ARCHIVE SECTION - 2007
REVIEWS OF RECENT LIVE SHOWS IN MONTREAL
(and everywhere else...)
December 3, 2007
Jethro Tull at la Place des Arts
A review by Pierre Proghead
It was a great pleasure to see Ian Anderson presenting a show at La Place Des Arts on November 23. Even though Ian and Martin Barre are the only original members of Jethro Tull remaining, we were quite impressed by the caliber of the fine musicians accompanying the two veterans:
John O’Hara: piano and accordion,
David Goodier: acoustic & electric bass
James Duncan: drums and percussion
Click on the images above to see a great set of pictures taken by Pierre at la Place des Arts
A simple stage setup with basic lighting, contrasting with the era when a Jethro Tull show was an elaborate production, with the musicians wearing Henry VIII costumes!
Unfortunately, Ian lost this wonderful trademark voice of his, especially on pieces like Thick as a Brick and Aqualung for example, trying his best, stretching his neck, on the tip of his toes, straining to deliver the long-gone majestic voice of the jester playing the flute standing on one leg. On the other hand, he skillfully rearranged Aqualung by amalgamating excerpts of Stairway to Heaven, a brilliant and clever wink to Led Zeppelin, I was blown away by the sheer genius of this arrangement.
Whatever critics say, Ian is the one who wrote all these wonderful compositions that were the soundtrack of my youth. This wasn't a tribute band, it was the real thing! Ian has grown old, but we can only applaud and appreciate Jethro Tull, warts and all, because we all grow old and have to accept it. The important thing is that the music remains timeless. - Pierre
November 23, 2007
Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Bell Center
Once again, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra visited Montreal for their annual Christmas show tour, on Thursday, November 22 2007 at the Bell Center. TSO is a rock ensemble formed by the members of prog-rock band Savatage and a major part of their music is basically composed of original and classical Christmas-themed compositions, arranged for a hard rock orchestra, bordering on metal at times, with varied styles going from prog to blues, from classical to acoustic... Add to this a massive number of highly-skilled musicians (over 20 at times, including the strings section) and a light show comparable to a supernova explosion and you've got a phenomenal show that's perfect for people of all ages, a Christmas tale that's absolutely magical!
The lineup of the band is simply stellar... joining guitar madman Chris Caffery onstage were among others the sensational guitarist Alex Skolnick, the stunning Jennifer Cella on vocals, Mee Eun Kim and Bob Kinkel on keys, Bryan Hicks, Jay Pierce and James Lewis on vocals and narrations, Jeff Plate on drums, Mark Wood on volins, and many others fine musicians. And one of the strong points of TSO is the outstanding musicianship of all the musicians, it's just a joy to see and hear them play!
The setlist included for the first part of the concert, the traditional Christmas-themed rock compositions from their albums Christmas Eve And Other Stories and The Lost Christmas Eve, and for the second part of the show, they treated us to a very exuberant cover of Proud Mary, as well as the powerful rock interpretations of Beethoven's Fifth, Carmina Burana, Pachelbel's Canons, and a wicked keyboard duo between Mee Eun Kim and Bob Kinkel. Among the highlights of the show was the enthusiastic Wizards in Winter, and of course the dramatic, almost apocalyptic interpretation of Beethoven's Fifth and Carmina Burana...
And as for the light show, TSO has raised the bar even higher, adding more punch to their already amazing visual performance, which includes a highly mobile lighting array with about a gazillion watts of powerful spotlights, moving lights, strobes, LED walls, floodlights, lasers, snow canons, flame canons, sparklers, pneumatic platforms, fireworks, and other amazing, magical stuff. The eye candy is simply mesmerizing, and believe me, even U2, Genesis and Van Halen can't even compete!
Towards the end of the show, Chris Caffery stepped onstage with a Montreal Canadiens sweater, and profusely thanked the audience for their enthusiasm, saying that it was the best Thanksgiving day (in the US) gift he could ever have had. And I wish to thank again the members of TSO for putting such an entertaining, captivating, all-out-fun show! I also wish to thank the Gillett Entertainment Group for inviting the ProgMontreal team to this grandiose event.
October 21, 2007
Progtoberfest III in Ottawa
On Saturday, October 20 was the third edition of Progtoberfest, Ottawa's very own progressive music festival. The fest, organized by Gary Lauzon, host of the radio show La Villa Strangiato on CHUO FM 89.1, and Mark Keill, host of the radio show Infinite Ceiling on CKCU FM 93.1, featured a whole day of first class canadian progressive music, with Montreal band Hamadryad headlining the festival, accompanied by The Rebel Wheel, Hunter Eves & Solar Architect.
Doors opened at 1:00 PM, and the day began with Hamilton's Hunter Eves around 2:15 PM. The lovely red-headed keyboardist/singer/songwriter offered a delicious performance. Her music is highly imaginative, quirky, filled with emotion and passion, and reminded me a bit of Jane Siberry and Tori Amos. But what was a bit disappointing for me was to see such a brilliant performance being played in front of barely 20 people! It's disheartening for a musician to play in front of so few people because crowd interaction and feedback is critical for their performance. Hopefully, things will pick-up as the day goes on.
Hunter Eves - photo by Yves Dubé
Next onstage was local band Solar Architect, an intense power trio composed of Don Fournier on guitars, Rob Niman on bass and Frank Madore on drums. Their music is inspired by early Rush and a sprinlking of Dream Theater... A tight, dynamic group with a high level of musicianship, the highly expressive drummer Frank Madore is just amazing, a skillful, relentless powerplant! I absolutely adore Don's guitar tone, very Alex Lifeson, but with a twist of his own. Great rhythm and intensity on bass from Rob. Overall a great, captivating performance from these three accomplished musicians. Sadly, the crowd is still very thin... where is everybody?
Solar Architect - photo by Yves Dubé
After having a beer at the Royal Oak with a few friends, we headed over to see the long-awaited performance of Gary and Dave's Rebel Wheel. So at 5:45, the group stepped onstage and proceeded to absolutely blow our minds! The group is composed of David Campbell on guitars, vocals and keyboards, Gary Lauzon on bass, Alain Bergeron on drums, Paul Joanis on guitars and keyboards and Angie MacIvor on sax, vocals and keyboards. An awesome performance from the group, I was truly mesmerized, and completely submerged by their set. Their brilliant music is a clever mixture of avant-garde, RIO, prog rock and fusion that's absolutely captivating. They showed their skills and their gifted vision with enthusiasm! On a minor note, the bass might have been a bit overpowering at times and Paul's guitar was quite low in the mix, but overall, a splendid set that was just a joy to see and hear!
The Rebel Wheel - photo by Yves Dubé
Around 7:00 PM, many of us headed for dinner at the Royal Oak pub and enjoyed captivating conversations, fine beer and great food!
Dinner at the Royal Oak pub- photo by Yves Dubé
Yves Dubé & Guy Leblanc - photo by Robert Dansereau
A great evening in good company - photo by Yves Dubé
Back at the hall, it was time for Hamadryad's performance, so at 8:45, the group stepped onstage. The power quartet, composed of Denis Jalbert on guitars and back vocals, Yves Jalbert on drums, Sébastien Cloutier on keyboards and back vocals and Jean François Désilets on bass and lead vocals, rocked the place with much vigor! A blistering performance from the four rockers, who offered a sublime set to the modest audience. They began their set with a new song that will be featured on their next album. Sébastien was especially in fine form tonight, offering some delicously intense keyboard solos, although they were just a bit low in the mix. JF was obviously disappointed by the small crowd, humorously whispering between songs... It was an excellent performance, and I felt privileged to see it because it was also the last time we'll see Hamadryad for quite a while as the band will be entering the studios for the long process of writing, rehearsing, recording and mixing the material for the next album, due out for the fall of 2008.
Hamadryad - photo by Yves Dubé
Denis Jalbert - photo by Yves Dubé
And so concludes another Progtoberfest. Let's hope that it won't be the last because it is very disappointing and demoralizing for organizers and musicians to work so hard and that only a handful of people show up. Let's try to make an effort and catch the next edition of Progtoberfest if there's one, because organizing such an event is a work of passion, and the active support of prog fans everywhere is vital to the continuation of these efforts.
One thing that I must mention is that the entire day was captured on video for a future DVD release. As soon as it's ready, I will enthusiastically encourage people to get a copy because it might show "in absentia" your support of progressive music and the people who work so hard to bring it to you! Thanks to Yves Dubé for the photos of the event!
August 19, 2007
Rick Wakeman in Joliette!
Legendary Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman presented a concert on Saturday, August 18 at the Amphitéâtre de Lanaudière in Joliette as part of his quick 3-date canadian tour, also performing at the salle Desjardins-Telus in Rimouski on Friday, August 17 and at the Danforth Music Hall on Sunday, August 19.
The Amphitéâtre de Lanaudière is a beautiful outdoors venue, with a vast stage and a spectacular view, ideal for such an event. For his canadian tour, Rick was accompanied by the English Rock Ensemble, consisting of Tony Fernandez on drums, Lee Pomeroy on bass, Dave Colquhoun on guitars and Ashley Holt on vocals.
We arrived early as our host and good friend Richard Beaucage, who organized the event, asked us if we could take care of the merchandizing booth for Mr. Wakeman, as well as giving us the opportunity of promoting the FMPM festival. Sadly, we had learned earlier that upon their arrival to Canada, Mr. Wakeman and his team were appaled when they realized that all of their merchandise (CDs, DVDs and t-shirts) had been stolen in transit to Quebec City, so the only merchandise that they had available were music partitions and the concert's setlist, which Mr. Wakeman courteously and patiently signed for all his fans after the show.
The concert began a few minutes after 8:30, to the glorious orchestral introduction of Journey To The Center Of The Earth, Rick Wakeman surrounded by a wall of mini moogs, Roland and Korg keyboards. His setlist consisted among others of Journey To The Center Of The Earth, Catherine Parr, The Realization, Spaceman, The Visit, Jane Seymour, Sir Lancelot And The Black Knight, Sir Galahad, The Last Battle, Merlin The Magician, Starship Trooper.
Two words come to mind for a Yes fan like me... glorious, majestic! Oh it was breathtaking, the elegance and dignity of the three great veteran musicians Wakeman, Fernandez and Holt, associated to the fiery energy of the two young members of the group, Pomeroy and Colquhoun, made for a captivating and intense experience for the audience. A little technical glitch before The Realization highlighted Rick's sense of humor and improvisation, engaging in a humorous conversation with Ashley. Rick is better than ever, his dexterity and virtuosity as sharp as almost 40 years ago! Pomeroy and Colquhoun were absolutely amazing, providing numerous blistering solos throughout the evening! Rick even battled Lee and Dave on his keytar, much to the delight of the fans. A last-minute arrangement provided a very special surprise for the audience of the Joliette show when a 16-people choir stepped onstage at the end of the evening and joined the English Rock Ensemble for Starship Trooper, making for a very emotional and impressive grand finale!
