Category: Progressive rock

Only a Few Neal MorseFest Tickets Left

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock4 Comments
[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)
  • Entry into both Friday’s “Unplugged Storyteller” concert AND Saturday’s “SNOW” concert
Single Night Ticket – Friday (100 tickets remaining)
  • Entry into Friday’s “Unplugged Storyteller” concert
“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

Billboard Announces New TFF!

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock1 Comment

tears-for-fearsTaken 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

Dream Theater @ The Fox, Oakland CA 05/07/16

On By Bryan MoreyIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Another great concert review by latindrummer – this time, Dream Theater.

latindrummer's avatarall the world's a stage

I hadn’t been this close to the stage since the Touring Into Infinity Shows back in 1998. To say that I was geeking out would be an understatement. We had seats at stage right, between Petrucci’s and Labrie’s positions. We sat down in disbelief, we were in the 5th row and I seriously considered pinching myself. A fan made his way ahead of us and said a cheeky “man, these seats suck!” We cracked up, mock agreeing with the statement. We looked up, behind, and all around. We couldn’t help but marvel at the lovely, ornate facades inside the Fox. It was a majestic house and probably the nicest venue my friend and I had ever encountered. It shined. This venue was rich with history and culture. It stood out like a little jewel in the odd mix of buildings in downtown Oakland. It was a cool venue and very appropriate for the band’s ‘production.’ This album…

View original post 894 more words

Paul McCartney @ Save Mart Center, Fresno CA 04/13/16

On By Bryan MoreyIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

A great review, by latindrummer, of a recent Paul McCartney show in California.

latindrummer's avatarall the world's a stage

A Beatle. A Beatle came to Fresno (that’s the part where my head explodes). Like a local reporter had written, Fresno received the royal treatment from Sir Paul back on April 13th. Almost 3 hours of live music, 37 songs. 37 songs!! Not 17 like most groups, not 21 or 22 like some of the more generous acts, not 24 like U2 on their most recent tour, but 37!!! Back in the mid 60’s when the Beatles still did live shows, they could get off the stage after 20 minutes. Then the group broke up and George Harrison started hanging around with Led Zeppelin – Harrison saw them perform 3 hour shows and said “3 hours, fuck me!” Inspired by Zeppelin’s stamina or not, McCartney is generously performing a TON of music spanning his entire career, including piles of songs from the Beatles and Wings catalogue, and at 71 years of age with no…

View original post 737 more words

Glass Hammer: VALKYRIE!!!

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock2 Comments
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.
Screen Shot 2016-06-16 at 12.46.27 PM
____
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”. 
 
Steve-Aaron-credit-Karel-Zuiderveld
Steve Babb and Aaron Raulston, proggers extraordinaire! Glass Hammer. Photo by the amazing Karel Zuiderveld.

“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

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rock4 Comments
The_Smiths_Pic_1311243720
Wait, that doesn’t look like the queen.  Yes, the subtlety was lost on me when I was 18.

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.

Review: Zeolite – Zeolite

On By NickIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Zeolite

“Zeolite” is an EP release by Australian technical/progressive death metal act Zeolite. The EP was self released in February this year. It’s the successor to the band’s two singles: “Earthmover” (2014) and “Astringent” (2015).

The music on “Zeolite” EP pretty much continues th technical/progressive metal style that has been traced with the mentioned releases. Zeolite are still pretty unique sounding within the genre because of how they combine technical/progressive death metal parts with atmospheric (at times ambient) heavy parts. The technical level of playing is high, the sound production clear and powerful, and the songwriting is strong too.

The EP features 3 tracks and a full playing time of 30-odd minutes. “Seligman’s Curse” and “Brath of Kaiser”, which bookend the EP, are both in the style described above while “Seneca the Younger” and “The Dramaturgy Perspective of a Theorist” showcase that the band is no stranger to deathcore and brutal death metal. Growls of Fraser Mainwaring are convincing and intelligible. The higher pitched screams also work to great effect. Guitarist Patrick Haas and bassist Lucas Tolputt create huge wall of sound. The remaining part of the rhythm section – drums are programmed, and although they are done excellent I hope that the band will find a drummer for their next releases.

Overall “Zeolite” shows a lot of talent and potential with this EP. Let this release serves as a promise for an even better full-length release. Excellent job!

Listen to Zeolite on Bandcamp.

OPETH to Release New Album “Sorceress” via Nuclear Blast Later This Year — Prog Sphere

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

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

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

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.

Screen Shot 2016-06-15 at 1.03.11 PM

http://2016.prog.awards.teamrock.com