Remembrance and Optimism - DBA’s ‘Halcyon Hymns’
What happens when you pair a keyboard player with roots in three successful bands of the 1970’s, ‘80’s and beyond with a modern pop producer of exceptional voice? What about when both are brilliant writers too? Geoffrey Downes and Christopher Braide together are Downes Braide Association, or DBA for short, and their first record of the New Twenties is called ‘Halcyon Hymns’.
Left - Christopher Braide, Right - Geoffrey Downes. Image Credit: Will Ireland
Stockport keyboardist Geoff Downes moved to London in the mid-1970’s and would briefly rehearse in Roy Wood’s band Wizzard before becoming a touring member of The Tina Charles Band. It was here he met Trevor Horn, and both would form the duo The Buggles, yielding the 1979 U.K. number one single ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’. The duo would go on to join Yes and release their ‘Drama’ album in 1980, as well as touring behind it. Together with John Wetton, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer, Downes would form the supergroup Asia and release their eponymous debut album in 1982. Asia would continue to release more albums and tour in various incarnations over the following decades. Geoff Downes has also released solo albums with The New Dance Orchestra from the 1980’s to the new millennium. In 2011, Geoff Downes would rejoin Yes and has since toured the world several times over and recorded two new albums with the band in ‘Fly From Here’ and ‘Heaven & Earth’.
Ivor Novello Award-winning and Grammy nominated producer Chris Braide has taken the pop world by storm. He’s worked with contemporary pop artists Lana Del Rey, David Guetta, Paloma Faith and Halsey in a writing and producing capacity. His more classic portfolio includes working on two albums (and more!) with Marc Almond, Lisa Stansfield, Rick Astley and The B-52s’ Kate Pierson. Chris Braide’s solo career began in the early 1990’s, of which a highlight was being signed to Warner Brothers subsidiary Anxious Records by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame. Chris Braide has also had a successful run of film soundtrack contributions including The Great Gatsby, Fifty Shades Darker, Wonder Woman and St. Trinian’s. His biggest and most enduring collaboration is with Australian writer, performer and producer Sia Furler. This goes back to 2013, through her 2014 album ‘1000 Forms Of Fear’, her ‘This Is Acting’ follow-up and most recently the title track to her motion picture release ‘Music’. Much of Braide’s listed soundtrack work includes performances from Sia.
Originally conceived as a studio project between Geoff Downes and Chris Braide, DBA has released three studio albums so far since 2012, beginning with ‘Pictures Of You’. ‘Suburban Ghosts’ was released in 2015 and ‘Skyscraper Souls’ in 2017 with a stop gap for the ‘Dreaming Of England’ Record Store Day EP in 2014. The duo played their first live gig at East Sussex venue Trading Boundaries in September 2018, which was released as their live album and film ‘Live In England’ towards the end of 2019. The pair returned again to Trading Boundaries for two more performances in February 2020, prior to lockdown restrictions.
Although creativity was hard to come by in the early pandemic conditions, an endearing nudge from Marc Almond ignited Chris Braide’s enthusiasm for a new DBA album, drawing initially on a pool of ideas put aside by Geoff Downes. And so, their fourth studio album, ‘Halcyon Hymns’, was born…
‘The conch shell, held to an itchy ear, a touchstone to a myriad of uplifting whispers…’
Poetry read by Barney Ashton-Bullock opens ‘Love Among The Ruins’ to a forest of birdsong, the conclusion of which brings in the song proper with picking acoustic guitars and heavenly synth. The picking turns to strumming as a rhythm section slowly reveals itself. The bass guitar is punchy, the drums are natural and the voice of Chris Braide soars above it all. His vocal melody sits so well among the instruments, like it’s laying in a flowerbed, looking up at the forest canopy. A two-part guitar solo separated by a chorus is backed up by a descending guitar melody that peeks in and out of the track, and a glockenspiel-esque keyboard balances it out in the opposite aural direction. Love Among The Ruins finishes much in the same way as it began, with more gentle acoustic strumming.
‘King Of The Sunset’ begins with what sounds like a programmed drum part before organic drums bring in the band at a much slower tempo. The instruments are more sparse earlier in the track, a distant sound conjuring up a desolate landscape while closer to home there’s the picking of guitar, but the main focus is on Braide’s vocal and lyric, much of which is doubled with a harmony. Initially I didn’t catch it, but David Longdon of Big Big Train and Dyble Longdon (whose album we wrote about here), sings together with Chris Braide. With the chorus comes a pair of acoustic guitars, turning like ticking clocks.