Thanks to Richard for kindly inviting us to this memorable performance and a special thanks to Mr. Wakeman for being a true gentleman! Click here for great photos of the show!
August 18, 2007
Dream Theater at the Bell Center!
Prog metal masters Dream Theater were Montreal this Friday, August 17 2007 at the Bell Center to present a concert supporting their new album Systematic Chaos. The show was pure perfection! The sound was impeccable, the setlist was awesome and the band was energetic as ever. Entertainment of exceptional quality, but I have to admit that we're used to that level of professionalism from them and I expected no less from them.
Earlier in the day, Mike Portnoy participated in an autograph session at Steve's Music on St-Antoine and many people including my good friends Eric & Stéphane Paule had the pleasure of meeting him!
Around 5:00 PM, a group of friends from the Mike Portnoy internet forum met at La Cage aux Sports for a great afternoon of good food, great beer and excellent company! Around 6:30, I went on my way to the Bell center to distribute flyers for the FMPM festival, and passed them well until 8:00, so I had missed about half of the first opening band Into Eternity so I opted to have a beer at the pub before entering the Bell Center. Around 8:30, the second opening band, Redemption, stepped onstage. An excellent hard rock band from California, with a great sound and captivating compositions. The band is composed of Ray Alder on vocals, Sean Andrews on bass, Nick Van Dyk on guitars and keyboards, Bernie Versailles on guitars, Greg Hosharian on keyboards and Chris Quirarte on drums. Their influences include Rush, Dream Theater, Savatage, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Kansas and I detected also a little bit of Enchant in their style also. They gave an intense and dynamic show, although the crowd responded modestly. But by the end of their set, they had the crowd on their feet though! Kudos on a job well done! Great band and a good match musically with DT. Visit their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/thebandredemption .
Then around 9:20, it was finally time for Dream Theater. As the background music sound level increased, we noticed this traffic light overhanging the stage... it turned yellow, then as all the lights of the hall went out, the traffic light turned green! The group began their set with a blistering version of Constant Motion. The setlist included among others Constant Motion, Lines in the Sand, Blind Faith, The Dark Eternal Night, Panic Attack, Another Day, Surrounded, In the Presence Of Enemies, Parts 1 & II, For the encore, Mike came back onstage with a Montréal Canadiens jersey, bearing the letters 07 PORTNOY at the back! The group played a splendid medley consisting of bits of Trial of Tears, Finally Free, Learning to Live, In the Name of God and they concluded the show (and the medley) in a grandiose manner with the last part of Octavarium
Just beyond perfection, this performance was just a joy for the 6000-7000 Dream Theater fans at the Bell Center that night and they responded enthusiastically. James LaBrie's voice was impeccable, and he could sustain the high notes without effort for the entire show, One particular member that stood out though was Jordan Rudess, with an almighty keyboard and continuum solo that left me breathless! He also sported a demented-looking keytar that looked more like a medieval battle-axe! Petrucci was flawless and commanding, with elegant and intense solos throughout the evening.
The light show was absolutely incredible, with an insane amount of moving lights and a big screen featuring animations and a funny DT cartoon, just like on the Octavarium tour. Some cool surprises when Jordan played excerpts of Marillion's Sugar Mice on his electronic Mellotron and John played the guitar solo part of Pink Floyd's Mother. Numerous gigantic ants were populating the stage, Mike's drumkit and the speaker cabinets. One hilarious moment at one point when some overenthusiastic female fan threw a bra on the stage. James LaBrie picked it up and proudly displayed it in front of Mike's drumkit! Merchandising ran out fast, as many fans couldn't get t-shirts in the desired sizes.
Here are some wonderful pictures of the show, courtesy of our good friend Claude Dufresne. Claude was given unprecedented access to the stage and to Jordan Rudess before the show while he was setting-up his keyboard rig. Thanks to Jordan for his kindness and patience!
Click on the images below to see the entire picture library!
Another great evening provided by the five gentlemen of the Dream Theater. They presented a throroughly satisfying performance, which gave me a new appreciation of the material on their latest album. Read my review of Systematic Chaos in the album Reviews page.
August 13, 2007
Karcius at the Bar Le Sofa
Karcius was at the Bar Le Sofa on Rachel street last Sunday, August 12 for a great performance as always. This was also a warmup gig, just as they are about to go to Europe on August 16 and 17 for the prestigous Crescendo prog fest in St-Palais Sur Mer, France.
It was a great opportunity to see them play an amazing set, where they even introduced brand new composition, as well as to wish 'em luck and a safe trip. The show began around 9:30 in the cosy club and they played a blistering set in front of around 35 people. Thir setlist consisted of the Epilogue/Évolution/Kunidé medley, Back To Earth, Hypothèse A, Hypoyhèse C, 1111, Sol, Destination, Tunnel A-0-14, Led Zeppelin medley and they ended with Absolute Decadence. A fun show in a relaxed atmosphere, the guys introduced a brand new track with Sol, featuring a funky RIO sound. They also added a new twist to their already delicious Zep medley.
Next stop for them, Europe. And after a well-deserved vacation, they will be back on September 14 as part of the FMPM pre-show, along with Quartik and Capharnaüm.
August 2, 2007
Hamadryad at the Bell Center, opening for Deep Purple!
Our very own Hamadryad rocked the Bell Center this weekend! At the request of Gillett Entertainment Group, and Deep Purple itself, Hamadryad had the immense honor of being the opening act at the Bell Center in Montreal and at the Pavillon de la Jeunesse in Quebec City, for the legendary britsh rock band, renowned for its classic hits Smoke On The Water and Hush!
The group, composed of Denis Jalbert on guitar and back vocals, Yves Jalbert on drums, Sébastien Cloutier on keyboards and back vocals and Jean François Désilets on bass and lead vocals had been preparing for this unforgettable moment for quite a while, but they got the final confirmation and green light barely 5 days before the show itself.
So it was a race against time to prepare for the two shows, and on Saturday, July 28, our team accompanied the band members to the Bell Center at around 1:00 PM for load-in. After waiting a bit while the techs and roadies were setting the stage, Deep Purple's sound guys did a quick sound check and left us the rest of the afternoon for our own set-up and sound check.
While nervously waiting for 8:00 PM to arrive, our photographer Claude was taking pictures and the band members were warming up, Yves was drumming away on his knee, JF was practicing unplugged on his bass, and vocalizing loudly at times! Denis was fine-tuning his guitar and Sébastien was giving last-minute instructions to François, the sound guy.
At 8:00 sharp, the band jumped onstage to a nearly packed auditorium, while I went at the back, sitting next to the sound console. The show was awesome! A few glitches caused by the light console, but aside from that, it was just a sensational experience, and the response was wonderful! Hamadryad performed Self-made Men, Anatomy of a Dream, Amora Demonis and Action. At the very end, I was truly moved when I saw the crowd stand-up on its feet and loudly cheer the band!
Ticket sales were nearing 5000 and almost everyone was in the arena when their set ended. We quickly went onstage to disassemble the band's gear to make place for Deep Purple. Back at the merchandising area, many people were at Hamadryad's table for autographs, and to congratulate the group on a job well done! Around 8:45, it was time for Deep Purple. As we settled in our excellent seats, the first row in section 119, we saw the classic old rockers perform a brilliant set of absolute classics, including My Woman From Tokyo, Lazy, Perfect Strangers, Highway Star, Smoke on the Water and Hush. A great performance although Ian's voice was a bit strained towards the end. Steve Morse was truly on fire... one of the best guitarists in the world!
The Bell Center knows how to treat its performers! We had a large backstage suite where our entire team spent time comfortably, we had access to premium quality catering and plenty of brewskies backstage. The technical team was incredibly helpful and guided us newbies in a way that we were confident and relaxed before the big moment! We really want to take the opportunity to graciously thank Groupe Gillett's Patrick F. and Daniel G. for their constant support and help, and especially to Nick F. for offering us the gig in the first place, and finally, a big thanks to Deep Purple's management for choosing Hamadryad among so many local bands. Below is a cool shot of both bands!
photo: © 2007 Claude Dufresne - All rights Reserved
Then on Sunday, we made our way to the Pavillon de la Jeunesse, right next to the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City. This time around, our installations were a bit more modest, and we were allocated a loading dock with a couple of chairs and tables, but the technical team was impeccable. The group performed once again the same excellent set, this time to a more modest crowd of around 1500. And the response was also terrific!
Since I had a big week ahead, I couldn't stay for the Deep Purple set and went on my way back home at dusk. One interesting bit of trivia, the Pavillion de la Jeunesse is a brand new auditorium in Quebec City and Hamadryad was the very first band to ever play there! They literally broke the ice! Great pictures of Hamadryad and Deep purple, courtesy of our excellent photographer, Claude Dufresne.
These two performances were the crowning jewels in a long string of memorable moments for the band: In late June this year, the group released the album Hamadryad - Live in France, featuring the band's phenomenal performance at the Crescendo Progressive music festival in St-Palais Sur Mer, France, then of course, Hamadryad will be part of this year's lineup of the Festival des Musiques Progressives de Montréal! And in addition to that, the group will participate this October at the prestigious Prog-Résiste music festival at the Spirit of '66 in Verviers, Belgium, and also at the Progtoberfest music festival also in October at the University of Ottawa, ON. Visit their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/hamadryadmusic.
August 2, 2007
NEARFEST 2007!
Better late than never, here's a review of the highlights of the event!
There is so much to say that it's hard to know where to begin! I had the pleasure to go to the 9th edition of the famed North East Art Rock Festival (NEARFEST), from June 22 to 24, at the Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem, PA. The atmosphere of such a festival is nearly palpable, imagine the anticipation of a large group of progressive music (or art rock) fans and friends, meeting once a year for a weekend of the best of the best in contemporary and classic prog rock music.
And of course, the ProgQuébec / Unicorn Digital / FMPM / ProgMontréal team was there in force to support and promote Quebec's progressive artists, as well as the 2nd edition of our very own festival in Montréal. So Michel, Bea, Sean, Jerry and myself were representing these organizations, as well as taking in this exceptional weekend of prog rock!
