Big Big Train’s Alberto Bravin: The Progarchy Interview

On By kruekuttIn Big Big Train, Insideout Music, progressive rockLeave a comment

March 1st will see multiple firsts for Progarchy faves Big Big Train: the release of their impressive major label debut on Inside Out/Sony, The Likes of Us, and the sold-out opening night of their long-delayed US tour at Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Sweetwater Performance Theater. Alongside founder/bassist Greg Spawton and the rest of BBT’s international lineup, lead singer/multi-instrumentalist Alberto Bravin will spend the first half of the month barnstorming from Indiana to New Jersey, Boston and Buffalo, winding up onboard progressive rock’s annual floating festival, Cruise To The Edge.

While this will be Alberto’s first stateside jaunt with the band, he’s definitely paid his dues with BBT; since joining up, he’s toured Europe with them in 2022 and 2023, as well as collaboratively writing and recording The Likes of Us at his homebase of Trieste, Italy. When I spoke with him earlier this month, Alberto was candid about the challenges involved integrating into Big Big Train following previous singer David Longdon’s passing, but also grateful for his reception by the band (and its devoted fans, the Passengers) and unquenchably enthusiastic about the new album and the coming tour! Our video conversation is immediately below, with a transcript following.

So my first question is kind of a softball: what does it feel like to be the lead singer in Big Big Train?

It’s a great situation, musically and also personally, from a human point of view.  Because it’s a great band with great people in it!  It’s a really, really, really great honor to be the lead singer and be part of this family, actually.  It’s two years [since] I joined the band, and I can call it family, because there are really great relationships inside the band and between us.  So, this is great!

That’s lovely to hear; I’m so pleased.  Going back those two years, when Greg Spawton and the band’s management reached out to you, what was your first reaction?

Well, I didn’t expect that, actually; it was completely out of the blue!  Greg saw me with PFM in 2015 and he just wrote down my name at the time.  Then I was in a list of people to audition.  He wrote me an email and he asked me if I was aware of the band – and of course, I was aware of the band [laughs]; I was a fan!  I knew what happened and everything. 

And it was just a great honor to do the audition, and I didn’t have big expectation from that.  It was just, “Alright, let’s try; let’s have the opportunity; let’s sing as best as I can.  Let’s have fun, actually, and enjoy the situation.”  I didn’t expect to become the singer, [laughs] actually!

Backtracking, how did you first hear of Big Big Train, that you became a fan?

I remember I was in Japan with PFM; I was in the Tower Records in Tokyo.  And there was a Japanese newspaper with a photo of PFM, because we were playing there.  So, I just got the newspaper, and inside there was a photo of, I think it was Grimspound; that was the album.  And just the cover — I said, “Whoa, this is a cool cover – I need to dig deeper on this band!”  And I fell in love with it.

The main reason is that Big Big Train always had great songs, I think.  They are in the progressive world, where you have all the instrumental madness or weird time signatures or whatever, but the basic thing of the band are the songs.  They have great melodies; they always had great songs and great lyrics.   So that was the first thing that I really fell in love with.  I’m a Beatles fan, and I love songwriting.  And I could hear the songwriting behind these incredible arrangements, the vocal harmonies and all the keyboards and Mellotrons and 12-string guitars.  The great thing is that most of the songs, you can play them [with just] guitar and vocals, and they still sound like those songs.  That’s the magic there.

That makes a lot of sense, because it was the songs that grabbed me, a little further back before that time.  And I share your Beatles fandom!  So I get where you’re coming from with that.  Now you seem to have had – I read in the tour program, you’ve had a real variety of musical experience before this.  I understand you trained in opera, as well as in modern singing.  And you play multiple instruments; you’ve led your own band; you joined PFM, which definitely has a reputation in the prog world.  So, after those two years you’ve talked about — two tours and time in the studio with Big Big Train — what do you think are the particular strengths you bring that slot in with how you describe this band, this songwriters’ collective, and the music that comes out of it?

I think from day one, me and Greg  – there was chemistry, just human chemistry, and so we started right away.  When they were looking for a singer, they were looking just for a singer, actually.  They didn’t expect to have a songwriter or [laughs] a control freak like I am! [Laughs]  They needed a singer, but they had the whole package here!  And [laughs] now they have to deal with it!

