Author: Bryan Morey

Public historian and museum professional working with historical artifacts. Music reviewer at Progarchy and Dutch Progressive Rock Page.

Twisted Sister to Appear on Fox and Friends This Friday! @MikePortnoy

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock1 Comment

Twisted Sister, including Mike Portnoy, will appear on this upcoming Friday’s (September 2, 2016) episode of Fox and Friends, on the Fox News Channel. It is great to see Twisted Sister, the greatest glam metal band of the 80s, getting some mainstream attention as they celebrate their 40th anniversary.

For those that don’t know, Mike Portnoy has been Twisted Sister’s full time drummer since the death of A. J. Pero in the spring of 2015. It will definitely be great to see everyone’s favorite (or second favorite if we are including retired Rush drummers) prog drummer on national tv! That doesn’t happen everyday, although it should.

Set your DVRs! Even those of you that hate Fox.

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-and-friends/all-american-summer-concert-series

Jon Anderson’s Instructions to His Dog Sitter on National Dog Day

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

I have no idea if Jon actually wrote this, but it is pretty funny.

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/yes-frontman-jon-andersons-instructions-to-his-dogsitter

Dear Frank,

Overture—Heart of Sunrise

Total Breakfast: Alpo-calypse

ii. Comb of Life

iii. The Solid Bowel Movement

Bridge—A Venture (Outside With Leash)

Fetch/Play Dead

a. Fetch

b. Play dead

ii. Long Distance Runaround (seg. into The Calling)

iii. Starship Pooper (use grocery bags!)

Requiem—Edge of the Sun

The Revealing Science of Dog (food)

ii. Sweet Dreams

Da Capo

Progressively,
Jon

Itzhak Perlman and the CSO – “1812 Overture” – Live at Ravinia – 8/20/16 and 8/21/16

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

8/20/2016

Itzhak Perlman, violin
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Beethoven
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 (without Itzhak Perlman)

8/21/2016

Itzhak Perlman, conductor
Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 (featuring Lynn Harrell on cello)
“1812” Festival Overture, Op. 49 (with live cannons)

3191_by-STRINGS-EXCLUSIVE-Lisa-Marie-MazzuccoWithout a doubt, Itzhak Perlman is likely the greatest violinist alive today. Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1945, to parents that moved from Poland to British Palestine in the 1930s, Perlman began playing the violin at a very early age. He skyrocketed to fame at the age of 13, when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Not surprisingly, he continued his studies at Juilliard. At the age of four, he contracted polio. He recovered, but he has had to walk with crutches ever since. Today, he plays the violin and conducts while seated. 

Listening to Itzhak Perlman play Beethoven on Saturday night was an honor and a privilege. After the orchestra took their places (they had the A team out both nights), Perlman drove his motorized scooter out to center stage, grabbed his crutches, and without any help from anyone else, climbed the few steps to his seat and sat down – all while the audience gave him a standing ovation. We all knew this was going to be amazing before it had even started. Once Perlman sat down, the first chair violinist handed him his violin. He took it and looked it over before nodding to the first chair. Everyone in the audience laughed, because it was obvious that Perlman was making sure that no one had made a switch with the instruments. This particular violin was a cut above everything else on that stage – it sounded absolutely beautiful. I know that an organization or donor has loaned Perlman a Stradivarius to play for the duration of his life, but I highly doubt they would bring such a priceless instrument to an outdoor venue. Plus, if it had been a Stradivarius, I’m sure they would have brought it out to him under lock and key. Regardless, this instrument sounded amazing.

Continue reading “Itzhak Perlman and the CSO – “1812 Overture” – Live at Ravinia – 8/20/16 and 8/21/16″ →

Vladimir Feltsman – Pictures at an Exhibition – Live at Ravinia

On By Bryan MoreyIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Vladimir Feltsman, Piano

August 8, 2016, Martin Theatre, Ravinia, Highland Park, IL

Brahms – Four Ballades, Op. 10
Brahms – Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79
Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition

feltsman_2

Last night, I was fortunate enough to see Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, as well as some selections from Brahms, performed live by brilliant pianist, Vladimir Feltsman. Feltsman was born in Russia in 1952, and he made his piano debut at age 11 with the Moscow Philharmonic. He continued his study at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in 1969, later studying conducting at the Moscow and Leningrad Conservatories. In 1979, after years of growing increasingly frustrated with the Soviet Union’s communist suppression of artistic freedom, Feltsman applied for an exit visa. The communists responded by banning him from giving public performances and suppressing his recordings. After eight years of this, he was allowed to leave the Soviet Union and move to America, where he soon made his debut performance at Carnegie Hall. He is now an American citizen, and he currently lives in upstate New York with his wife. All this to say, the man is a brilliant musician and a lover and defender of freedom.

Photo courtesy of Ravinia Festival
Photo courtesy of Ravinia Festival – this was not taken at last night’s concert

Ravinia is probably the finest music venue in the Chicago area, if not the entire country. Ravinia opened in northside Chicago suburb Highland Park in 1904, and it has been the summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1936. It even hosted one of George Gershwin’s final public performances of Rhapsody in Blue. It is also the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States. The venue is situated mere blocks from Lake Michigan in a lovely older suburban area. The park has a covered pavilion with seats, as well as a much larger lawn area, complete with old oak, maple, and birch trees, among many others. The site also features the Martin Theatre, which has beautiful prairie style architecture, stained glass windows, and chandeliers, as well as wonderful motifs painted on the ceiling. It is a wonderful example of early 20th century prairie style architecture. The park also includes multiple high class restaurants with excellent cuisine, with a menu that changes for each performance.

Continue reading “Vladimir Feltsman – Pictures at an Exhibition – Live at Ravinia” →

Dodson and Fogg Release New Album

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

cover-ideas-page-001Dodson and Fogg have just released their latest album, White House on the Hill.

The musicians joining Chris Wade include Georgia Cooke on flute, John Garner on Violin, Kevin Scott on guitar, and special guest and music legend, Toyah. The album is full of varied styles, from jazz and folk to psychedelia and rock. Cover art was created by Linzi Napier.

The album is available to download or buy on CD.

http://wisdomtwinsbooks.weebly.com/dodson-and-fogg-cds.html

Check out Progarchy reviews of some previous Dodson and Fogg albums here.

 

Lobate Scarp – Last Few Days to Pledge for the New Album

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

Lobate Scarp have only a few more days to reach their goal of $36,090 for the Kickstarter for their new album, You Have it All. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Kickstarter, the band only gets the money if the goal is met or exceeded. If the goal is not met by August 8, 2016, the band gets nothing.

If their latest song, “Beautiful Light,” as well as their first album, Time and Space, are anything to go off of, You Have it All may very well be one of the best albums of 2016. However, this can only happen if they meet their Kickstarter goal: LSalbum2.com.

Check out the lyric video for “Beautiful Light.” It is a fantastic song, very much in the vein of Big Big Train, The Tangent, and Yes.

The band writes on the upcoming album,

You Have It All is centered on the 15+ minute title track. It’s a strong, uplifting piece made up of several parts. The album will consist of 7-8 tracks totaling to about an hour in length. It will contain some powerful tracks such as “Conduit” our first instrumental piece, and “Nothing Wrong”, an anthem of individuality and freedom. In the mix will be some prog-ballads such as our new single “Beautiful Light” and a story of love-lost-but-found-once-more in “And We Tried”. The final track will be the grandiose 9-minute “Flowing With the Change”, which deals with acceptance of the past and looking into the future with exciting possibilities.

For all prog fans out there, Lobate Scarp is a band not to be missed. Please consider pledging your support for their upcoming album – they have whole levels of goodies available for people who pledge their support. The prog world needs innovative bands like Lobate Scarp to keep the genre going, and that can only happen when the fans support the music.

LSalbum2.com

Check out this video for more info on the album campaign:

 

Metal Mondays: Testament Announce New Album

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

testament-new01Ok, so I’m a little late with this news, but I just saw that the San Francisco Bay area thrash legends, Testament, recently announced the release of a new forthcoming album. The Brotherhood of the Snake will be released via Nuclear Blast on October 28, 2016.

I really enjoyed their last album, 2012’s Dark Roots of the Earth. Testament is a metal band that has become better and better since their inception in the 1980s. They brilliantly combine their style of thrash with straight-up metal and a few toned-down heavy rockers. They are very similar in style to Metal Allegiance, which isn’t surprising since guitarist Alex Skolnick plays for both groups.

The band has said that this album will be even thrashier than their previous albums, with about half of the songs being thrash metal. The album will see singer Chuck Billy singing in his signature heavy voice, while avoiding the death vocals of their earlier albums. Basically, if you liked Dark Roots of the Earth, you’re probably going to like the new album.

Check out their website for more details.

Thrash on, Progarchy, and enjoy your Metal Monday.

Wishbone Ash Announce Fall North America Tour

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

Wishbone Ash photo 2016 med res

Classic Rock Legends Wishbone Ash ‘Take It Back’ on North American Fall Tour

Musical journey through back catalog plus selections from recent recordings on tap

Wishbone Ash, one of the most influential guitar bands in the history of rock, bring it to their North American fans on the 2016 “Take It Back” Tour. As they celebrate their 47th anniversary at shows from Denver, CO, to New York City, the guys will present time-honored classics and deep tracks from the back catalog, as well as material from recent recordings.

Continue reading “Wishbone Ash Announce Fall North America Tour” →

DPRP Reviews New Anderson/Stolt Album

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

Press_Cover_01The great folks over at the DPRP (where I am proud to be a writer, as well) have just released a Round Table Review of the new Anderson/Stolt album, Invention of Knowledge. Three great reviews of a fantastic album.

If you like classic 70s Yes and you also like Roine Stolt’s godlike work on the guitar, then this is the album for you.

Check out InsideOut for more info on the album, and be sure and read the DPRP reviews.

Official Video for Muse’s “Aftermath”

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock1 Comment

I believe Muse’s song, “Aftermath,” off of Drones, is the best song from 2015. It is hopeful yet realistic, and it is masterfully done. Check out the official video released a few months ago.