And what a wonderful lineup it was this year! For the Friday preshow... Allan Holdsworth, Secret Oyster, One Shot, and the Saturday and Sunday main event featuring Magma, Hawkwind, Magenta, Pure Reason Revolution, Bob Drake, La Maschera Di Cera, NeBeLNeST, Izz, Indukti and Robert Rich. I can't begin to imagine what the tenth anniversary lineup will be, but I know it's gonna be a biggie!
After a long are relatively uneventful trip on our way to Bethlehem, We had a few unexpected emotions when on our way in, on i78, a truck's tire violently exploded in front of us, sending rubber debris violently hitting our windshield, we were scared for a moment that these rubber chunks flying towards us would shatter the glass, but thank god, it only made a loud "thump". We arrived in the early afternoon, and had plenty of time to set-up our booth.
The Pre-show, Friday, June 22
The pre-show, entitled "Fusion Friday", was an amazing event, and for fans of prog fusion, it was an amazing opportunity to see one contemporary group composed of renowned musicians, a legendary Dutch band who reunited after nearly three decades, and one of the most admired and beloved guitarists in the world of jazz, canterbury and prog rock. The band members of Karcius have reserved a table in the merchandise area, but haven't showed up yet...
ONE SHOT
The group that marked the beginning of this year's festivities. One shot is a fantastic jazz/hard rock fusion band featuring a few members of Magma, including Emmanuel Borghi on keyboards, Philippe Buissonnet on bass, James MacGaw on guitar and also including Daniel Jeand'heaur on drums.
Wow, what a start to the festival! One Shot is an energetic, groovy band and they gave a dark, fiery performance! Their setlist included Riff Fantom and Ewaz Vader. Extremely tight, brilliantly structured compositions, just an astonishing set! At one point during the show, the drummer's hi-hat literally disintegrated, three drum techs sweated over the component to reassemble it, but finally opted to replace it altogether, giving the audience an unexpected two-minute pause to recover from their emotions!
Right after that show, I quickly visited the vendor areas to greet a few old friends, like Dave Kerman of ReR and Greg Walker of Syn-Phonic, before going back to my own table.
SECRET OYSTER
After discovering their great classic album Sea Son a few months ago, I was looking very much forward to see Secret Oyster live. Reuniting for the first time after nearly three decades, and only after 12 days of rehearsal, it was a privilege to see this classic Dutch instrumental fusion band from, the 70's. The group is composed of Karsten Vogel on saxophone and keyboards, Claus Bøhling on guitar, Ole Streenberg on drums, Assi Roar on bass and Daniel Fridell on keyboards. Their set consisted of Sirenerne, Oysterjungle, Black Mist. Rubber Star, Paella, Leda & the Dog, Pajamamafia, Traffic & Elephants and Mind Movie.
After an uncertain start on the first song, the band really kicked it into high gear and proceeded to blow away the crowd. This was their first show ever in North America. I was most impressed by their energy and their enthusiasm, especially band leader Karsten Vogel. It was fun to see them switch from eerie ballads to groovy, rhythmic space rock in the blink of an eye. My highlight of the show was the classic Pajamamafia, one of the best examples of top-notch funky fusion from the 70's
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH
Then on to the main event of the evening, the legendary Allan Holdsworth. Grand master of the guitars, he is one of the most admired, treasured musicians in the world. Having played with Soft Machine, UK, Frank Zappa, Bill Bruford, and more recently, K2 and Planet X, his musical legacy is as impressive as his skills on the guitar. And for his performance at NEARFest, he is in very good company, as the all-star formation that accompanies him is composed of Chad Wackerman on drums and Jimmy Johnson on bass. The setlist included Water on the Brain, Part 2, Devil Take the Hindmost and Proto-Cosmos. It was a subtle, elegant performance and a great selection of compositions, but the invariable fact that after being up for nearly 24 hours, I might not have apopreciated the performance to its fullest, nodding off occasionally at times. Mr. Holdsworth wasn't very talkative, opting to stay at one spot way back on the stage for the entire show, which I found a bit odd. Chad Wackerman was just mesmerizing on drums, his performance was jaw-dropping! Overall, a great opportunity to finally see this legend playing some of his most exquisite material.
Day One, Saturday, June 23
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, and a quick visit to Wegman's to pick-up some juices and snacks for the entire day, we made our way to the Zoellner Art Center, where we saw a lot of friends that had just arrived. But the guys from Karcius haven't showed-up yet...
IZZ
It was great to finally see this group I had heard so much of, but never having heard any of their music. And it was a very satisfying way to kick off the festival! Izz plays a mixture of classic sympohonic prog with contemporary tones, sort of Yes meets Radiohead! The group is composed of Tom Galgano on keyboards and lead vocals, John Galgano on bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals, Paul Bremner on guitars, Brian Coralian on electronic and acoustic drums, Greg DiMiceli on acoustic drums and percussion Laura Meade and Ann-Marie Byrnes on vocals.
Their setlist was composed of My River Flows, Assurance, Coming Like Light, Late Night Salvation, Where I Belong, Star Evil Gnoma Su and The Mists of Dalriada. For the first few minutes of the show, the sound mix was a bit problematic, but improved throughout the set. A cool, minimalist but efficient light show gave an eerie tone to the performance. This group has an incredible variety of styles, easily passing from lush symphonic prog to eclectic RIO, even a few spacey, psychedelic bits... some of the compositions reminded me at times of Glass Hammer, ELP and Echolyn. Part of the very dynamic rhythm section, Brian and Greg treated us to an excellent drum duet with a wild combination of syndrum sounds and real drums. One of the cool moments of the show is when both brothers started playing on the same keyboard. The two guitarist played with an incredible amount of fiery passion! The lovely Laura and Ann-Marie were just wonderful with their heavenly vocals. Delicious stuff!
After this great performance, business at the vendor tables was brisk, but we still managed to take a bit of time to grab a burger at the catering service tent just outdoors... not the most appetizing grub I must admit, but necessary since the closest restaurant is quite a few streets away and the short time between shows and the fact that we must attend our booth leaves us precious little time for lunch. I just wish that the NEARFest administrators would find a better catering service... oh well, maybe one day.
NeBeLNeST
The first thing I saw onstage before the beginning of NeBeLNeST's performance was a mellotron. Call me nostalgic, but I do love the sound of a real, out-of-tune, cranky ol' mellotron! NeBeLNeST is composed of Greg Tejedor on bass, Mike Anselmi on drums, Oliver Tejedor on keyboards and Matthieu Sassier on guitars. Their setlist was composed of Redrum, Naja, Old One, Etude de Shimshot, Crab Nebula, Interlude, Last One, Pillars of Birth, Solilock and Nova Express. Dark, ominous and intense, their music could be described as Änglagård on steroids! Anselmi is just an amazing drummer, with blistering drumwork bordering on metal, playing shirtless on the last few tracks! Add to this Greg Tejedor ferociously playing his cream Rickenbacker bass and you've got one of the most vigorous rhythm sections of this year's NEARFest! A very enthusiastic response from the audience, for which the band members were vey grateful. In three words, they kicked ass!
BOB DRAKE
Over the past few years, I occasionally skipped the "solo spotlights" for a little bit of downtime and catching up with friends. But in the case of Bob Drake, that would have been blasphemy! One of the pioneers of the movement known as Rock In Opposition, Drake has played with groups such as 5UU, Hail and Thinking Plague, and has released several critically acclaimed solo albums. But this wasn't really a solo performance, since good ol' Bob, who played guitar, banjo and sang, was accompanied by David Campbell (of The Rebel Wheel) on guitar, bass and vocals, the inimitable Dave Kerman (Present, Thinking Plague) on drums and pillow, Oliver Tejedor (of NeBeLNeST) on keyboards, and the lovely Lynette Shelley (of the Red Masque) for an ever so brief vocal passage. I knew this would be an unusual performance, but my surprise was total when I saw Mr. Drake arrive onstage with a fox tail behind him, soon followed by Dave Kerman in pajamas, a bathrobe, shower bonnet and slippers, carrying a pillow and setting it on his minimalist drumkit to have a quick nap on the floor tom! That zany Dave literally stole the show, occasionally coming out of his sleep, turning on his small night light and accompanying Drake on his tiny drumkit with a cracked symbal, then returning to sleep on his pillow, sucking his thumb! The setlist included The Unattended Funeral, The House, Rainy, The 13th Annual, The Box in the Orchard, In the Tomb, Weeds, The Horrible Garden and Griffin - Or - An Erotic Dream. A highly theatrical, spirited, captivating performance, sometimes hilarious, from a musician that decided to have fun onstage, and poke a bit of fun at some musicians and music fans who take themselves far too seriously. The duo of guitarists played the Drake classics with slightly dissonant harmonies, even with rockabilly themes at times. Bob's banter was quite humorous and a bit ironic, like that comment: "It is often said on the PE forum that tuning your guitar onstage is highly unprofessional" all the while Bob and Dave were slowly tuning their instruments at length! Lynette's contribution was more theatrical than anything, occasionally bringing a ukulele to Bob so that he could scratch a note or two on it. A fun performance from Mr. Drake!
Right after the Drake show, many members of the ProgressiveEars forum (including myself) met at the hill for the annual PE picture. It was a great opportunity to see old friends, and meet new people you've known only by name for so many years. Thanks to the skills of Alex, our PE photographer, the picture came out real cool!
And finally, after much worry on my part, the band members of Karcius had finally arrived at the auditorium, where they set up their table and merchandise. Simon wasn't accompanying them, but it was a pleasure to see the lovely Sabrina, the band's unofficial part-time vocalist and exuberant promotional agent!
MAGENTA
After enjoying a beautiful, sunny afternoon, I headed back to the auditorium for Magenta. It was a great pleasure to finally see this band live! This symphonic band from the UK is spearheaded by the lovely Christina Booth on vocals, with Rob Reed on keyboards, backing vocals, Chris Fry on guitar, backing vocals, Martin Rosser on guitar, VG8, backing vocals, Daniel Fry on bass and Allan Mason-Jones on drums. You'll recognize many influences in their highly symphonic progressive music, where you can hear passages that will remind you of Pink Floyd's Dogs, or Steve Hackett's The Steppes, as well as Genesis and Yes, while not being derivative in any way. Their setlist included Arrival, Gluttony, the entire Home suite, Anger, I'm Alive, Pride and they concluded their performance with the epic White Witch. The show began with a few keyboard and guitar issues that were quickly resolved. Chris is such an intense, fluid guitar player, it was just a pleasure to see him play. Christina was bit disappointed that there was no standing room, as the group is used to having their audience on its feet (in Europe at least), as they feed from the enthusiasm and energy of the crowd. On the other hand, the group was rewarded with a few long standing ovations. Their performance was fantastic, and a great way to end the afternoon.
