Interview with David Longdon of Big Big Train!
Author: bradbirzer
By day, I'm a father of seven and husband of one. By night, I'm an author, a biographer, and a prog rocker. Interests: Rush, progressive rock, cultural criticisms, the Rocky Mountains, individual liberty, history, hiking, and science fiction.
Susie Bogdanowicz Fronting Glass Hammer
I couldn’t be happier with this news. I regard Susie Bogdanowicz as the finest female voice in rock, and, along with David Longdon, one of the two finest voices overall in rock.
Glass Hammer just gets better and better. What a great development.
http://teamrock.com/news/2016-06-17/glass-hammer-16th-album-valkyrie-susie-bogdanowicz
Only a Few Neal MorseFest Tickets Left
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[Morse]fest 2016 is only two weeks away! Guarantee your spot for this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
[Morse]fest is July 1-2, 2016 in Cross Plains, TN. Remaining ticket options are listed below:
Double Night Tickets (20 tickets remaining)
Single Night Ticket – Friday (100 tickets remaining)
“Unplugged Storyteller” (Friday)
Featuring Neal Morse, Nick D’Virgilio, Casey McPherson, and Eric Gillette. Join us inside the minds of these incredible artists and see where these songs began and what made them the unforgettable songs they are!
“SNOW” (Saturday)
For the first time ever, the original members of Spock’s Beard will perform the legendary prog epic “SNOW” in its entirety. The show will include encores and more featuring ALL Spock’s Beard members, past and present, including Neal Morse, Alan Morse, Dave Meros, Nick D’Virgilio, Ryo Okumoto, Ted Leonard, and Jimmy Keegan.
Don’t wait any longer. Get your tickets here.
We look forward to seeing you,
The Radiant Team
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Billboard Announces New TFF!
Taken straight from the Billboard website. . .
Tears for Fears have announced a new tour for this fall.
Fugees’ Pras Michel on Hitting Up Eurythmics, Tears for Fears & Seal for Film Music
The 15-date tour, which starts Sept. 17 at the Maryhill Winery in Goldendale, Washington, is made up of rescheduled dates that were previously postponed earlier this year. Tickets purchased for the original dates will be honored for the new dates or refunds will be available at point of purchase.
Lorde Releases Preview of Tears for Fears Cover for ‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack: Listen
Tears for Fears’ trek will run through Oct. 9, when it wraps at Humphrey’s in San Diego. See the full tour dates below.
The band is currently working on their new record to be released in 2017 on Warner Bros. Records.
Tears for Fears’ fall tour:
Sept. 17 – Maryhill Winery in Goldendale, WA
Sept. 18 – Chateau St. Michelle in Woodinville, WA
Sept. 20 – Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City, UT
Sept. 22 – Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise, ID
Sept. 23 – Silver Legacy Resort and Casino in Reno, NV
Sept. 26 – Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI
Sept. 27 – Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, IN
Sept. 29 – Hard Rock Live in Northfield, OH
Sept. 30 – The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor in Windsor, ON
Oct. 1 – Casino Rama Entertainment Ctr. in Orillia, ON
Oct. 3 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO
Oct. 5 – Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs, CO
Oct. 7 – Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 8 – Pechanga Resort & Casino – Pechanga Theatre in Temecula, CA
Oct. 9 – Humphrey’s in San Diego, CA
Glass Hammer: VALKYRIE!!!
Holy schnikees this looks amazing! So thrilled to see the trajectory of a band move more and more toward perfection. Incredible. Glass Hammer is simply nothing short of astounding. Thank you, Steve and Fred! So much brightness you offer in a world of immense darkness.
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Glass Hammer is in full production on “Valkyrie”, a full-blown concept album that bassist Steve Babb compares to their previous works “Lex Rex” and “The Inconsolable Secret”.
“Still, we’ve managed to come at this album in a totally new way. We have been in the rehearsal room for months, rehearsing the album as if it were to be a live concert. Our shows are so much more edgy than our studio albums and we really wanted to capture that energy. When we felt the ‘show’ was ready, we hit record. That happened over the last weekend and the results are outstanding. There is still a lot of studio work to do, but the basic tracks have been captured and we are well on our way to making “Valkyrie” a very unique album.”
As for the concept Babb was willing to say that, “‘Valkyrie’ is about a soldier who marches away to battle only to find himself embroiled in a war that was far more than he bargained for. The story is intense, as is the music.”
No release date has been set yet but the band has promised “Valkyrie” for sometime in the fall of 2016.
THE QUEEN IS DEAD: 30 Years Later
Amazingly, THE QUEEN IS DEAD came out thirty years ago today. For me, it was that magical time between graduating from high school and heading off to the University of Notre Dame. I spent that summer of 1986 dreaming of college, working as an overnight DJ at a local radio station, and rather madly chasing around a young woman (who is now, thankfully, happily married and living in central Kansas).
