Neil Leyton

Lisbon-born singer, songwriter, rock n'roll guitar player, amateur producer & indie label entrepreneur: Neil Leyton became familiar with the stage while living in Canada in the 1990's, where he fronted Toronto's glam godfathers The Conscience Pilate, after starting out on bass with psychedelic art-rockers Passion'd Flower. He launched his solo career in 1998 with the release of the critically acclaimed "Secret Avenue" album, throwing himself simultaneously into his music as well as running Fading Ways Music, his Canadian indie label.

He launched his solo career in 1998 with the release of the critically acclaimed "Secret Avenue" album, throwing himself simultaneously into his music as well as running Fading Ways Music, his Canadian indie label. His second album, "...from the brighter side of her Midnight Sun", was released in the UK via the ChangesOne label in 2003 and in Canada via Scratch Distribution, harnessing critical acclaim throughout all of Fading Ways Music's distributed territories.

In 2004 Leyton launched Fading Ways Music UK, embracing Creative Commons licenses, endorsing file-sharing and cultural freedom while most of the music industry launched reactionary lawsuits against so-called "pirates".

"Blacklight Skies", a compilation featuring tracks from both albums and several Leyton EPs, was released in 2005 by Fading Ways Music UK and was licensed to the German label Supermusic, raising Leyton's profile in Germany considerably, with some excellent record reviews and radio airplay.

2006 saw the release of "Betrayal of the Self", third solo album, recorded in Stockholm with Leyton's Swedish backing unit, The Ghosts. Leyton toured Europe regularly during '06 and '07, with the Ghosts, Finland's Turku Romantic Movement, and old Canadian bandmates George Bettencourt and Johnny Charmer (Red Orkestra).

He then released a Camden, London, home-recorded acoustic album, "A Reckoning", in December '07 (digital release Spring '08) followed by an electric home-recorded album, "Metacognitive Apperceptions", recorded in Setubal, Portugal and released in December 2008. These albums are considered exclusively fans-only recordings, not "commercial" releases.

He is currently at work on his fourth wide-release album, Elite Nylon, due out in the Spring of 2009.

www.neilleyton.com