Welcome to the Docker's Guild Official Website, a prog metal space opera superproject which will unfold through 5 seasons and 9 albums. Docker's Guild features a cast of world class international special guests such as Amanda Somerville, Elize Ryd, John Payne, Jeff Watson, Göran Edman, Tony Mills, Anna Portalupi, Guthrie Govan, Tony Franklin, Gregg Bissonette and many more.
Visit the dark world of The Mystic Technocracy, where a silicon-based techno-organic alien race attempts to wipe out all life on Earth through organized religion, while a tormented scientist makes it his mission in life to save humanity. His quest will take him across the universe and on a personal journey from which there is no return.
Meet the characters: Dr. Jack Heisenberg, Tith, ZZ-999, Cardinal Berengar Yersinia, Lucy Friedmann, Adam V and many more. Visit the alien worlds of Silix IV and Carbonia in the Andromeda Galaxy, or travel back in time to the age of dinosaurs to witness their extinction.
Docker's Guild live is a rare event, last time we played was in 2013! That said, the Tony Mills Festival was an amazing night, the band played to a packed club inside and outside the premises. It was very moving to see 200 italians smiling, clapping and singing to Tony Mills' songs that they had never heard before. Here are a few shots of the evening.
Today is a dark day in the world of '80s rock and well beyond. A shining star in the true sense of the word has left us forever, and the world of AOR is suffering a deafening silence. Tony Mills went to a better place today and his suffering is over. One of the best classic rock singers in history has left us and his voice and his music will shine forever in the hearts and ears of rock fans, friends, family and colleagues. His legacy is artistically astonishing. But what made the difference for me is the man. I worked with countless "bigs" in my life. Tony was one of a kind. Humble, elegant, generous, funny, musically extremely focused, supportive, and most of all POSITIVE. I never met someone like him who faced the shadow with such bravery, courage and serenity. Tony obviously made peace with the world a long time ago, and for me he will be a life teacher forever. I know I'll never be like him, but to try to bring some peace and harmony into this world is what he inspired me to do. And I am most certainly not good at it, but I will try.
Black Swan Productions, myself, the entire Docker's Guild lineup, all the organizers, labels, sponsors as well as the other bands unite in sending our deepest condolences to Tony's wife Linda Mills for her loss. Nobody has been braver and more loyal in taking care of him than her. You're a hero Linda.
Now, sadly, on to business... as good Freddie famously said, the show must go on, and it will. The Tony Mills Festival will go on as planned, with extra strenth and purpose after this sad day. And we'll make it a party to celebrate Tony's life and music that will echo from here to heaven and south. We will make him proud. Godspeed Tony, now you found the peace you tried so hard to spread down here. I love you my friend, and will miss you forever. ❤️❤️❤️
This is how you can help Tony Mills and cancer research before, during and after the Tony Mills Festival! Be generous, we can only do this with everybody's help. Thank you! Tony Mills Festival - Crowdfunding
And here we are finally with the full roster of bands who will perform at the Tony Mills Festival! With performance times, genres and where they come from, which is all over Italy. A huge thank you to Pawns In Chess, Vain Vipers, Ride On, Elysium, Walls of Babylon, 17 Crash and Docker's Guild. And an extra special thank you to the fantastic labels who made this possible: Volcano Records & Promotion, Lion Music Record Label, Rock Company and Black Swan Records.
Dear friends and fans,
It's time to introduce the new Docker's Guild lineup for the Tony Mills Festival! The core band will feature some of the best musicians in the Pinerolo (TO) area, namely:
Drums: Carlo Cannarozzo (a new entry!)
Drums: Stefano Agli (featured on the upcoming Season 2 album)
Bass and vocals: Douglas R. Docker (yep!)
Guitars: Tony Urzì (featured on the upcoming Season 2 album)
Guitars: Gianluca Nardelotto (a new entry!)
Keyboards: Paolo Gambino (a new entry!)
Vocals: Anna Petracca (a welcome comeback from the 2013 live lineup)
Vocals: Jessica Scardina (a new entry!)
Vocals: Andrea Rampa (a welcome comeback from the 2013 live lineup)
There will also be additional international special guests, but for that you'll have to wait. So prepare your trip, book your hotel and be prepared for an amazing once-in-a-lifetime event! We are waiting for you and your support for Tony :)
Keep in touch!
The Tony Mills Festival is a celebration of Tony Mills life and music, organized by Black Swan Productions, that will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at the Al Luppolo Saloon in Roletto (TO), Italy, from 3:15 to 11:30PM, in the context of a larger 3-day biker fest. There will be six bands, selected by a team of Italian record labels, playing a selection of their original material and Tony Mills songs from his different projects.