From day one or after a week [that] I was into the band, I was asked if I was writing stuff, and I said, “Well, yeah, I also write songs and musical parts.”  We shared a couple of things, and I think Greg liked it.

We started to really dig into the music and worked together on the music, on the lyrics.  So, I just brought my – it’s not really a style; I mean I don’t have a style! [Laughs] It’s just the vibe or whatever.  But the important thing is that I was a fan of the band.  I know really well the Big Big Train sound, and I don’t want to change that, because it’s a wonderful mood and vibe and color that the band have.  So, I don’t want to change that, but just make it a little bit, maybe – new, my own!  Because I’m into the band and I’m into the songwriting of the band.

Let’s move on to that new album; I’ve been able to hear it a couple of times.  One of the things I’ve noticed; when I saw some interviews with Greg, he said, “This time, it’s personal.” It’s less about third-person storytelling and maybe more about first-person experiences and reflections.  If you’re comfortable, what sort of experiences have you brought from your life that have fed into these songs?

Big Big Train always talked about – not always, but most of the time, they talked about historic facts or legends or people.  This time, actually, it was totally natural; I think we realized that after we finished the album, “Oh, this time it’s really more personal!”  We didn’t think about it!  It wasn’t thought out; it was just a natural thing.

One example: I wrote the song called “Love Is The Light”.  That song is about a dark period that I had, dealing with depression.  So, to actually be able to talk about it and put it in music and those lyrics – it’s a really deep experience, and really helpful! 

We played it live on the last tour; I made the demo of the song, then we recorded it in the studio, and then we rehearsed it for the live situation.  But the first time there was an audience in front of me and we started the song, I just realized that I was playing and singing a really personal thing of my life!  So that just clicked, and I said, [laughs] “Oh, OK; let’s see how it goes!”  And it was an incredible feeling, incredible emotions.  And I think people really, really react on that.  If you feel it in a genuine way, and you know what you’re talking about, I think the audience can feel it too.  Then it’s pretty strong.

I can imagine, especially with the intensity that that band’s audience brings to hearing you guys live.

Oh, yeah; oh, my God!  I mean, the people that we have, it’s actually incredible!  We have people coming to see us in Europe from all over the world.  And they’re coming to the US from Europe to see the gigs!  We have people that came to all the 18 shows that we did last year.  It’s amazing; they are really the foundation of the band!   I mean, without them we can just play in our rooms! [Laughs]

Makes sense.  So, you mentioned “Love Is The Light.”  There are definitely some themes in the music and the lyrics that connect across the songs on The Likes of Us.  You have “Light Left In The Day”, which is kind of an overture.  And some of those themes really go all the way through to “Last Eleven”, which was the first new song that we heard with you singing the lead vocals.  How would you sum up the common threads on this album?

Glad you noticed [laughs] all the themes coming and going during the album!  At one time, we had a couple of songs there – we chose the setlist of the album.  And there was no reprises.  I think “Last Eleven” had the reprise that is on “Beneath The Masts” at the beginning.  At the beginning of “Beneath The Masts” there is a part that is the end section of “Last Eleven”, because it was Greg’s song and he doubled up this kind of thing.

Continue reading “Big Big Train’s Alberto Bravin: The Progarchy Interview” →

Rick’s Quick Takes for January (In the Bleak Midwinter)

On By kruekuttIn art rock, avant-garde, electronic, jazz, jazz rock, progressive metal, progressive rockLeave a comment

Note: Artist/title links go to purchase options; streaming previews follow reviews.

