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Happy 2019, ACE fans!  2018 was a big year for The Aaron Clift Experiment, so I thought that I’d look back at some of the highlights:

On May 4, we released our third album, “If All Goes Wrong.”  We were overwhelmed by the positive feedback that we got from you and critics alike.  Several publications, such as  Dutch Progressive Rock Page, Exposé, and Power of Prog even named the album as one of the best albums of 2018.  I’m very proud of how far the band has come with our songwriting and performances and am very grateful for the great show of support.

To celebrate the release of “If All Goes Wrong,” we thew a big album release party in April at One 2 One Bar. Joining us on stage for this special occasion were many of the guest musicians who performed on the album: Dave North, Van Wilks, Arielle, and Kevin Chin all did amazing guitar work at the show.

 

Speaking of guitar, 2018 also brought big changes to the band: after months without a permanent guitarist, ACE finally found our new axe man in Mathew Aboujaoude.  Additionally, in the summer, Devin North departed the band, leaving some big shoes to fill in the bass department.  Luckily, we found an excellent replacement in Mathew brother, Christopher Aboujaoude.  This powerhouse team of brothers brought tons of experience and talent to the band but most importantly passion for performing original progressive rock.

We rounded out the year in October by performing at Progtoberfest in Chicago, one of the largest progressive rock festivals in North America.  It was truly an honor to perform alongside legends such as Screaming Headless Torsos and Soft Machine.  More importantly, we met some incredible people at the festival, from other amazing prog bands all over the world to fans like you.

So, what lies ahead for The Aaron Clift Experiment?  We’ve got several new shows in the works, starting with our January 16 show at Mohawk.  Beyond that, we hope to debut a few new songs this year.

Thank you all for making 2018 a great year for the band, and here’s to a great 2019!

–Aaron

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Use the code HAPPYHOLIDAYS this Cyber Monday through December 25 for 25% off the entire Aaron Clift Experiment store! Now is the perfect time to stock up on ACE shirts, socks, or one of our bundle deals.

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Today marks a changing of the guard for The Aaron Clift Experiment: Devin North will soon be moving to Nashville to pursue a new musical direction.  We wish Devin the best of luck with his music career and can’t thank him enough for the excellent bass work and songwriting that he brought to The Aaron Clift Experiment on “Outer Light, Inner Darkness” and “If All Goes Wrong.”

We’ve been incredibly fortunate that, during this period of transition, we’ve been working with a new bassist who embodies the talent and versatility that The Aaron Clift Experiment’s music demands.  Please welcome Christopher Aboujaoude:

Brother of new ACE guitarist, Mathew Aboujaoude, Christopher is currently studying bass at Berklee College of Music Online.  He started his musical education at age 9, learning keyboards, drums, and saxophone in addition to bass.  Over the last 4 years, he has done extensive session work in the southern United States as well as toured worldwide with his brother in the Lebanese Pink Floyd tribute band, Brick Floyd.

Christopher will be making his live debut with us at our September 27 show at One 2 One Bar in Austin, so please be sure to come out and welcome him to the ACE family!

Thanks again to Devin for all of the great music you’ve done with ACE over the last few years, and break a leg in Nashville!

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It’s never easy to find a guitarist with the skill and background to play the diverse range of music in our catalog, but we’re very happy to announce that we’ve found the guy.  Introducing our new guitarist, Mathew Aboujaoude:

Currently studying guitar and songwriting at Berklee College of Music Online, Mathew started playing keyboards at the age of 7 and picked up the guitar at age 9.  For the past 4 years, he has toured extensively in Texas, Louisiana, and the Middle East with Brick Floyd, a Lebanese Pink Floyd tribute act.  Mathew has done session work with various artists in the US and abroad, and is currently recording an original solo progressive rock album to be released this year.

We’re looking forward to working with Mathew as we gear up for more live shows this fall and beyond.  Mathew will be making his live debut with us at our September 27 show at One 2 One Bar in Austin, so please be sure to come out and welcome him to the ACE family!

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“If All Goes Wrong” is a turning point . . . the music is tighter and crisper as Aaron, Devin, and Tim each come into their own. The music runs the gambit; the album is as diverse a prog album as I’ve heard in quite some time. One of the upsides to the search for all things prog is discovering a band and following their journey to success.”

Thank you Vinny Iacocca for your glowing review of “If All Goes Wrong” on Closet Concert Arena. Click the picture below to read the review: