Interviewing The Legends: midnight at the Velencia

WELSH HARD ROCK/ETHEREAL POP GROUP

C A R D I N A L

B L A C K

ANNOUNCE NEW RELEASE

‘MIDNIGHT AT THE VELENCIA’

AND EXTENSIVE TOUR

ZOOM SPECIAL EVENT

WITH

GUITARIST

C H R I S B U C K

The band's story is a wild one: their very first show was attended by Steve Winwood, fresh off a three-night run at Madison Square Garden with Clapton. He was so taken with the performance that he invited them to record at his studio in the English countryside. Their debut single “Tell Me How It Feels” unseated Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds from the top of the iTunes rock chart, and they’ve since shared stages with Peter Frampton (earning a standing ovation at Royal Albert Hall), Myles Kennedy, and Joe Bonamassa.

Guitarist Chris Buck has emerged as a major force in his own right — named “Best New Guitarist” and “Best Blues Guitarist” by Guitarist Magazine readers in consecutive years and recognized by Total Guitar as one of the greatest blues guitarists in the world. He’s known for a deeply expressive style and a meticulous ear, and his custom Yamaha Revstar has become a signature part of the band’s sound. Frontman Tom Hollister brings a different kind of intensity, having found music after an injury cut short his career as a professional rugby player.

Cardinal Black, the Welsh-formed trio of frontman Tom Hollister, guitarist Chris Buck, and drummer Adam Roberts – take their next monumental step with the announcement of their new album, Midnight At The Valencia – out May 23rd on Thirty Tigers. Alongside the album news, the band have unveiled their brand new single, ‘Keep On Running’.

Midnight at the Valencia feels like a document of the band's "10,000 hours" — the dive bars, the near-misses, the personal loss. It was tracked live to vintage analogue gear at Powerplay Studios in Zurich, using a ‘70s-era Disney console, and each song feels unfiltered. There’s the stark, grief-laced “Push/Pull” (written the day Buck lost his father), the slow-burn catharsis of “Need More Time,” and the propulsive drive of “Keep On Running.”

PURCHASE

THE NEW ALBUM

FROM

CARDINAL BLACK

Entitled

MIDNIGHT AT THE VALENCIA

AVAILABLE AT

https://www.thecardinalblack.com/store

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT

CARDINAL BLACK

VISIT

https://www.thecardinalblack.com/

official website

https://www.instagram.com/thecardinalblack/

Instagram

https://www.facebook.com/TheCardinalBlack/

Facebook

https://open.spotify.com/artist/39oKFGoKzTEZlc8PMP7kQ3?si=KP5gCD0aS0uKpzVwnsu3eg&nd=1&dlsi=5aed507d7c7b4b83