HAWKWIND
I needed to take a little break, and have a good meal, so when Frogg Café's Andrew Sussman and the Karcius crew decided to head down to the Bethlehem Brew Works, I joined them for a fantastic evening of good food, good beer and good friends! So I missed the Hawkwind performance. The legendary space rock, pshchedelic group is composed of Dave Brock on guitar, keyboards and vocals, Richard Chadwick on drums and vocals, Alan Davey on bass and vocals and Jason Stuart on keyboards.
From what I gathered from my friends who stayed for the show, they played Warrior on the Edge of Time, Assault & Battery, Golden Void, Where Are They Now, Lighthouse, The Awakening, Right Stuff, Orgone Accumulator, Paradox, Robot, Flying Doctor, Arrival in Utopia, Infinity, Sonic Attack, Hassan-i-Sahba/Space is Their (Palestine), Spirit of the Age, Master of the Universe and Welcome to the Future. More than a few people mentioned the day after that the group had a rather different sound than usual, with most of the spacey keyboards riffs replaced by piano, and that on more than a few occasions, the band members weren't at the top of their game. But diehard fans appreciated the fact that the came here to have fun and gave an entertaining, generous and enjoyable show, even though it wasn't perfect.
Day Two, Sunday, June 24
The final day of the festival, it passes so quickly! We made our way again at the Zoellner one last time, where we had time to chat with Roger Dean and Paul Whitehead, two renowned artists whose contributions to the progressive world are gigantic, One can only think of the album covers of Yes, Asia, Genesis... And for the first show of the morning, the entire audience of the Zoellner is about to get a serious wake-up call!
INDUKTI
A tradition at NEARFest, the nickname "Prog Church" has been given to the first slot on Sunday morning. This slot is very often given to an unusual group that often turns out to be the surprise of the festival, for example Sleepytime Gorilla Museum in 2003, and Hidria Spacefolk in 2004. The tradition has been observed again this year with Indukti, an intense, elegant, dark and agressive prog metal band from Poland. The group is composed of the lovely Ewa Jablonska on violin, Wawrzyniec Dramowicz on drums, Piotr Kocimski and Maciej Jaskiewicz on guitars and Adrzej Kaczynski on bass. Their setlist consisted of Freder, Rycerze, 11812, Mantra, Napierdalator, San Francisco, Migwa, Novik, 11811 and Rzynczyn. The show began on an eerie, atmospheric tone as each member slowly made its way, one by one, on the stage. Ewa's metallic fiddle gave an intense, sinister tone to their music. Piotr and Maciej's skillful dueling guitars are just a thing of wonder! Appearing as a guest musician on Indukti's studio album S.U.S.A.R, Riverside's Mariusz Duda contributes most of the vocals, but since it was already hard to get the group Indukti to the USA with all those complicated Poland visa issues, Mariusz unfortunately could not accompany them, so the entire Indukti set was completely instrumental. That did not in any way detract from their excellent show, but I just wish they would move just a little bit more onstage. Quite a kickstart to the day!
After a rather unappetizing burger form the outdoors food stand, business was brisk at the tables, as many were making a last sweep at all the vendors and exhibitors' tables. As we made our way to the hall for the nexct performance of the day, Steve Sly, one of the organizers of ProgDay, spoke at lenght about the event, a great festival down in North Carolina that is celebrating its 13th anniversary this year!
LA MASCHERA DI CERA
One of the performances I was looking very much forward to, and the first band that has been announced in this year's NEARFest lineup, italian band La Maschera Di Cera is one of the best examples of traditional, keyboard-driven italian prog, and their most recent album, LuxAde is a true gem, and on my 2006 personal top ten! The group is composed of Alessandro Corvaglia on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Agostino Macor on keyboards, Andrea Monetti on flute and sax, Maurizio di Tollo on drums and Fabio Zuffanti on bass, bass pedals and vocals. Their brilliant setlist included Doppia Immagine, Nuova Luca (con intro di ago), Orpheus, Un Senso All'impossible, La Consunzione, Schema and they concluded with their sublime epic, Enciclica 1168. A unimaginably good performance! All that I had hoped for and much more, from Agostino's glorious keyboard work, to Alessandro's fiery passion and majestic voice, to Fabio's brilliant bass work. Alessandro arrived onstage with a white shirt and white face paint (to represent La Maschera Di Cera, or the mask of wax) and the highly expressive singer gave an exuberant, inspired performance. And what can I say about Mr. Zuffanti, the man's a machine! Precise, energetic, and with a ton of projects, including Finisterre, Maschera Di Cera, Hostsonaten, Aries and more, he is certainly one of the most influential persons in the world of italian progressive music, and a hell of a good bassman! I came out of the auditorium with a big smile!
ROBERT RICH
I like electronic music, so I would probably have appreciated Robert Rich' spotlight, but a little bit of a prog overload associated with the fact that I was catching up with my good friend Bill K. made me skip this one. For his performance, Robert Rich played sythesizers, samplers, flute and lap steel guitar. From what I have gathered, his setlist consisted of Electric Ladder, Aquifer, Mythos, Mantis Intentions, Symbolics and Core. According to my colleagues, it was very tasteful, and quite captivating.
PURE REASON REVOLUTION
Probably touted as the best thing since sliced bread, expectations were high for the group Pure Reason Revolution. Many people described this group as a fresh new face in the world of progressive music, a breath of fresh air, some even mentioning that they are the future of progressive music. The group is composed of Chloe Alper on vocals, bass and sampler, Paul Glover on drums, Jon Courtney on vocals, guitar, keyboards and bass and Jamie Willcox on guitar and vocals.
Their setlist was composed of In Aurelia, Borgens Vor, Deus Ex Machina, The Bright Ambassadors of Morning, Victorious Cupid, Voices in Winter/In the Realms of the Divine, The Twyncyn/Trembling Willows, Disco, Aeropause, Apprentice of the Universe, Nimos & Tambos and Arrival/The Intention Craft. Overall, a nice performance by this young band. Their heavy music is influenced by the likes of Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, Hidria Spacefolk and Tool, with a variety of styles that range from space rock, to speedy techno. Cool video presentations during their performances and a very energetic, dynamic performance from these kids.
But (and there's always a but...), there are a few things that left me uncertain about whether I really appreciated their performance or not, including the fact that it was rather hard to hear the vocals, who were a bit muddy. And talk about minimal interaction with the audience... they did not address the crowd at all, barely uttering a thanks occasionally. Some say it's normal, it's supposed to be their schtick, but for most it was just plain unprofessional and rude, then there's the heavy use of sampling, which is frowned upon by purists, since the band's keyboardist is no longerwith the band, the numerous keyboard parts have to come from somewhere, unfortunately... Finally, the music itself is good, but not the sort of stuff that grabs my attention. I did catch the various influences of the band here and there, but their material caters to a relatively younger crowd and is far, far away from what I'd call "prog rock"... it's more of a modern, alternative hard rock. Maybe I'm just an old geezer who didn't get it. Oh well...
MAGMA
Aah, the moment that many have been waiting for all weekend long (others tried to avoid at all costs)... Magma! Christian Vander founded this band in the early 70's, as well as the ficticious language called kobaian, and in the process, created a whole new subgenre of music... Zheul! This intense, operatic, quasi-military music is so unique and unusual that you either love it or hate it... I am of course among the former! The group is composed of, Philippe Buissonnet on bass, James MacGaw on guitar, Emmanuel Borghi on keyboards Antoine Paganotti on vocals and drums, Himiko Paganotti, Stella Vander and Isabelle Feuillebois on vocals, Benoît Alziary on vibraphone and of course, the mighty Christian Vander on drums and vocals.
Their setlist consisted of Kohntarkosz, Emehnteht-Re, Kobaia and Lihns. The concert began with a tornado of drums from Vander, it's absolutely incredible to see this man play drums after more than 37 years in Magma, like a 20-year old athlete! Just a glorious, grandiose performance from all the band members, I expected no less from them and they still blew my mind! For the last composition, Christian and Antoine traded places, and then, the highly expressive Vander proceedeed to sing Lihns with all the passion and energy he could muster! The simple, yet mesmerizing light show was very effective, and the sound was perfect! A memorable end to this year's NEARFest!
It was an immense pleasure to see again all my old friends, and meet quite a few new ones! A social event as much as a musical one, NEARFest is just a non-stop weekend of pleasure, with the satisfaction of seeing favorite bands, making new discoveries, buying CDs and memorabilia, eating and drinking beer and getting together with people that share a rather unusual common interest... this weird music we call prog, art rock, neo, RIO, whatever!
This time around, I bought more merchandise than I ever did at any time i've been to a festival... Among my purchases, I got myself a Magma t-shirt, I also purchased one of Roger Dean's great "Asia" prints. I bought several CDs, including Anglagard - Buried Alive, Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos (Special Edition 5.1 digital), Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2, RPWL - Stock (Special Edition 5.1 digital), Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura, Steve Hackett - To Watch The Storm, Jadis - Fanatic, Ruins - Tzomborgha. I wish I had brought more funds, because I would have done a real sweep at the Big Balloon table – they had a store-closing 50% off sale – but I had just enough money left for gas to get back home! Other CDs given to me were Frogg Café - Safenzee Diaries, Indukti - S.U.S.A.R., Contrarian - Minor Complexities, Soft Machine Legacy - Steam, DFA - Kaleidoscope and Echolyn - Stars & Gardens (DVD).
So that concludes this rather long-winded review, if you're still reading this, I bet you a buck that i'll probably see you at NEARFest 10 next year! I will add a few pictures to the article soon.
Click here to see some great memories from NEARFest 2007!
July 8, 2007
California Guitar Trio at the jazz fest!
A last-minute surprise when I learned that the California Guitar Trio was to perform at the Montreal Jazz Fest about two hours before the show itself, on Saturday, July 7. Somehow, I had forgotten that CGT had announced it quite a while ago on their website. Anyway, I barely arrived in time, but still had the time to chat with several "prog" friends there!
The California Guitar Trio is an extraordinary group of highly skilled guitarists comprized of Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bert Lams of Brussels, Belgium, and Hideyo Moriya of Tokyo. My first encounter with them was in April 2002 when they opened for the Flower Kings at the Club Soda in Montreal and I have been a diehard fan ever since!
So at 6:30 PM on one of the outdoor stages, on this beautiful, sunny, breezy evening, the group performed a sublime set. But wait! Isn't this the jazz fest? So one would think that the group would customize their set accordingly and offer a jazzy, fusion kind of performance, right?
Ha! Their setlist definitely consisted of more than a few very proggy selections! Among others, they played a stunning interpretation of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, and believe it or not, an abridged version of Pink Floyd's Echoes! They also played their classic version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird, and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, a reggae-ish version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, plus a few of their own compositions. Many covers in this "crowd-friendly" set, but the variety was quite effective, and generated a very enthusiastic response from the audience! A very grateful Paul thanked the crowd profusely, with the obligatory Hideyo "road cam" picture of the crowd. The three virtuosos gave us a splendid performance on this beautiful day, a captivating, original set showing that progressive music can have its place anywhere, even at a jazz fest!
Getting back from downtown was hellish because of the street closings due to the jazz fest, the Carifête, the fireworks and a bunch of other events, but for a show like that, it was worthwhile! Below are some pictures from our good friend Hugues Bergevin.
a quick rehearsal in the hotel room before the show - Photo by Hugues Bergevin ©2007 All Rights Reserved
Paul Richards - Photo by Hugues Bergevin ©2007 All Rights Reserved
The band in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd! - Photo by Hugues Bergevin ©2007 All Rights Reserved
Where's waldo? - Photo by Hugues Bergevin ©2007 All Rights Reserved
Hideyo Moriya - Photo by Hugues Bergevin ©2007 All Rights Reserved.
June 16, 2007
Rik Emmett at Le Lion D'Or!
There are those rare shows that are absolutely perfect... a combination of a perfect performance, on a perfect day... Rik Emmett's concert last night, June 15 at The Lion D'Or was just that... Rik Emmett of course was the heart and soul of canadian rock band Triumph, and is nowadays on a hugely successful solo career, with a bunch of great solo albums covering a wide musical spectrum, from classic rock, to jazz, to acoustic.
The opening act of the evening was provided by the very talented singer/songwriter/guitarist Jarah Jane. The beautiful, tall, wiry songstress performed a great, captivating, one-hour set that was composed of her wonderful acoustic folky rock music, and she ended her set with a stirring rendition of Annie Lennox' Here Comes The Rain Again. A charming woman, originally from the United States, who speaks fluently in French since she has spent so many years in Quebec. I quickly purchased her latest acoustic album, Personal, which is available through her MySpace page. What a great start to this magical evening. Visit her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/jarahjanemusic.
And then it was time for the main event. For his live acoustic tours, Rik Emmett is accompanied by Steve Skingley on bass and vocals, and David Dunlop on guitars. The trio's setlist was composed for the first portion of the show of Let the Light (Shine on Me), Libre Animado, Lay It On The Line, Santa Fe, the Clapton classic Layla, All Along the Watchtower, El Cuento and Hold On. The second part of the show included Rainbow World, Perpetual Motion Love Machine, Way Back Home, then a cool and fun Q & A portion, where he performed Petite Étude, Dos Arroyos, Let Me Be The One, Three Clouds and for the encore, Magic Power. Boy oh boy, where to start... First, Rik is probably one of the friendliest, coolest, funniest musicians I've ever seen onstage, an amazing human being! Second, he's better than ever, his voice still clear, crisp and awe-inspiring, and his guitar skills are just beyond spectacular. His rendition of Layla, just like on the live Clapton album, was very bluesy and warm, Rik even sounding a bit like Clapton... His perfect interpretation of the old Dylan standard All Along The Watchtower was accompanied by a detailed description of the meaning of the song. I was swept back to my youth when I heard the first bars of Hold On, which was played with much emotion and energy by the trio.
After a break, where an electrical short deprived the stage of any power for 15 minutes and a fire alarm briefly rang out, the guitar wizard was back with intensity, his humorous banter between songs absolutely hilarious. The questions and answers period was punctuated with fun anectdotes about his career, and even when he was takling about complex technical guitar talk, it was simply captivating and fascinating. A cute moment during the evening, a guy right next to me proposed to his sweetie during the show, and Rik dedicated the song Let Me Be The One to the couple, a very sweet and special moment indeed! The evening concluded on a very energetic note with the track Three Clouds, with the three musicians shining brightly, and for the encore, truly the cherrry on top... a moving, emotional and exuberant interpretation of the classic Triumph track Magic Power.
Wow, I don't even think it's allowed to have so much fun in one evening, I felt privileged to be part of this prodigious event! After the show, the musician took time to sign a few autographs and photographs, speaking at lenght with his fans even though his manager was prodding him to break down the stage and pack up. This was Rik's fourth year at the Lion D'Or, and I truly hope it's not the last. It has become a spring tradition to see Rik walk our streets! I wish to thank the organizer of this wonderful evening, Kim Zimmer, for all her hard work bringing extraordinary acts such as Dennis DeYoung, Roger Hodgson and Rik Emmett to Montreal, one of those passionate, selfless individuals that are so vital to the promotion of fine music in our town..
Text by Robert Dansereau (16-06-2007)
June 15, 2007
Karcius, Alias & Ploz at the Petit Café Campus!
Montreal prog-fusion band Karcius played on Thursday, June 14 at the Petit Café Campus, accompanied by local bands Alias and Ploz. This was a night of great musical discoveries, as came acoss the music of this cool group from Montreal, Ploz.
The evening began a few minutes after 9:00 PM with Ploz, a wildly original band from Montreal, composed of Dominic Bérubé on drums, vocals and guitar, Samuel Lacasse on lead vocals and soprano clarinet, Audrey Bérubé on bass, Nicolas Létourneau on guitar and mandolin and Alexandra Robinson on alto clarinet. Their music is a cool blend of experimental, progressive rock, RIO and is inspired by groups like The Residents, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits and Pearl Jam! The group arrived onstage wearing humorous, crazy costumes, and their set was outrageous, refreshing and incredibly original. Their music is to say the least quite unusual, and can only be described as a highly experimental form of rock in opposition/fusion. The musicians are incredibly talented, Audrey just amazing with her furious slap bass technique. Nicolas was masterful, injecting a variety of wild special effects to his brilliant guitar work. Alexandra punctuated the colorful compositions with intense clarinet solos! Wow! truly a group to discover! Visit their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/ploznroll.
The second group of this triple-bill, was Montreal trio Alias, who plays a great mixture of jazzy, funky experimental prog rock, influenced by groups like Primus, Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their performance was intense, dynamic, and captivating. The three talented musicians were brillant, and their compositions are energetic, but their musical style would really benefit from a fourth member on keyboards. Visit their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/trioalias.
Then on to the last group of the evening. Karcius is composed of Mingan Sauriol on keyboards, Thomas Brodeur on drums, Simon L'Espérance on guitars, and Dominique Blouin on bass. Karcius is just like fine old wine... getting better and better with age. Their performances are more sophisticated, flawless and elegant than ever, while always keeping the exuberant energy and chops that make their shows so captivating. Another great performance by this impeccable quartet of terrific musicians. They will be accompanying us at the prestigious NEARFest music festival in late June, and who knows, maybe onstage next year? Visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/karcius.
Text by Robert Dansereau (15-06-2007)
June 2, 2007
Wishmaster at Le Saphir
Last night, June 1st, the Nightwish tribute band Wishmaster presented a great show at the cosy club Saphir, a «goth» bar on the Main.
This was a fun show, with a great setlist, from a band that has matured admirably! The quintet is composed of highly talented musicians headed by the lovely Sandy, who delivers poweful, operatic vocals and brings the band's energy level way up! Their 2-hour performance began at 9:00 sharp, and included all of the great classics of the finnish goth metal band, including Dark Chest Of Wonders, Wishmaster, The Kinslayer, I Wish I Had An Angel, Nemo, Planet Hell, The Siren, Romanticide and many more! The small but very enthusiastic crowd was headbanging incessantly, and I have to admit that I got just a bit nervous when they started trashing (old farts like me aren't used to this rather "violent" practice) so I stepped back a bit. Sandy's lovely voice was pitch-perfect, Étienne kicked ass on guitar, and provided intense vocals throughout the show, Philip was fantastic on the keyboard, providing the occasional death growl! Fred was fantastic on drums, for one of his last performances with the band and finally, Daniel on bass was tight and energetic, delivering powerful grooves on the bass.
This was a terrific show, top notch entertainment! The sound was pretty good, despite a few hum problems that were quickly corrected. The group will be back in Montreal this October, and perhaps sooner, dont miss them! Visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/wishmasterband.
Text by Robert Dansereau (02-06-2007)
May 28, 2007
Porcupine Tree at the Metropolis!
One of the most anticipated concert events this summer was definitely Porcupine Tree's performance at the Metropolis last Saturday, May 26. Ticket sales were so good that the organizers decided to move the show to a bigger venue, announcing that the show would be held at the Metropolis instead of the Spectrum. And the Metropolis was packed! Maybe not sold out but definitely close to it.
I arrived in line around 4:30 PM so that I could have one of the few sitting places in the balcony... last time I was at the Metropolis, for the Zappa Plays Zappa show, I arrived late and had to stand up for the entire show... my back and knees didn't appreciate. The doors opened at 6:30 sharp, and our group of friends all headed straight for the balcony, occupying pretty much the entire fifth row!
At 8:00 sharp, the show began with the opening band, 3, a group from Woodstock, NY. The group is composed of Joey Eppard on vocals and guitar, Billy Riker on guitars, Daniel Grimsland on bass, Chris Gartmann on Drums & vocals and Joe Stote on percussion and keyboards. Oddly enough before the show began, I had noticed that there was no drums, no keyboards, no bass onstage, just two guitars... and I remembered hearing while waiting in line that there had been problems with the group at the border as they were entering Canada, and that some of the members were turned back, or couldn't get a visa.
So there is this one guy, Joey Eppard, lead guitarist, singer and composer of the band, who stepped onstage alone, and proceeded to blow our minds away by singlehandedly performing the entire band's set all by himself, solo! Wow! I was beyond impressed! One of those amazing musicians that thrives in adversity, he demonstrated what an incredible musician he is, and got the entire crowd going big time! A fantastic set, an incredibly powerful performance... that was simply superb!
I have a lot of admiration for Joey right now, he showed resolve, courage, and an amazing amount of imagination to step onstage, play alone what takes usually 5 musicians, and he sounded like the whole band was with him! His hard flamenco/guitar tapping style and his incredible voice just filled the entire auditorium! He played with so much intensity, passion and energy, that on the final piece of his set, he literally snapped all of the strings of his guitar! Never saw anything like that, it was spectacular. He is a musician with a lot of talent and a lot of heart! Visit the group 3's Myspace Page at http://www.myspace.com/3.