Strangely, though, THE QUEEN IS DEAD did not inspire or trouble me once that summer. For whatever reason, I completely missed its release.
It wasn’t until I arrived at Notre Dame that a great friend (and now an extremely famous philosopher) introduced me to THE QUEEN IS DEAD. From the first listen, I was bowled over. Being rather partial to prog rock, I didn’t cotton easily to non-progressive music. Yet, there was something in THE QUEEN IS DEAD that captured my imagination. There was a wit, a whiny intelligence, a reference to some of my favorite writers, and a strange cynical romanticism that pervades the whole album that tugged at my soul.
With Morrissey, I wanted to walk the cemetery gates, and I knew that there was a “light that never goes out” when it came to that Kansas girl I chased for almost two years.
I felt sorry for the Queen and for Prince Charles, of course, but I chuckled about the vicar, and I thought I knew a Bigmouth, here or there.
Thirty years ago. Amazing. It could’ve been yesterday.
OPETH to Release New Album “Sorceress” via Nuclear Blast Later This Year — Prog Sphere
Nuclear Blast Entertainment is very pleased to announce the signing of Swedish progressive legends, Opeth. Always an unstoppable force for uniqueness amid a sea of generic swill, Opeth have been setting the rulebook ablaze, and ploughing a uniquely progressive and exploratory furrow for over 25 years now. Neither conforming nor exhibiting any desire to be restricted…
via OPETH to Release New Album “Sorceress” via Nuclear Blast Later This Year — Prog Sphere
Time to PROG the Vote
It’s that time of year again–the time to vote for the best in progressive rock music over at the majestic Jerry Ewing’s PROG.
Neal Morse Band: aLIVE again
The amazing new Neal Morse Band “Alive Again” DVD/2CD Set and Blu-ray will now be released worldwide August 5th. Pre-orders will begin 9:00 a.m. CDT June 21st.
Radiant’s Special Offer! The first 100 pre-orders of either version will receive a tour setlist signed by the whole band. This rare exclusive collectors item is only available through RadiantRecords.com
Track Listing
CD 1
1 Alive Again Intro
2 The Call
3 Leviathan
4 The Grand Experiment
5 Harm’s Way
6 Bill’s Keyboard Solo
7 The Creation
8 There Is Nothing That God Can’t Change
Total Time 65:22
CD 2
1 Waterfall
2 Eric’s Gtr Solo
3 In The Fire
4 Alive Again
5 Rejoice
6 Oh Lord, My God
7 Reunion
8 King Jesus
Total Time 73:50
Riding on the tremendous success of their breakthrough album, The Grand Experiment, The Neal Morse Band set out on a tremendously successful world tour in the spring of 2015. Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy have teamed up with Randy George, Eric Gillette, and Bill Hubauer to create one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time. Full stop. The Alive Again package shows them at the top of their form performing for a rousing audience in Holland March 6, 2015.
Audio mixed by Rich Mouser
“The Neal Morse Band is a force of nature. They have evolved into a great live band, one that is as good as there is in music and they really shine on this live set. The performances here are jaw-dropping and might have you giving a standing ovation from your couch.” – Roie Avin, The Prog Report
[N.B. progarchy loves the views of Roie Avin!]
[N.B.II, my only complaint is that this does not include a live version of “New Jerusalem,” the single greatest song Morse has written!]
Jordan Rudess and Zee Baig: Fire Garden’s Heaven
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) records guest solo for Fire Garden’s upcoming album
Chicago based progressive rock act Fire Garden is pleased to announce the guest appearance of virtuoso keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) on their second full length release ‘Far and Near’. The record also features Jimmy Keegan of Spock’s Beard on drums and many others. The album is mixed by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief) and the artwork cover is designed by Travis Smith (Opeth, Riverside, Katatonia).
The album is going to be released on July 29th 2016 through PledgeMusic platform and can be pre-ordered with special exclusives at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/firegardenmusic
Fire Garden’s mastermind Zee mentions, “It’s a great honor for me to work with Jordan Rudess. He is a legend and I have grown up listening to his music and watching him play throughout the years. It’s surreal, and at the same time amazing to see his personal touch on my music.”
Fire Garden is a progressive rock project by Zee Baig from Chicago. The band has released one EP, ‘The Prelude’ in 2012, and one full length record, ‘Sound of Majestic Colors’ in 2014. The brand new album, ‘Far and Near’, is more personal and exploratory in nature, and is ready to release this summer. The band is also ready to hit the road to support the new album.
Contact: Get in touch with Zee at info@firegardenmusic.com for bookings, interviews and promos.
Progarchy 