Spotify

https://www.youtube.com/c/CardinalBlack?reload=9

YouTube

https://x.com/thecardinalblk

twitter

https://www.chrisbuckguitar.shop/

Chris Buck Guitar Shop

https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBuckGuitar/

Chris Buck Facebook

CARDINAL BLACK

TOUR 2025

May 25 Sun

Rough Trade Bristol @ 6:30 PM

Bristol, United Kingdom

May 26 Mon

The Lower Third @ 7:00 PM

London, United Kingdom

Aug 6 Wed

Gramercy Theatre @ 7:00 PM

New York, NY, United States

Aug 6 Wed

Mercury Lounge @ 9:00 PM

New York, NY, United States

Aug 8 Fri

Drake Underground @ 7:00 PM

Toronto, ON, Canada

Aug 9 Sat

Kitchener Blues Festival 2025 @ 7:00 PM

Kitchener, ON, Canada

Aug 12 Tue

Schubas Tavern @ 7:30 PM

Chicago, IL, United States

Aug 14 Thu

7th St Entry @ 8:00 PM

Minneapolis, MN, United States

Aug 16 Sat

Playing with Fire 2025 @ 7:00 PM

United States, United States, United States

Aug 18 Mon

The Basement East @ 7:00 PM

Nashville, TN, United States

Aug 19 Tue

Center Stage @ 8:00 PM

Atlanta, GA, United States

Aug 21 Thu

Antone's @ 8:00 PM

Austin, TX, United States

Aug 23 Sat

The Rebel Lounge @ 8:00 PM

Phoenix, AZ, United States

Aug 26 Tue

Troubadour @ 7:00 PM

West Hollywood, CA, United States

Aug 29 Fri

The Independent @ 8:30 PM

San Francisco, CA, United States

Aug 30 Sat

Delfino Farms 2025 @ 7:00 PM

United States, United States, United States

Oct 2 Thu

Rock City, Nottingham @ 7:00 PM

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Oct 3 Fri

Academy 2 @ 7:30 PM

Manchester, United Kingdom

Oct 9 Thu

Opium, Dublin @ 7:30 PM

Dublin, Ireland

Oct 10 Fri

Limelight, Belfast @ 7:30 PM

Belfast, United Kingdom

Oct 11 Sat

The Garage, Glasgow @ 7:00 PM

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Oct 16 Thu

KK's Steel Mill @ 7:00 PM

Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Oct 17 Fri

Stylus, Leeds @ 7:00 PM

Leeds, United Kingdom

Oct 19 Sun

Wylam Brewery Tap @ 7:00 PM

Newcastle-upon-tyne, United Kingdom

Oct 23 Thu

SWX, Bristol @ 7:00 PM

Bristol, United Kingdom

Oct 24 Fri

EngineRooms, Southampton @ 7:00 PM

Southampton, United Kingdom

Oct 28 Tue

Concorde 2, Brighton @ 7:30 PM

Brighton, United Kingdom

Oct 29 Wed

Cambridge Junction @ 7:00 PM

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Oct 30 Thu

Koko, London @ 7:00 PM

London, United Kingdom

Nov 1 Sat

The Great Hall, Cardiff @ 7:00 PM

Cardiff, United Kingdom

Nov 19 Wed

Bitterzoet, Amsterdam (Extra Show) @ 7:30 PM

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Nov 20 Thu

Bitterzoet, Amsterdam @ 7:30 PM

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Nov 23 Sun

Bürgerhaus Stollwerck @ 8:00 PM

Köln, Germany

Nov 24 Mon

Bahnhof Pauli @ 8:00 PM

Hamburg, Germany

Nov 25 Tue

Privatclub @ 8:00 PM

Berlin, Germany

Nov 27 Thu

Backstage @ 8:00 PM

München, Germany

Nov 28 Fri

Eventhall-Airport @ 8:00 PM

Regensburg-neuprüll, Germany

Nov 29 Sat

Flex @ 8:00 PM

Vienna, Austria

Dec 1 Mon

Papiersaal @ 8:00 PM

Zurich, Switzerland

Dec 2 Tue

Brotfabrik @ 8:00 PM

Frankfurt Am Main, Germany

Dec 3 Wed

Substage @ 8:00 PM

Karlsruhe, Germany

Dec 6 Sat

SUPERSONIC @ 7:00 PM

Paris, France

CHRIS BUCK

APPEARS

MAY 20TH 2025

ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

WITH RAY SHASHO

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/

Gold Award Winner

MORE BOOKS BY RAY SHASHO

AVAILABLE NOW!

RAY'S INCREDIBLE

NEW

SCI-FI BOOK!

THE LIBERTY CODE

In a near-future America, where democracy has collapsed under the iron grip of the Commonwealth Party, redemption lies in the unlikeliest of places—a novel. The Liberty Code, penned by decorated Marine veteran and journalist Sam Edwards, uncovers the hidden truths of a dystopian world teetering on the edge of annihilation.

Guided by telepathic messages from two Centauri extraterrestrial ambassadors, J-Rod and Naxia, who secretly collaborate with the U.S. Air Force, Edwards reveals a master plan to save Earth. This gripping tale begins as fiction but evolves into a stark reality, reflecting real-world geopolitical conflicts and revolutionary military operations.

OFFICIAL TRAILER