The band was formed in 1997 by guitarist and vocalist Bryan Josh and has undergone a great many lineup changes over the band's history, too many to list in full. The earliest lineup of the band featured Heidi Widdop on lead vocals, but by the time they recorded their debut album For All We Shared in 1998 for Cyclops Records she had been replaced by Heather Findlay. The album features an eight-piece band including Iain Jennings on keyboards, Liam Davidson on rhythm and slide guitars, and Bob Faulds on violin. Angela Gordon appears as a guest musician, although she was subsequently to to join the band as a full-time member. Two further albums followed on Cyclops, The Spirit of Autumn Past (1999) and The Last Bright Light (2001). By the time of latter Bob Faulds had left the band, but they had been joined by current bassist Andy Smith. These early albums had a strong folk-rock and celtic rock flavour, with instrumental jigs sitting alongside atmospheric epics influenced strongly by the likes of Pink Floyd. The third album in particular remains a favourite with many fans, and recent live sets still drawn heavily from it.
The band then signed to Classic Rock Legends. The first release for this label, the largely instrumental Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings (2001) was not generally considered to their proper fourth album, that honour falling to Passengers (2003). This album marked a change in direction, to a polished melodic rock sound with the celtic and folk-rock elements much reduced, a direction continued with the follow-up Storms Over Still Water. They also released a number of live albums during this period, as well as the retrospective album Catch the Spirit, made up of re-recorded songs largely from from the three Cyclops albums.
2006 saw the band leave Classic Rock Legends to self-release albums funded by fan pre-orders, a business model pioneered by Marillion, and also saw the departure of founder member and significant songwriter Iain Jennings to focus on Breathing Space, to be replaced by multi-instumentalist Chris Johnson. Their first self-released album Heart Full of Sky was an eclectic mix of musical styles, and received a mixed reception from some fans. Conflicting commitments with other bands and a desire to work on a solo project (which ultimately became Parade) saw Chris Johnson leave at the end of 2007. 2008's Glass Shadows saw the band reduced to a core creative duo of Bryan and Heather, and the following tour saw another major shakeup of the lineup, seeing the departure of Angela Gordon, replaced on flute and keyboards by Anne-Marie Helder, and the return of Iain Jennings and Liam Davidson (who's left a year earlier). although neither Iain or Liam had played on the album.
2009 saw the band's first live release since leaving CRP, with the two disks Live 2009 - Part I and Live 2009 - Part II, and also saw the remastered 3-disk retrospective Pass the Clock.
At the beginning of 2010 Heather Findlay announced her departure from the band to pursue a solo career. Her final live performance with the band on 2nd April 2010 was filmed for a DVD release, released as "That Night In Leamington".
Heather's replacement is Olivia Sparnenn, who had sung backing vocals with the band since 2005 as well as fronting Breathing Space, and the band made their first live appearance with Olivia singing lead in April 2010. Their ninth studio album titled "Go Well Diamond Heart" featuring Olivia on lead vocals, again funded by fan pre-order, was released in November 2010.
In 2011 the band released another live album, Still Beautiful recorded on the spring tour. The band's tenth studio album The Ghost Moon Orchestra, is due for release in summer 2012.
Current lineup:
Bryan Josh - Lead/Backing Vocals; Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic/12 String Guitars; Keyboards; Piano
Olivia Sparnenn – Lead and backing vocals, percussion, guitar
Angela Gordon (Goldthorpe) - Flute; Keyboards; Piano; High/Low Whistles; Recorders; Backing Vocals
Iain Jennings - Keyboards; Piano; Backing Vocals
Andy Smith - Bass Guitars
Gavin Griffiths - Drums
Past Members:
Heather Findlay - Lead/Backing Vocals; Acoustic/12 String Guitars; Piano; Recorders; Percussion (left April 2010)
Liam Davison - Rhythm/Acoustic/12 String Guitars; Slide Guitars; Backing Vocals
Anne-Marie Helder - Flute; Keyboards; Piano; Acoutic Guitars; Backing Vocals
Chris Johnson - Lead/Backing Vocals; Keyboards; Piano; Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars
Stuart Carver - Bass Guitars
Bob Faulds - Violins
Kev Gibbons - High/Low Whistles
Allan Scott - Drums
Rob McNeil - Drums
Jonathon Blackmore - Drums
Andrew Jennings - Drums
Henry Bourne - Drums
Heidi Widdop - Lead Vocals
Guests:
Ben Matthews (of Thunder) - Lead and rhythm guitar
Troy Donockley - Low whistles, Penny Whistles, Uilleann pipes, Bazouki
Rachel Jones - Vocal, backing vocals
Chris Leslie - Violin
Marcus Bousefield - Violin
Marissa Claughan - Cello
Peter Knight - Violin
David Moore - Hammond Organ
Hollow
Mostly Autumn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you take me back I'll follow
Your eyes are bright in a tunnel of dark
You look different, have you changed your ways?
You'll still be here tomorrow
That keeps you fighting for today
You walk with a dream in your bag
The good times and bad
You've followed the road
To the top of the world
Too long
Deepest senses, patient time
Don't waste your final chances
You cannot hold on to the fire
It makes no difference
How it ends
The days have left you hollow
Too fast around the bend
The opening lines of the song “Hollow” by Mostly Autumn reveal the sentiment of a protagonist who still remembers who they are but is seeking validation from someone in their life. The singer seeks a return to the familiar as they declare that they will follow the person if they take them back. The person in question is perceived by the singer as a source of light in a dark place of uncertainty, yet they are apprehensive about whether the person has truly transformed their ways. Nonetheless, the singer remains hopeful that the future is alive with potential borne out of the certainty that the person will be there tomorrow.
In the next part of the verse, the song expresses the sentiment of struggle and perseverance in the face of adversity. There is a sense of tenacity in the character that walks with a dream in their bag that has sustained them through both the good and bad times. However, the singer has realized that the road they have been walking on has led them too far up to the top of the world, and now they must gather their deepest senses and exercise patience to exploit their final chances. At this point, the song finally reveals what is at stake, that the singer cannot hold onto the fire, and it does not matter how it ends as the days have left them hollow.
One of the possible explanations of the song is that it talks about a person who had a lot of opportunities presented to them, and perhaps they were a bit overambitious. They followed the road persistently to the top of their world yet forgot the importance of staying rooted in their original values. The song seems to imply that their journey was a lonely one, which makes them desire to go back to whom they truly are. They are hopeful that they still have a shot at life, and their future is not entirely ruined. They know that no matter what happens next, they will still experience a sense of incompleteness or emptiness, however.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember who you are
I have not forgotten who you are
If you take me back I'll follow
If you accept me back, I will obey you
Your eyes are bright in a tunnel of dark
Your eyes are the only light shining in this dark place
You look different, have you changed your ways?
You seem different now, have you altered your behavior?
You'll still be here tomorrow
You will be alive and present tomorrow
That keeps you fighting for today
The idea of your presence tomorrow motivates you to stay alive today
You walk with a dream in your bag
You have a dream that accompanies you everywhere you go
That you've carried through all
You have been holding onto that dream through good times and bad
The good times and bad
Through both the happy and difficult times
You've followed the road
You have followed the path
To the top of the world
Towards the highest point of achievement
Too long
For an extended duration
Deepest senses, patient time
Strongest intuition and calm, unhurried approach
Don't waste your final chances
Do not squander your final opportunities
You cannot hold on to the fire
You are unable to grip the flames
It makes no difference
It does not matter
How it ends
The way things conclude
The days have left you hollow
Time has left you empty
Too fast around the bend
Too swift around the curve
Contributed by Keira G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.