There’s the brief sound of something like a violin, but of course this could be a keyboard. I love the uncertainty of it, like it’s hovering between notes, unsure of where to go in a shimmering haze. Electric guitar makes itself known in a guitar solo and the drums rightly react to the intensity of it, changing up the beat but keeping the tempo.
In what feels like a separate songwriting idea, the track fades and a more folk-inspired section of acoustic instruments takes centre stage, that distant sound still prevalent in the background. There’s percussion here too, the accented band coming in reminds me of Pink Floyd on their 1994 album ‘The Division Bell’.
The duo waste no time with ‘Your Heart Will Find The Way’, strings coming in immediately with Chris Braide’s vocal; ‘Turn your light a little brighter, make yourself another life from the coals. In your heart there is a fire, but in your head there is a stealer of gold.’ Piano is prominent here for the first time under the introduction and is maintained throughout. It’s unclear how the share of keyboard parts is divided with both members of DBA being accomplished players in the ivory department.
In general, this piece feels more band orientated, with the rhythmic electric guitar parts running with the rhythm section, and Geoff Downes’ constant organ chord work underpinning the track. There is a sprinkling of backing vocals in the chorus sections, a melody that stays with you after the track has finished. The octave piano part behind the guitar solo reminds me of Ultravox - I wish there had been more focus on that on its own. The later chorus sections are so built up with instrumentation, I don’t want it to end.
Beginning with pacey acoustic guitar, I’m struck by how much I enjoy the recording quality of the instrument. It’s clear and vibrant without the modern over-compression that tends to make it an ear-sore. Keyboard strings and effected electric guitar join the introduction before drums break the overall tension and the first verse begins; ‘Now we are here, holding the heavens, reaching out to touch the moonlight…’ Braide’s voice is perfect for this music, holding confidence without trading in its purity. Here especially Braide extends upwards into his falsetto range for the choruses whilst in the verses he stays comfortable in his mid-range, serving the song well in both respects. Despite appearing on the surface that this album so far is driven by guitar, without the atmospherics and chord-driving parts from Downes, songs like ‘Holding The Heavens’ would be stripped of it’s soul. Barney Ashton-Bullock reappears towards the end, but not for the last time!
‘Silence! Or is it?’
Piano playing soundtracks further musings from Ashton-Bullock. Much like Love Among The Ruins, ‘Beachcombers’ is also opened up to the sounds of the forest, like the aforementioned poet is walking among the trees, caught in the air of inspiration. His delivery is crisp, and his writing is so quintessentially English, I couldn’t imagine these spoken-word sections any other way. Not to mention that here in particular I am reminded of Kate Bush’s album ‘Aerial’, the second part of which features moments just like this.
A pulsing bass drum keeps the beat with consistent hi-hat as the spoken-word introduction comes to an end and Braide’s vocal begins. Chris’ voice is in multiple layers, a comforting melody that would work just as well without everything else apart from the piano. Braide even breaks off, singing his own backing vocals in your right ear as soft tom work on the drums keeps the track rolling. The outro is full of Braide’s delayed voice in confusing swathes of ‘see the world, feel the world…’. This is joined by acoustic and electric guitars, previously less obvious bass and the return of the forest canopy before being cut off by Barney Ashton-Bullock in the same way the track began:
‘Silence! Or is it?’
Atmospheric sounds including the swish of cymbals, a tolling church bell and birdsong bring in the multi-layered keyboard introduction to ‘Warm Summer Sun’. With piano comes Chris Braide’s voice, and then after the first chorus a surprise hits the ears in the form of Marc Almond taking the lead vocal. There’s a beautiful string line beneath this and Braide’s voice harmonises with Almond’s like the lyric had been written to do just that. It’s a breath of fresh air to have a break from guitar on Warm Summer Sun, especially as the light keyboard textures give the two vocalists more room in the mix, a really great arrangement decision. In moments like this, it’s easy to see why Geoff Downes and Chris Braide have had such major success in their own careers when their songwriting ability comes so naturally.
Similar to Your Heart Will Find The Way, ‘Today’ begins without an introduction to bring the vocal in with piano; ‘Today’s a perfect day so spend it with me, the sun is high, the wheel of time, let it burn.’ The uplifting vocal really struck me on Today, it’s amazing that such a positive lyric could’ve come out of a year as hopeless as 2020. Perhaps that’s the very reason why it exists. For this track, the full drum kit is back, as well as both acoustic and electric guitars.
‘Now where did I put those years? I swear I had them here just now in the palm of my hand…’
In yet another surprising move, Barney Ashton-Bullock doesn’t deliver Today’s monologue, but the loose northern accent of Marc Almond does. Born in Southport in Lancashire, time and worldwide travel have softened Almond’s expression, but his recitation of these words is rich behind Downes’ electric piano accompaniment. A drum fill, then a musical passage that reminds me of Tears For Fears’ ‘Sowing The Seeds Of Love’ takes place with rolling backing vocals, a guitar solo and gorgeous harmonies bringing this track to it’s end.
‘And when the dawn comes calling…’ ‘Hymn To Darkness’ is driven by acoustic instruments and begins with Chris Braide’s vocal. Choral-like synths beautifully fill out the space beneath the picked stringed instruments. Interestingly, the feel changes entirely once the rhythm is established, percussion works well with the bass guitar, following a repeated chord sequence of which the song is based on beneath the surface. Braide’s backing vocals are essential in assisting the rhythm, repeating the title of the track, and his backing ability is as good as his lead vocal.
This is entirely contrary to ‘She’ll Be Riding Horses’, which comes straight in with drums as well as a full band backing. Electric guitar is more conventional, and the picking of acoustic guitar assists outside of the verses. Though the piano and keyboard sounds occupy a similar space to the acoustic instruments, the effect makes the latter all the more ethereal. It’s great to hear a drum performance with more gusto, hi-hats slightly open and even some cymbal play in the choruses. Braide repeating the song’s title towards the end of the song is a superb moment that will come off well in a live environment without a doubt.
One of the shortest tracks on Halcyon Hymns is ‘Late Summer’, a more sedate affair than the track prior. A myriad of piano, strings and choral textures soundtrack Chris Braide’s most delicate vocal on the album so far. The solid mixing on this record perfectly blends the sliding up on the bass guitar fretboard and lead guitar moments to augment the real soul of this track. Braide’s a cappella finishing line ‘Oh what a day’ makes my hair stand up. This should be performed in a church.
From one of the shortest pieces on Halcyon Hymns, to the very most epic. Beginning with piano chords and the return of Barney Ashton-Bullock, this is ‘Remembrance’. With the conclusion of the first spoken-word verse, drums come in and the pace is much quicker than expected, subtle acoustic guitars are a gentle build-up of a track with a story to tell. Equally, the lyrics and melody on Remembrance are some of my favourite; ‘Oh we love, we love, we love this dirty old ground and our hearts were racing…’ Grand strings linger behind a drum kit of tom work that pick up more and more as Barney’s words fill in the narrative in between Braide’s choruses.
You’d be a fool if you thought I didn’t double-check the meaning of ‘Halcyon’ before writing this article - Google tells me it means ‘denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful’. The album title of Halcyon Hymns perfectly describes what this track is. Not only does it sum up the themes presented in this work - it’s also a finale, and a grand one at that. With artwork from painter Roger Dean, whose painting sessions were streamed online so fans could watch the piece form in real-time, he has created an excellent companion piece to this album. The painting sessions are included in the bonus DVD, available together with the CD edition of Halcyon Hymns.
Barney Ashton-Bullock’s concluding passage on Remembrance is exactly what the title says it is, or nostalgia for days gone by. There are moments here we can all relate to. Spending time with a lover on hot summer days by the sea or a lake, the mention of cream-teas, jam ‘scones’ or ‘scones’, Punch and Judy, hosepipe bans, camping, park bandstands, striped deck-chairs, ‘an England long ago…’
‘Goodbye, my love. Goodbye…’
The additional ‘Epilogue’ is almost not warranted after Ashton-Bullock’s exceptional closing words, but the final a cappella harmonies of Chris Braide are indeed beautiful, as is the last acoustic refrain that lays this record to rest. What a journey.