After this excellent first part, the crowd was hyped, and 20 minutes later, it was finally time for Porcupine Tree. The group's lineup is composed of Steven Wilson on lead vocals and guitar, Richard Barbieri on keyboards, Colin Edwin on bass and Gavin Harrison on drums and percussion and of course, John Wesley on guitars and vocals. Although not a member of the studio version of the group, John Wesley is an essential part of the live band, even more so than Daryl Suermer's importance would be to Genesis, he is as much part of the Porcupine Tree sound as Wilson is.
For this show, the group played their latest album, Fear Of A Blank Planet in its entirety. On the new album, you detect hints here and there of the spacey, floydian sound that marked the band's humble beginnings, associated to this very modern hard alternate sound in the vein of Tool and The Mars Volta that Porcupine Tree introduced with In Absentia and Deadwing, but always adding these crisp, syncopated rhythms and highly melodic harmonies that we associate with progressive music (although Mr. Wilson prefers to dissociate from the term progressive, sadly). Fear of a Blank Planet is by far the band's darkest album, and features contributions by Robert Fripp and Alex Lifeson. A very good album, but I still prefer both In Absentia and Deadwing.
Their excellent setlist included all of Fear Of A Blank Planet, a few hits from In Absentia and Deadwing and only one track from the rest of their entire back catalogue, and included Fear Of A Blank Planet, Lightbulb Sun, My Ashes, Anesthetize, Open Car, Gravity Eyelids Drown With Me, Sentimental, Blackest Eyes, Way Out Of Here, Sleep Together, and for the encore, Trains, Mother And Child Divided and Halo.
All of the compositions from the latest albums were accompanied by eerie background images, including the title track, whose video was directed by danish filmmaker Lasse Hoile, a dark sinister short film about teen angst. Sleep together featured a strange video background with "drumming robots" and an eerie Matrix atmosphere. It was great that the setlist included songs that are rarely if ever heard, like the wonderful Drown With Me which was only available as an MP3 download on the Porcupine Tree website, or the caustic Mother And Child Divided, an agressive instrumental only found on the Deadwing special edition audio DVD. Steven Wilson, barefoot as usual was in fine form, delivering some wicked guitar solos throughout, Gavin Harrison was absolutely majestic on drums, his flawless, fluid, skillful playing is enhanced by the sheer power and pure energy that he delivers, one of music's top drummers! Colin Edwin was his usual stoic self, delivering powerful grooves on the bass. Richard Barbieri was a bit more eclipsed, his keyboard contribution very precise and emotional, but just a bit low in the sound mix. Way Out Of Here conveyed some powerful images, and is one of the most intense and disturbing songs they performed. Funny bit during the show when in the middle of Trains, an electronic gong went off, Wilson looking at Barbieri interrogatively and the crowd laughing! During Sentimental, Steven played the piano intro on an M-Audio midi keyboard. The light show was well balanced, and highlighted the band efficiently, and the background projections added immensely to the emotions conveyed by the compositions.
Porcupine Tree did it again, a fantastic evening to be remembered, I am always impressed by the high quality of their shows, and for the price of the ticket, it was probably the best value/quality act I've seen in a long time! Visit Porcupine Tree's MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/porcupinetree.
Text by Robert Dansereau (28-05-2007)
May 26, 2007
Martin Levac's Turn It On Again at the Spectrum!
Genesis tribute band Turn It On Again was at the Spectrum de Montréal last night, Friday May 25 to present their commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the legendary Three Sides Live/Encore concert by Genesis at the Parc Jarry in Montreal in 1982.
With a band spearheaded by none other than The Musical Box' Martin Levac, your expectations are high... and I can tell you that he lived up to mine and then some! And with special guest Close to The Edge as the opening act, this evening was truly a classic prog fan's dream!
A bit after 8:00 PM, the evening began with Close To The Edge, the ultimate Yes tribute. CTTE is composed of Pierre Dragon (of Virtual Max and Et-Cetera) on drums, Richard Lanthier (of Premier Ciel and Existence fame) on bass, Benoit David (of Mystery) on vocals, Phil «Mandrake» Charmettant (of Suspect and Premier Ciel) on guitars, lapsteel and vocals and Simon Mercure on keyboards and vocals. My admiration goes to Simon Mercure who filled-in admirably with 48 hours notice for CTTE's current keyboardist, Marc-Étienne Savage, who had to drop out because of an acute appendicitis emergency. Stepping onstage after a recorded intro of Stravinski's Firebird Suite, the group played only four songs, four long epics that lasted well over an hour! The setlist included Siberian Khatru, Heart Of the Sunrise, Close To The Edge and they concluded their performance with Roundabout. The group was tight, dynamic, and the players enjoyed their performance, easily communicating their enthusiasm to the crowd! Benoit's vocals were simply sublime, a splendid singer, Pierre was just on fire, his drumwork just spectacular as always, and Richard delivered some wicked riffs on his Rickenbacker. A brilliant start to the evening, the audience was pumped-up for the next portion of the show. A very decent crowd, the entire floor area was packed, with at least 400 people (or more).
And then on to the main performance of the evening. The Turn It On Again tribute band is composed of Martin on lead vocals and drums (Collins), Jean François Laprise on keyboards (Banks), François Larouche on bass (Rutherford), Jean-Pierre Roy on guitars and vocals (Stuermer), and Joey Ayoub on drums (Thompson). The show is a faithful reproduction of the Genesis concerts from the Three Sides Live/Encore Tour in 1982, and includes the sophisticated light show, costumes, instuments and the stage setup of that era, and as a bonus, just like the Musical Box show, Levac takes on the mannerisms and narrations of Phil Collins, just like TMB's Denis Gagné takes on the persona of Peter Gabriel. The show began with the first notes of Dance on a Volcano, with an ultra dynamic Levac bursting onstage with a million watts of energy! The entire setlist included Dance on a Volcano, Behind The Lines, Follow You, Follow me, Dodo, Abacab, Supper's Ready, Misundestanding, In The Cage/Cinema Show/Slipperman/Afterglow, Turn It On Again and Los Endos. For the first encore, they offered a medley of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway/Watcher of The Skies and for the second and final encore, I Know What I Like. Just a glorious show, with a spectacular light show with moving lights! Several times during the performance, Martin sat at the 2nd drum kit for a series of energetic drum duets. A fun "more cowbell" moment during Dodo when Martin bangs away on the damn thing during the keyboard solo. Speaking of keyboards, Jean François was fantastic all evening, with majestic keyboard passages during Supper, the In The Cage medley and Watcher, using great vintage analog keyboards including a big old moog! One of the most intense moments was the glorious version of Supper's Ready, capturing the essence of that amazing show in 1982 with perfection! The killer drum duet during the In The Cage medley had everyone standing on their feet with the proverbial "woah, awesome!" comment. The guitar should have been just a little bit higher in the mix, as it was inaudible on occasions. The colorful light show was great, with all the moving lights but a strange moment during the show though, was the fog machine, instead of discretely putting on an eerie, cloudy atmosphere, sprayed vigourously and unceremoniously the musicians on several occasions, making them literally disappear in a thick cloud of white smoke. That was pretty funny I have to admit!
I truly enjoyed this evening... from the brilliant setlists, to the impeccable musicianship, to the cool light show. It was really magical! If you're a fan of The Musical Box, you absolutely have to catch Turn It On Again live, because they are the logical continuation of this distinguished institution established over 14 years ago.
Text by Robert Dansereau (26-05-2007)
May 21, 2007
Caamora at La Place à Côté
It was a great plasure to have legendary keyboardist Clive Nolan, of Pendragon, Shadowland and Arena fame, coming to Montreal in the intimate settings of La Place à Côté last Friday May 18 to present his latest duo project, Caamora along with the lovely Agnieszka Swita.
Back from a tour of South America where they performed in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, the two arrived on at the P.E. Trudeau airport on Thursday morning after a long and tedious flight where they lost some of their luggage. After a hearty meal, they relaxed for the rest of the day to be in fine form for the Friday performance.
Thankfully, Clive and Agnieszka's luggage was found and promptly returned to the hotel where they were staying. On Friday, after having dinner at Moe's, we headed to the auditorium so that the duo could prepare for the setup/sound check at 4:00 PM. They returned to their hotel at 7:00. In the evening around 9:00, I picked-up Clive and Agnieszka who had changed into their "stage" clothes and drove them back to the auditorium. As we arrived, the crowd had gathered... I was surprised and a bit disappointed that there were barely 60 - 65 people at the Place à Côté, I truly expected more. After last-minute preparations, all was set and I introduced Caamora on stage around 9:45.
A simple stage setup really, just a Roland piano and two mikes. This gorgeous performance was truly an intimate experience. I realized immediately how wonderful Agnieszka's voice is, ranging from delicate and stirring, all the way to passionate and fiery. The first part of the show consisted of the duo performing material from Clive's extensive back catalogue with Strangers on a Train, the Nolan/Wakeman projects and Arena, including State of Grace, Mea Culpa, Half Moon Street, Haunted and more. It is absolutely facinating to hear these great classics reworked and rearranged in such a way, Agnieszka's vocals fitting them perfectly. At the end of the first set, merchandise sales were brisk, as CDs, DVD and t-shirts were nearly sold out!
After a 30-minute break, the duo stepped back onstage, Agnieszka wearing a stunning glittery white dress, and the two performed excerpts from the forthcoming She album, like A World Somewhere, The Eleventh Hour and The Bonding, while Clive was narrating the story's highlights between songs. An absolutely wonderful performance, their vocal harmonies were sublime, the compositions were highly melodic, poignant and intense at times, just magnificent. The crowd cheered for more, and Clive obliged, offering for the encore another Arena classic. The entire performance was very elegant, filled with emotion and dignity, presented in front of a very enthusiastic crowd, at the same time very respectful and attentive.
Many thanks to Michel St-Père for his selfless passion, and his tremendous help in bringing Caamora to Montreal, thanks also to all of our loyal and diehard prog fans who have constantly supported our promotional efforts, and most importantly, I wish to thank Clive and Agnieszka for the wonderful performance they so kindly and generously offered to Montrealers. We feel truly honored and privileged to have been part of this unique tour!
On Saturday, I drove Clive and Agnieszka to Quebec City for their performance at Bal du Lézard later that evening, and they flew back to England on Monday morning.
Here are some gorgeous pictures of the evening, courtesy of our star photographer, Claude Dufresne!
