethereal music is obvious on this record. ‘To Touch the Sky is perfectly titled, and I find myself listening to it continuously.' The Prog Mind (full review here)
'wonderful stuff, and music that is simply made to luxuriate in like a warm aural bath...' Velvet Thunder (full review here)
In February 2019, The Emerald Dawn released their third studio album, ‘Nocturne’, to rave reviews:
‘This is a sheer delight to listen to, one of those albums that gets inside your soul and is one that you will keep with you for life. … I love this album.’ The Progressive Aspect (full review here)
‘A wonderful must have album, full of passion, drama, and majestic instrumentation throughout…’ ***** Progplanet (full review here)
‘“Nocturne” displays musical prowess that will leave your heart in your throat’. The Prog Mind (full review here)
‘…after only a few moments I knew that this album was extraordinary.’ Mały Leksykon Wielkich Zespołów (full review here)
‘…the guitar work is absolutely stunning, emotion and feeling seldom heard anymore.’ Jeffrey A. Czarnecki (full review here)
'...as wondrous as only a near masterpiece can be.' ***** Let It Rock (full review here)
'Nocturne' and 'To Touch the Sky' (current band) line-up:
Tree Stewart (keyboards, flute, acoustic guitar and vocals)
Ally Carter (guitars, saxophones, keyboards, and vocals)
David Greenway (fretless and fretted bass guitars)
Tom Jackson (drums).
'In Time' ALBUM RELEASE DATE - September 23rd 2023 (Autumn Equinox)
'In Time' is the fifth studio album from symphonic progressive rock band The Emerald Dawn.
3 track album
1 Out of Time (23.13)
2 Timeless (14:42)
3 The March of Time (8:17)
Total running time: 46 minutes and 12 seconds
After reaching for the heights in their fourth, and highly acclaimed, album 'To Touch the Sky', in their new album 'In Time' The Emerald Dawn explore the different ways in which time is experienced. The first track, 'Out of Time', is about a moment that is so special in your life that you want it to last forever, but if you could succeed in doing that it might be disruptive to all around you. The second track, 'Timeless', is about the subjective experience of time and its seeming elasticity. And the final track, 'The March of Time', is about no matter how much, you might think that time is just in your head, giving its appearance of elasticity, it is nevertheless relentless, and you are continually getting older, and your end will eventually come no matter how much you try to avoid it.
'TO TOUCH THE SKY' ALBUM RELEASE DATE - March 20th 2021 (Ostara)
'To Touch the Sky' is the fourth studio album from symphonic progressive rock band The Emerald Dawn.
3 track album
1 The Awakening (11.15)
2 And I Stood Transfixed (15:07)
3 The Ascent (22:17)
Total running time: 48 minutes and 39 seconds
Emerging from the darkness of their previous, and highly acclaimed, album 'Nocturne', The Emerald Dawn take the listener on a journey 'To Touch the Sky'. This album, the band's fourth, is a celebration of the voyage towards one's ultimate goal, including the hardships and dangers faced en route. Beginning with the night, the music depicts the process of waking up and coming to life. A moment of awareness, or the experience of being awestruck, then provides the motivation for each traveller to pursue their quest. In the closing 22 minute epic, 'The Ascent', the metaphor of climbing a mountain can be interpreted as a psychological, spiritual or physical attainment, just as the listener chooses.