The festival will close with a rare headlining performance by Docker's Guild, who will present a special show made exclusively of material featuring the voice of Tony Mills (Docker’s Guild, Shy, TNT and solo works). As many of you already know, Tony Mills was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April 2019, so a huge fundraising effort is underway to collect as much money as possible for the Fondazione Piemontese per la Ricerca sul Cancro. Please show your love for Tony and support the cause! Also, visit the Official Facebook Page and follow all the news and updates.
DISCLAIMER: the Tony Mills Festival is officially supported by the Mills family, but Tony Mills will NOT appear.
More news and details soon!
Dear friends and fans,
"Season 2" preproduction is moving ahead and we have some new demos for you. Next is a true masterpiece by prog rock band Yes, a dark and brooding song called Machine Messiah, a suite in three parts. Follow the links for a quick listen:
Machine Messiah
a. Part 1
b. Part 2 (work in progress)
c. Part 3
If you have missed the older demos, here's your chance to listen to them:
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
a. Nocturne
b. Rings
c. Lucy
Stay tuned for more news and updates :)
Douglas R. Docker
Docker's Guild is proud to finally release it's first new song in demo format after several years. "The Arrow" will be part of the upcoming album "The Mystic Technocracy - Season 2: The Age of Entropy" and talks about exactly that: entropy! You can listen to it and even read the lyrics on the ReverbNation Player or directly here in the Music Section. More to come!
Tony Mills shocked the music world last week with this devastating update. I have no words... other than that we are as close to Tony as possible. Much love from the Docker's Guild camp.
"Cancer.
Not only my birth sign, but now also my fateline.
Recently diagnosed, but far too late. I have suffered since the end of last year, shortly after a car crash before Christmas, which halted my digestive system and left me with internal pain that was difficult to isolate or fully understand.
Various hospital visits found nothing from tests until I took myself to a private clinic in Oslo, where the doctor decided I was too unwell for normal scopes and I was scanned the following day.
A tumour too old and large to be removable had been growing inside me for a year or so and was the cause of all my problems. It seems to me that the car crash definitely accelerated the growth and/or effects of this entity, otherwise I may still not even be aware of it. So, that's that.
Standing back from this for a moment, to look at my ensuing album release, I am grateful to the people around me that have been involved with my latest album, 'Beyond the Law', that will very obviously be my last written work as an artist.
The timing was nothing short of a relief. I am glad it got finished in time.
Certainly not least my wife Linda, Pete Newdeck, Harry Hess, Tommy Denander, Toine Vanderlinden, Josh 'Tabbie' Williams, Tony Forsythe and Chris Aldridge on the studio level and Pete Kotevski from Battlegod Productions Jon Løvstad, Alex Cooper, Avalon Music and Ivan Gunn for artistic support, finance and logistics.
The record is delayed slightly, until June to help the different territories release simultaneously and assist the record in some success.
I was planning a thirty year anthology of solo material next year (1990-2020);
I have spoken to some of my colleagues and they may well organise that.
WIth regard to what will happen in the short term, I don't intend to do a lot; I gave up travelling after touring Spain three years ago, as I found it too tiring and it just felt like it was time to withdraw from such a public existence and get out of the spotlight. I have been a live performer in one fashion or another since 1978 and though many rockers paint the wrinkles and endeavour to recreate their long lost talents, that never interested me; I was always a believer in moving over for the youngsters and giving them their rightful opportunities while they were young and fit enough to do it with the energy that it requires.
I have been writing and recording for three years, mainly for other artists, which I have enjoyed a lot and for whatever time I have left, (which I will no doubt be told in no uncertain terms very soon) I intend to carry on that practice and work around the farm with my wife and the animals we love.
WIth little more to say for now, I will remain as sociable as possible for as long as I can, until it renders me incapable and then my wife will inform everyone of the eventualities.
Thanks for your support during my time as a singer/songwriter; I met and worked with many of my heroes and I lived the dreams from when I was a starstruck teenager, against all odds and the advice of parents and teachers, who were all wrong.
Rock on.
Tony Mills"
I forgot to announce a minor guest to the Docker's Guild lineup as well as the third bass player: me! Of course I'll be playing all keyboards, writing, and I'll be singing a bit more this time, but the news is for a few years now I've been playing more and more bass live, mostly because I got tired of dragging around all the keyboard gear. And it's fun! Now since I'm not a bass player, we'll see what happenes! Wish me luck ;)