For more information about the making of Halcyon Hymns, read on for my telephone interview with Geoff Downes. We discuss the writing and recording of the album, the musicians who play on it, Roger Dean’s artwork and additional guests in Marc Almond and Barney Ashton-Bullock. Outside of DBA and Halcyon Hymns, we also talk about Geoff’s other bands in Yes and Asia, as well as a special recording made forty years ago with one of Britain’s most beloved female solo artists.
Left - Geoffrey Downes, Right - Christopher Braide. Image Credit: Will Ireland
Teri Woods: The album is great, I’ve really been enjoying that. With it being conceived in a strange year, how did the writing of it come together?
Geoff Downes: Erm, well it’s a different way of working really. It’s something that we’ve been doing for a while, Chris and I with the DBA. We’ve been literally exchanging ideas on our previous two or three albums so it’s not really something that’s that different for us to be, you know, exchanging files on the internet and that kind of thing. So, erm, it was really- I sent Chris a bunch of ideas, over a year ago now and he suddenly opened the file up and started firing stuff back at me saying ‘oh this is wonderful stuff, I’m sure we’ve got an album here!’
TW: Ok so with the recording, were you both still isolating from each other as well?
GD: Yeah, yeah, well Chris was in L.A. so we did it remotely I suppose and as I say he’s been out- he was out there for about ten years so from the very beginning of DBA that’s the way we’ve been doing it. I think that, erm, you know there are a lot of people who are almost obliged or forced into doing it because of the restrictions but it was not something unusual for us to be doing it that way.
TW: Well, besides yourself and Chris, who else plays on the record?
GD: Oh well we did a gig last year actually, at a place in Sussex- not that far from you actually, a place called Trading Boundaries. We had a great rhythm section who played on the last album. Andy Hodge on bass and David Longdon did some guest stuff, so we invited them all along to do it, and er, Dave Bainbridge on guitar. So, erm, it was kind of not necessarily etched in stone, but we felt that it was the right thing to do to get them to play on the next album and it’s really worked out well, you know? I think they’ve integrated themselves perfectly into the music.
TW: I think so too, as well, Marc Almond is also on this record, so how did Marc Almond get involved?
GD: Well, Chris worked with Marc I think on his previous two albums and erm, he thought it would be a nice idea to get him to sing- this is going back to the last album actually - ‘Skyscraper Souls’. He got him to sing on a track on that album and I think that with this album, erm, Marc Almond said to him ‘I’d love to do a track on your next album’, so we found a song for him, ‘Warm Summer Sun’, which he sings on beautifully. And his voice really blends nicely with Chris’ you know I think that because Chris has worked with him on a couple of albums before, they kind of had a good understanding about how their vocals would work together.
TW: Well I almost did a double-take when I heard it because like you say they blend so well together.
GD: Yeah! They do and I think part of it is that you know Chris is a big Marc Almond fan, and you know he was a big Buggles fan as well. So it’s kind of a great thing for him to be able to, you know, work with the people that he kind of admired, you know back in the early 80’s, to actually bring that to reality. And I think that the fact that he’d done quite a few dates with Marc Almond as well so you know they built up this kind of rapport. So I think it’s a really nice addition for the album.
TW: As well as that, I really love the spoken word parts of ‘Halcyon Hymns’ so, with those is there an overarching theme to the album?
GD: I think it’s a nice addition, I think that we’re not in any sort of hurry to just put out a bunch of songs. I think that, the album is not a concept album but I think it’s conceived as a whole, you know and I think that having the dialogue in there by Barney Ashton-Bullock, it really helps turn it into something more than just a song collection. You know I think that it’s got this- it helps to set the mood for some of the songs, and I think it’s a very worthy addition to the music as much as anything.
TW: I think so. I think it does all tie it together and I think it does come across like the album is conceived as a whole as opposed to individual songs here and there.
GD: Well yeah I think that’s what we wanted to do, and I think that when you translate that album to say vinyl, you know vinyl is very popular again- I mean not massively popular but certainly you know- I think many artists, particularly ones that have been recording over this last year have seen vinyl as a way of something people might treasure and look at. You put it in front of you and you’ve got this full-size piece of art that you open up and it’s got all the information in it and that sort of thing I think that people are really getting- not excited about but, you know it’s actually providing something different that people can actually look at that and think well this is not just a bit of plastic in a CD sleeve or whatever. It’s kind of like a work of art and I think that with vinyl- you know Chris and I are big vinyl lovers, so we’re very happy to be able to put that- you know that idea of- the ceremony of lifting the vinyl out of the sleeve and putting it on the turntable. It’s very much a ceremonial thing rather than just chucking a CD in the slot and listening to it.