Text by Robert Dansereau (21-05-2007)
May 12, 2007
Comfortably Numb at the Club Soda
Last Friday, May 11, I had the pleasure of seeing for the first time Comfortably Numb, Canada's Pink Floyd Show. I really want to thank Riaz for inviting me to this great show at the Club Soda, and making me dicover this group! The Pink Floyd tribute band has been together for over 10 years and it shows, because they put on one heck of a performance!
The group is led by Azim Keshavjee on vocals, guitars, lap steel and talk box, the lovely Solveig Keshavjee on keyboards and vocals, Ahenk Ozakpinar on bass and back vocals, Nick Wyard on drums and percussion and Brent Hultquist on keyboards, sax and back vocals. Their wonderful setlist consisted of the entire side one of The Wall album, including In the Flesh?, The Thin Ice, Another Brick in the Wall (Pt 1), The Happiest Days of Our Lives, Another Brick in the Wall (Pt 2) and Mother, followed by Pigs (Three Different Ones), a glorious version of Echoes and One of These Days, after a short break, they came back with Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Have A Cigar, Welcome To The Machine, a good chunk of the Dark Side Of The Moon album including, Speak To Me/Breathe, Time, The Great Gig In The Sky and Money, followed by Comfortably Numb for the finale. As an encore they offered a classic, Astronomy Domine and finished off with a blistering version of Run Like Hell. I might have forgotten a few tracks, as I am recalling the setlist from memory. I still have goosebumps thinking about this gorgeous performance! What a wonderful show! The breathtaking vocals by Solveig on The great Gig in the Sky had many on their feet, truly one of the highlights of the show. And what about Azim's emotional, passionate guitar solo at the end of Comfortably Numb! Simply awesome. The performance was dynamic, precise, and a very faithful rendition of the Pink Floyd classics, while giving them a bit of a fresh new twist. The light show is very, very impressive, with moving lights, lasers and projections, but can be just a little blinding at times, especially those zillion-watt strobe lights!
This is the show you absolutely have to see if you're a Floyd fan! Very talented musicians, a splendid setlist, and a solid 2 1/2 hours of first class entertainment. Do yourself a favor, catch them next time they're in town!
Text by Robert Dansereau (12-05-2007)
May 8, 2007
Rush tribute Exit Stage Left in Rawdon
Last Saturday, May 5, the latest Rush tribute band, Exit Stage Left, presented its first live gig at the Manchester pub in Rawdon... quite a remote location! After arriving in the late afterrnoon at the pub, I caught the group while they were practicing Tom Sawyer, Xanadu and Limelight. The group is composed of Dean Baldwin on bass, bass pedals, vocals and keyboards, Chris Row on drums, and our very own Michel St-Père (of Unicorn Digital) on guitars, keyboards and back vocals.
It was the first time I saw my friend Michel play the guitar and I was quite impressed, a very skillful guitarist, with a great technique and an impeccable guitar tone... and he sings too!!! Around 5:30 PM, after the rehearsal, Michel, Miss B. and I had a great dinner at the pub, and we had plenty of time to shoot the breeze, because the show didn't begin before 10:30 PM!
The crowd was quite modest, 15 or 16, mostly friends and family, but this was more a general rehearsal than an announced live gig... and the guys showed that they have what it takes to put this show on the road! Their setlist consisted of Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Dreamline, Bravado, Analog Kid, Red Barchetta, Jacob's Ladder, Between The Wheels, Natural Science. After a short break, they came back for the second set, that consisted of The Camera Eye, Driven, Subdivisions, Freewill, YYZ (with drum solo) ,The Trees/Xanadu/Cygnus X1/Hemispheres/Spirit of Radio. For the encore, they offered La Villa Strangiato and In The Mood. That complex, syncopated bit at the end of Jacob's Ladder is quite challenging, but they aced it! Chris delivered a very accurate drum solo, a very dynamic guy! Dean is a fantastic bass player, and he delivered some fine bass grooves during Freewill and YYZ! The vocals will need just a little bit of practice, and perhaps the keyboard sounds can be just a bit refined, but aside from that, the group is simply wonderful. The fantastic medley at the end was relentless, just a continuous wave of raw power. The show ended around 2:00 AM!
Perhaps we'll see the group in Montreal some time soon!
Text by Robert Dansereau (08-05-2007)
May 7, 2007
RoSFest 2007!
The ProgMontréal / Unicorn Digital / ProgQuébec team was in Phoenixville, PA this weekend for the fourth edition of the Rites Of Spring progressive music festival. it has been an extraordinary experience, we had the pleasure to see amazing performances by the likes of Spock's Beard, Pendragon, Starcastle, Galahad and many more!
Here's a review of RoSFest 2007, held at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA. The festival is organized by two selfless, generous and passionate individuals, George Roldan and Tom Smith. RoSFest is renowned to cater to fans of the more symphonic rock facet of prog music. The Colonial Theater is a great auditorium with pretty good acoustics, and is also known as the location where the classic B movie "The Blob" with Steve McQueen, was filmed many years ago. The vendor area is located on the other side of the street, at Jester's Sports Bar. As we arrived Friday, early in the afternoon, after our long 10-hour trek from Montreal to Phoenixville, the group Magic Pie was throwing a big album launch party at Jester's for their latest CD, Circus Of Life. Sadly, we had arrived in time, but it seems none of our merchandise had arrived yet... and neither did our colleague Michel St-Père, who was unfortunately delayed at the border. The schedule of the day was delayed a bit because of the lighting company hired for the duration of the festival, arrived several hours late for the setup, and as we'll learn over the weekend, they weren't exactly up to specs.
Friday, April 27 - The preshow:
The first show of Friday evening was Tempustry, and began a solid 90 minutes late because of the lighting company problems. Tempustry is a duo composed of Allen Brunelle on keyboards and percussion and Jim Rezek (of Iluvatar fame) on keyboards. Their style is a keyboard-based, mostly instrumental electronic music, is inspired by the german school of electronica in the style of Klaus Schulze with a few touches of techno rhythms. Jim Rezek (mr. Mellotron as he's known in certain circles) had his trusty old mellotron with a mini moog on top, and Allen had a classic Oberheim and a Roland, as well as an impressive array of exotic-looking percussion instruments, shame though that his vocorder and most of his syndrums didn't cooperate for their performance. Their setlist included Before Dawn, Astral Gate, Ridin' the Magsail and The Space Between, all from the upcoming Astral Gate CD. A very enjoyable set, albeit a bit short, with hypnotizing melodies and groovy rhythms, their great performance unfortunately marred by technical difficulties, and a rather quirky, unsynchronized light show. But after this long delay, it was a welcome start to the day!
Then on to the second performance of the evening, Puppet Show. The group is composed of Chris Ogbum on guitar, Craig Poison (love that name!) on bass, Chris Mack on drums, Mike Grimes on keyboards and Sean Frazier on vocals. The group gave a powerful and dynamic performance, a very tight band. Their style is inspired by early Genesis and Gentle Giant. I enjoyed Sean's humorous banter between songs, and he has a great voice, it was hilarious when he was shouting at people nodding off during their set! Chris was just sensational on the guitars, and some delicious keyboard work by Mike Grimes, very melodious. Their set consised of most of the tracks of their latest CD, The Tale of Woe, including Seasons, Relativity, The Seven Gentle Spirits, Harold Cane, The Past Has Just Begun and On Second Thought and they played a Gentle Giant classic, Cogs in Cogs, much to the pleasure of the crowd. Again, the quirky, offbeat light show put a damper on the performance, the lighting guy really looked spaced-out.
And finally, quite late into the evening, It was finally Starcastle's turn to step on the stage. Starcastle's lineup for their RoSFest performance included Al Lewis on vocals, Steve Tassler on drums, Bruce Botts, Steve Hagler and Matt Stewart on guitars (yes, three guitarists!), Woody Lingle on bass the superlative Oliver Wakeman on keyboards and with very very special guest Annie Haslam on vocals. A renowned band from the 70's, the group's lush symphonic sound was very much inspired by Yes, so it is quite ironic that for the RoSFest performance, Rick Wakeman's son, Oliver, was behind the keyboards. Their performance was intense, emotional, precise and very entertaining, truly a majestic show! Their setlist included Red Season, Shine On Brightly, Children Believe, Love Is The Only Place, Forces, Faces of Change, Song of Times, Portraits, All For The Thunder, Diamond Song (Deep Is The light), Babylon, Master Machine, Lady Of The Lake, and for the encore, Fountains. The long awaited moment for me was Annie Haslam's performance, which was bittersweet, a short duet on Love Is The Only Place, an emotional tribute to the late Gary Strater, I wanted to hear more of her lovely, heavenly voice, but I was immensely touched by her presence and it was one of the more intense moments of RoSFest 2007 for me. Speaking of vocals, how about this new guy, Al Lewis? Very very good, he fits the band's style to a tee. Oliver's performance was simply sublime, I guess the apple doesn't fall off far from the tree! Then the whole lighting guy fiasco came to a tragicomic end as this bozo became even more erratic, cursing at the artists and banging on the light console like a madman... by then the organizers has enough and called the cops on that guy, they needed three cops to subsue him and throw him out of the theater, causing a very enthusiastic cheer from the crowd! At that point, two security guys took over the light show best they could, and by the end of the set, they were quite good actually! The band continued on without skipping a beat with all this commotion going on behind them. A magnificent way to end the evening, although I was beginning to nod off towards the end of their set... 24 hours without sleep will do that to you.
Finally got the whole story about the lighting guy, seems he was drinking and snorting heavily before the shows and was severely under the influence, and after his arrest, he spent the night in jail. He was totally incompetent, even his expensive moving lights weren't even plugged in to the console! George graciously handled the matter, and by Saturday morning, a new lighting company was hired for the rest of the weekend and they did a wonderful job! Back at the hotel, sleep came easy, even though I was up again at 6:30... ready to take on day two!
Saturday, April 28 - Day One:
After a great breakfeast at the Hampton Inn, where we met with many friends including Dale, the band members of Darwin's Radio and Retroheads, we headed to the Colonial for the first show of the day.
The Rocket Scientists stepped onstage around 11:00 AM, for a performance that slapped more than a few people awake! Rocket Scientists' lineup is composed of Mark McCrite on guitars and vocals, Peer Verschuren on guitar, Don Schiff on bass and NS Stick, Ernst Van Ee on drums and the amazing Erik Norlander on keyboards, and with special guest Lana Lane on vocals. Decidedly, some top notch keyboardists at the festival this year! A blistering set, just mesmerizing keyboard work from Mr. Norlander, and Peer delivered some wicked guitar licks, towards the end of their set, the lovely Lana Lane joined them for a few tracks, including one of Lana's compositions, A Dream that Never Ends from her album Lady McBeth... what a great artist with a glorious voice! Don Schiff played this amazing instrument called the NS Stick, a device designed specially for Don from a collaboration between Emmett Chapman (creator of the Stick) and Ned Steinberger (creator of the NS Double Bass, Bass Cello and many other instruments) which is a cross between a chapman stick and a bass, and sounds wickedly cool! A splendid start to the day!
