Jadis

Gary Chandler, 2006

 Seems every now and then, I add another artist to my long collection, and this time it's another prog band with a cult following called Jadis.  I find their 2003 album, appropriately called Fanatic at the shop, and I buy it because two members at the time were also in IQ (Martin Orford, who since returned after leaving the business over piracy, and John Jowitt) and the drummer Steve Christey has worked for the late John Wetton on solo albums and with Geoffrey Downes on the first two Icon albums prior to the return of original Asia proper.  Turns out I friended frontman Gary Chandler on Facebook several years ago, but thought little of it until a couple months ago, as it was now meant to happen (and added Jowitt recently, and told him that I got an autographed CD of the band), even though he's not any more active on social media personally than I am.

Then there's trying to get more CDs.  The next two I bought I had to get online.  They weren't cheap, mind, and I've paid a pretty penny for other people.  A lot of them are a right fortune that, and I know where in person they might be available at a remotely better price, given the rise on essential items these days (they only had one, but with some determination, the follow-up could be found on amazon via a German seller I know at a doable price as other sellers there, Discogs and eBay charge an arm and leg for P&P alone).  The band have their own label and have the same indie distributor as IQs label, so they could reissue these albums, making them more affordable and available.

I also need a freely licenced photo for Wikipedia as the ones I used here can't be used there, just adding to my Holy Grail wild goose chase!  If they could play the US, I'd take my own, but it's hard enough right now to tour near home, and they don't have the same resources as some of their peers like visas and a budget, even if they started a crowdfund appeal like Marillion used to do, since Steve Rothery have helped Jadis get their foot in the door.