TW: Well I’ve actually loved the resurgence of vinyl, I think that’s a really wonderful thing. And like you say, with the artwork- the artwork is three, four times as big, and in this case the artwork is by Roger Dean so did you and Chris give him much direction actually on what you wanted for the artwork?
GD: Well yeah I mean I think the thing was we were working in tandem with him. When we originally got the idea that it was gonna be named after one of the tracks, it was called, ‘Holding The Heavens’ which is one of the tracks off the album, you know that’s what we started out with. But of course when you start talking to Roger and he starts to lay out things and he came up with the Kingfisher, that really changed the whole thought-process. I think we felt that, this has got a much bigger idea behind it and I think Roger happens to spur on the thought-process, you don’t just stop at that when you see him. Particularly with this album, where he was doing these online painting sessions for the album so that people can see sort of how it develops and how his mind is working. But when he heard some of the music I think that started to steer him in a certain direction, and erm, in the past I think Roger does influence the music to some degree. I think if you go back to the first Asia album, you know with the image of the dragon and pearl, and you know that actually comes up as one of the titles and one of the lyrics in ‘Heat Of The Moment’. So, it is, kind of working with someone like Roger is, you have to- you know he doesn’t just do it and that’s it, he wants to feel part of it as well.
TW: And I think that that’s worked really well especially with the online painting sessions, erm, whose idea was it to do that?
GD: Erm, it just came about really from a- We wanted to see how he was doing it I think we proposed him and said ‘look would you mind if we put this kind of thing on, you know, publicly?’ And he was; ‘no, no that’s fine, I’ll just do half an hour every couple of days or whatever.’ And so that’s how we brought it up and I think it’s a great thing to see, not just from our stand-point and being involved with our album, but to see someone as great as Roger, to see how he works and how he puts it all together. I think the long term relationship with Roger ever since joining Yes in 1980- erm, it’s kind of a continuation of that really and it’s great Roger is part of my career!
TW: Oh I mean it’s such a rarity to see, a painter certainly of his calibre at work like that and the modern age has kind of allowed it to happen which is really wonderful to see.
GD: Yeah he’s fantastic. You know when you think of all the stuff that he’s done, you know particularly for Yes, erm, the Yes sleeves. Such iconic artwork, he’s a master of the trade. As I say I’m very lucky to- I’m blessed to have Roger as part of my career, a very important part because you know many of the albums that I’ve done, the visuals contain or demonstrate his work.
TW: Well going outside of the DBA album, I actually read that you played on Kate Bush’s ‘Sat In Your Lap’? What was it like to work with Kate Bush?
GD: Oh it was fascinating actually, I- you know I really fancied her actually (laughs). As did most men at that time! But yeah I had this instrument which is called a Fairlight. Which is the very first digital, erm, computer synthesizer/keyboard, so it was the original, it came out in I think in 1979? It was very expensive, it was about- I think I paid 15 grand for it, my manager at the time said ‘you must be absolutely off your head’. But anyway I wanted one, because part of me is pretty much interested in technology and advancing technology. So I got this thing called a Fairlight and erm, she was in the studio one day at the Townhouse in London, and she said ‘what the hell is that thing?’ I said ‘oh this is the latest gizmo you know?’ So she said ‘I want that on my album. Can you come and play?’ So I demonstrated it to her and then she asked me to come and play on a couple of songs. I just played on one actually, on ‘The Dreaming’ album, ‘Sat In Your Lap’, which has some stabby horns, which- the Fairlight was authenticated with original horn sections.
TW: Was there no possibility of you working on some of her other tracks for that album or later on…?
GD: Not really no because I was right in the middle of doing the Asia album at the time-
TW: Ah.
GD: So it was an interesting side-project at the time but it never had any chance of going any further I don’t think.
TW: Is there any possibility of any more Asia work at all?
GD: Erm, I hope so yeah. We did a tour up until the middle of the year before last, we had Rob “Bumblefoot” Thal on guitar and vocals which was great and Billy Sherwood came to play bass and then Carl and I, and Steve did the rest of the set. So it was nice to have that little special hour of Asia music in the middle of this bigger concert with Carl, and Yes, and John Lodge of The Moody Blues. So it was a great tour and I think we got a feeling for- You know, obviously, I miss John Wetton enormously, but erm, you know hopefully the music lives on and hopefully we’ll get the opportunity to go out again at some point.
TW: That would be wonderful, I actually saw Yes on the 50th anniversary tour, what was it like to celebrate such a massive milestone?
GD: Yeah I mean it was fantastic, I think we did two nights at the London Palladium, which was brilliant, erm-
TW: That was one of the ones I saw. (laughs)
GD: Oh that was one of the ones you went to? Yeah.
TW: Yeah!
GD: Ok, we did a similar event in Philadelphia in America as well. It was great. I mean, you know, Yes, I was into Yes from the very beginning, in fact I think I even at one point had a Yes poster on my wall! I was very much into Tony Kaye’s playing I think on that early Yes stuff. I think the first album I got was the second album actually which was ‘Time And A Word’, and it was a very inspirational album to me, I thought ‘God these guys are unbelievable!’ You know what radical stuff and all these fantastic harmonies and bass guitar all over the place and these chunky Hammond Organ sounds from Tony Kaye. So that was one of the things that really got me inspired into music. So, going back full circle and being a part of that was really something extra special.
TW: I mean as well you- I think it was on that tour you played with Tony Kaye. So what was that like?
GD: Ah, brilliant! I mean I think we did, erm, you know we did some shows with Tony and I think he came to the 50th anniversary, pretty much the whole tour. He’s just such a great guy, you know, he only did I think, what? Three albums with Yes, but er, I think that he was a fundamental part of that very first foundation of that sound.
TW: Yeah I think so too, especially his Hammond Organ work was superb early on.
GD: Oh yeah I mean that gritty- that first album, that really gritty, you know it’s almost distorted beyond belief! But he was great and a really nice guy and we really got along well.
TW: Is there any more Yes material in the works for the future?
GD: Well we’ve exchanged some ideas, not really etched in stone yet, but erm, there’s something that we want to do and we want to put an album out in the future, I think it’s just a case of when and not if. I think it’s really down to the logistics of getting together and erm, you know- as I say we’ve been at the exchange ideas stage for quite some time now, but erm, when it comes to actually physically putting the stuff down, it’s a different matter. I mean we have got some stuff recorded, but as I say it’s early days yet.
TW: Ok, well, you’ve worked with an awful lot of people, is there someone you’ve always wanted to work with but you haven’t yet?
GD: I’ve been really fortunate I suppose you could say that I’ve worked with some of the greatest people, certainly in the progressive rock music world and, people like Greg Lake and John Wetton and Keith Emerson and you know, all sorts of people I’ve worked with. So, I’ve been very, very fortunate that I’ve had a career where I- that I’ve worked with people. I think that probably one person I would like to work with if I ever got the opportunity would be Sting because I always seem to get on well with bass players, with people like John Wetton and Greg Lake and Glenn Hughes and Chris Squire and you know all of these people I’ve worked with in the past so I think I generally get on well with bass players.
TW: Ok! Well I didn’t know what to expect but er (laughs) that’s a really great answer.
GD: Oh (laughs) ok!
TW: So I have one more question: Once the world returns to some form of normality, can fans expect some more DBA gigs to be performed?
GD: I think so, I think that we’d like to! We did a show, actually- well two shows as I said before at Trading Boundaries last year, and it was shortly after that the big lockdown came about I think the following month. So we had talked about it around that time about maybe doing some special shows that we could put together. Obviously that’s been on hold now but I think that, you know we dipped our toe in the water as it were at that time. I think that we’ve got a good chance of hopefully getting out and doing something once, as you say, once these restrictions start to be relieved a bit.
TW: Alright, brilliant. I look forward to it, I didn’t catch you guys before, so I hope to do that in the future. (laughs)
GD: Ok well I’m sure we will, you know, that’s the plan anyway!
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Purchase the new Downes Braide Association record ‘Halcyon Hymns’ on CD/DVD and vinyl from Cherry Red Records here.
For more information about DBA, visit their official website.
Follow Downes Braide Association on Facebook @downesbraide, and on Twitter @therealdbamusic.
Find Geoff Downes on Facebook @geoffrey.downes.official and on Twitter @asiageoff.
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