Finally at Jester's, all of our merchandise had finally arrived, phew! And it was not a moment too late, as sales were quite brisk after Rocket Scientists' fantastic performance, beer was flowing, people had a blast!
In the early afternoon, time for the Galahad set. This famed band who first started playing in the mid 80's has over 15 albums to its credits. The band is composed of Roy Keyworth on guitars, Lee Abraham on bass, Spencer Luckman on drums, Dean Baker on keyboards and the intense Stuart Nicholson on vocals. Their style of exuberant symphonic progressive music leans towards the heavier and harder "neo" side of the progressive music spectrum, in the tradition of Marillion and Arena. Their great set included I Could Be God, Year Zero (parts 1 - 4), Bug Eye, Sidewinder, Lady Messiah, Exorcising Demons, Sleepers, Empires Never Last, This Life Could Be My Last. Stuart first arrived onstage with a bright red priest costume, for the interpretation of I Could Be God, shaking his star-shaped tambourine vigorously, what an amazing singer with such an imposing stage presence. The first thing we noticed is that the light show was back almost to normal, with moving lights that moved and projectors that followed the rhythm of the music... yay! Dean was sensational on his good old Roland A90 and Korg Triton, giving the tone to the entire show with his lush, melodic keyboard work. The first part of the show had several pre-recorded parts and synth patches that detracted as bit from the performance, but they more than made up for it in the second part of their set. Lee's bass overloaded a bit, and on certain notes, literally overpowered all the other instruments. At one point, Sutart ran into the crowd, while people were clapping to the rhythm... What a great show, full of energy, by a highly talented band that really pumped-up the atmosphere of the fest! Back at Jester's, the band members generously gave their time and signed tons of autographs sold many CDs!
Sadly, I missed the entire Carptree set, because I didn't have time to eat during the break and needed some food, plus I was exhausted and needed to nap a bit before the Pendragon show... I didn't want to nod off during their set, plus we have to keep our energies for the after-hours party who will end at an ungodly hour! Good for me though, because after a cup of coffee with a few friends, I was re-energized and ready for the headliner of the day!
Then on to the moment everybody's been waiting for... Pendragon. Formed over 27 years ago, the legendary band from the UK is composed of Nick Barrett on guitars and vocals, Clive Nolan on keyboards and vocals, Peter Gee on bass and Joe Crabtree on drums. Over the years, Nick and Clive have become literally the "house band" of RoSFest, with their performances with Neo last year, and Arena the year before... and certainly their set was among the most anticipated performances of the festival. Their stunning set was quite similar to the performance captured on theirt recent DVD, And Now Everybody to the Stage, and included such classics as No Place For The Innocent, As Good As Gold, Guardian Of My Soul, Kowtow, The Wishing Well, The Edge Of The World, Nostradamus, Dance Of The Seven Veils, Paintbox, Breaking The Spell, Masters Of Illusion, The Lost Children (World's End), Green Eyed Angel, Sister Bluebird, Last Man On Earth, Am I Really Losing You? A jaw-dropping performance that raised the roof of the Colonial Theater! Nick was incredibly sharp and gave a perfect, mesmerizing performance, with his witty banter and his enthusiasm, he really had the audience in his back pocket. Clive was magnificent on the keyboards, but unlike last year, his banter onstage was practically nonexistent. A gorgeous performance that really had the audience giving several long standing ovations, and showed why this groups is one of the premier acts of contemporary symphonic progressive music! A perfect end to a fantastic day of music... but wait! it's not over yet!
Back at the hotel, we crossed over to the Sheraton for the "after-hours" VIP party! Imagine the fun of seeing your favorite artists jamming together in front of an admiring audience in the intimate setting of a small ballroom! Beer, friends, legendary musicians, what else can you ask more? As I arrived, Erik Norlander was going at it on the keys! I was very happy to see my friend Clive (we go way back... LOL) along with Oliver Wakeman, tried to nudge them into doing a little performance but alas, there was only one keyboard on the small stage... oh well! Then two thirds of Spock's Beard started jamming, their new drummer Jimmy Keegan a veritable dynamo, this guy's relentless! After a few brews in excellent company, including Rob Aubrey and Mark Westwood (both of which will be in Montreal accompanying IQ this September), it was time to get some sleep because it was 2:30 AM!
Sunday, April 29 - Day Two:
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, the final day of the weekend began with Darwin's Radio. This was my discovery of the festival for me. Unfamiliar with their material, I was quickly captivated by their delicious style of edgy symphonic prog with a slight leaning towards fusion. The band is composed of Mark Westworth on keyboards and vocals, Sean Spear on bass (both of wich are former members of the prog band Grey Lady Down), Tim Churchman on drums and percussion, and the excellent Dec Burke on guitars and lead vocals. Their set was composed of Stronger, Erase... Rewind, Windows To Your Soul, Breathe It In, Lapse Of Sensation, Eccentric Orbits, Illusions, Pictures, The Vast Within. A great performance with splendid, catchy compositions and impeccable musicianship! They had the crowd going! Those cheeky brits played a trick on George, asking if there was time for one more track... and then proceeded to play a 15 min. epic, The Vast Within, effectively delaying all the other shows that day... but we forgive them for this little indiscretion as the audience left the theater delighted by their fun performance! Back at Jester's, I promptly grabbed a copy of the their latest CD, Eyes Of The World.
Again, the brisk activity at our merchandise table during the break prevented me from properly eating, and to avoid my headache turning into an all-out migraine, I skipped a good part of the Retroheads set... but from what I caught, they were very good despite the terrible technical difficulties they experienced during their set... the group is composed of Per Nordengen on Hammond B3 and keyboards, Mike Mann on lead vocals, Kjell Bergland on guitars, Tore Bø Bendixen on bass, bass pedals, keyboards, Ann-Kristin Bendixen on back vocals, Deborah Girnius on back vocals, flute and keyboards, and Morten Venli on drums. Their set was composed of Living In A Bubble, Be Aware, Black Hole Eyes, I Turn To You, One World, Dreams, Man, Rainy Day, Slaves of Gold, Tidal Wave and Karma. From what I gathered, the set was spectacular until a technical glitch killed half of the keyboards onstage, preventing Debbie from playing anything at all, which effectively broke their momentum and rhythm a bit. But they carried on like troopers and gave a great performance, in spite of the unfortunate problems. Back at the vending area, the band members were obviously disappointed, but proud of their presentation. Tore mentioned that they'll have to redesign their stage setup and simplify it a bit to avoid these gliches ever happening again. They really appreciated the thumbs' up from the audience and signed many autographs and sold many CDs at their table.
Only once in the history of RoSFest has a band been invited twice in a row... Magic Pie is that good to deserve such an honor! The "coup de coeur" of last year's festival, it was a pleasure to see them again! The norwegian group is composed of Kim Stenberg on guitars, Eirik Hanssen on lead Vocals, Gilbert Marshall on keyboards and lead vocals, Jan T. Johannessen on drums, Allan Olsen on lead vocals and Lars Petter Holstad on bass. Oh what a gorgeous set they performed! They played many tracks from their latest CD, Circus Of Life, including the title track, Freakshow, Trick of the Mind and Pointless Masquerade. Gilbert was simply sublime on keyboards, his voice absolutely amazing as ever, Kim is just a monstrous guitarist, his performance was brilliant, one of the top guitarists on the stage of RoSFest this year! The entire band was at the top of its game, and was treated to numerous well-deserved standing ovations throughout their performance. A few technical glitches towards the end of their set did not detract from the quality of their killer performance. Although they did not have the surprise factor of last year, the strenght of their set just had the crowd on its feet! The Pie does it again! What a great show!
Time flies as it was already time for the last performance of the festival later this evening, with one of the biggest names in prog music, Spock's Beard. It was also time to pack it in, breaking down our carefully built vending table and packing our CDs for the next festival... NEARFest, next June! After dropping our gear in the car, we headed for the auditorium one last time... and we waited, and waited, and waited... It was not until nearly 2 hours after the scheduled start that we were allowed into the theater. A long sound check, added to the accumulated delays from earch performances today, made us a bit impatient to see this long-awaited performance by the Beard!
And then, time for the mighty Spock's Beard to hit the stage! I was very excited as this is the first group that indroduced me to the world of contemporary progressive music, and through them, I discovered bands like the Flower Kings, IQ, Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, Dream Theater, Pendragon, Arena and countless others! Their influence on my current musical tastes is huge and V is among my favorite albums of all times. The group is composed of Ryo Okumoto on keyboards, Dave Meros on bass, Alan Morse on guitars, Nick D'Virgilio on vocals, guitars and drums, and newcomber Jimmy Keegan on drums. Their set was composed of a great mixture of old and new, and included On a Perfect Day, In the Mouth of Madness, Is This Love? All That's Left, Slow Crash Landing Man, Crack the Big Sky, Return to Whatever (from Alan Morse's solo album Four O'Clock and Hysteria), Surfing Down the Avalanche, Thoughts Part II, Skeletons at the Feast, As Far as the Mind Can See, Walking on the Wind, The Water / Go the Way You Go. The group gave a great show, unfortunately marred by a few imperfections... Nick, Dave and Jimmy were outstanding, but Ryo and Alan were not at the top of their game, with a few bum notes here and there, skipping a few beats at times... a bit disappointing for me. On the bright side, this Jimmy Keegan guy was just mind-boggling, so precise and intense, his drum play was a cross between Portnoy, Bozzio and someone suffering from tetanos muscle-spasms, it was fascinating to see his ultra-fast movements, a million watts of energy glowing from this guy! Nick had been quite ill the day before, even having to go to the emergency room, that's why he didn't show up at the after-hours party, but none of it showed during the show, as he delivered a flawless performance, his drum duet with Jimmy was something out of this world! Some of the humorous moments of their set was that short intro to Freebird, and Ryo's japanese karaoke number while Nick was fiddling with his amp, but Ryo's "butt paste" jokes kinda fell flat... Oh well. At one point Alan almost fell into the audience, someone holding him by his shirt tail to havoid him from toppling over. I would have loved to see a flawless performance, like they are renowned to deliver, but they still got the audienc