Mary Halvorson, Cloudward: Trailblazing guitarist Halvorson gathers the sextet from her 2022 classic Amaryllis around eight new avant-jazz compositions. Trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and trombonist Jacob Garchik sizzle on opener “The Gate”; Patricia Brennan’s vibraphone lends a rich shimmer to “The Tower”; Nick Dunston launches an epic bass solo to kick off the closing “Ultramarine”. And Tomas Fujiwara? He’s everything you could imagine in one drummer — meditatively punctuating “Unscrolling”, driving the riff-fest “Tailhead” and covering all points in-between. Set these folks loose on their leader’s sinewy, elegant concoctions of yearning and abstraction, and you never know what will happen next. All the while, Halvorson sets the pace on her instrument, with a woody, delay-laced sound and a skittering, percussive style all her own. Whether Halvorson’s and company are swinging like mad on “Collapsing Mouth” or coalescing like electrical static around Laurie Anderson’s guest violin on “Incarnadine”, Cloudward is another head-spinning, laugh-out-loud delight.

Neal Morse, The Restoration — Joseph, Part Two: The conclusion of Morse’s latest rock opera takes Part One’s rough and ready swagger and turns it up to 11, with grit even in the proggiest moments (Jacob’s sons’ vocal fugue a la Gentle Giant on “The Argument”) and fresh muscle propelling the Latin groove “Everlasting”. There’s heft to the lyrics too, as the showdown between a newly-powerful Joseph and his off-balance brothers displaces Neal’s usual conversion narrative. (Don’t worry, though; reconciliation and revival are just a title track away.) With tight melodic/thematic connections to The Dreamer and a beefy sound recalling George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, The Restoration is also a spectacular vocal showcase; ensemble highlights include Ted Leonard’s emotive Judah and the Nick D’Virgilio/Ross Jennings cameos as Pharaoh’s butler and baker, and Morse puts his newly darkened tone to thrilling use at dramatic highpoints like “I Hate My Brothers”. Together, the Joseph albums are easily my favorite Morse-related releases since The Similitude of a Dream and The Great Adventure, and The Restoration goes straight to my Official Faves List for the new year.

PAKT, No Steps Left to Trace: Another year, another heaping helping of cutting-edge free improvisation from MoonJune Records, courtesy of indefatigable impresario Leonardo Pavkovic! Now in their third year as a collective, bassist Percy Jones, guitarist Alex Skolnick, drummer Kenny Grohowski and guitarist/electronicist Tim Motzer unleash their first double album, created entirely from scratch both in the studio and live. It’s a genuinely explosive set, especially when Jones (best known from Phil Collins’ 1970s fusion band Brand X) ramps up the double-time grooves and his compatriots lock on! But the intensity doesn’t slacken when the music spaces out, either; listening hard and leaning into their deep, uncanny sense of interplay, PAKT also conjures some of the most arresting ambient jams I’ve come across recently. Bursting every genre boundary you can think of, No Steps Left to Trace isn’t for the musically faint of heart — but, for those with ears to hear, it’s a trip well worth taking.

Porcupine Tree, Closure/Continuation. Live Amsterdam 7/11/22: The show I saw in Chicago a couple of months before but bigger, scaled up for packed European arenas instead of partially-filled Stateside auditoriums and rush-released on video before Christmas. The sum of all the prog-metal parts here is flat-out engaging: Gavin Harrison’s percussive impossibilities and Richard Barbieri’s synth squelches ground Steven Wilson’s driven singing and sardonic patter, while utility players supreme Randy McStine and Nate Navarro slam the songs home. Newer material stacks up well against PT’s classics, with pensive slowburns “Dignity”, “Chimera’s Wreck” and “Buying New Soul” nicely offsetting thrashy frequency-eaters “Blackest Eyes”, “Herd Culling” and “Anesthetize”. A solid introduction for anyone who missed the Tree’s initial, spiky flowering, this one will probably resonate deeper with longtime fans (like me) who took Wilson’s long-term “never again” PR onslaught at face value – until we no longer had to.

The Smile, Wall of Eyes: Admit it: does Stanley Donwood’s latest album cover look like a psychedelic Lord of the Rings paperback cover from the 1960s or what? And the title track kick-off of this Radiohead-facing project is every bit as disorienting: a understated bossa nova from Tom Skinner to which a balefully depressive Thom Yorke lyric, tightly wound orchestral smears and Jonny Greenwood’s arhythmic guitar plinks attach themselves like disfiguring barnacles. No forthright kicks to the head in the style of A Light for Attracting Attention here; The Smile beckon us toward dystopia ever so gently — odd-time licks over the ominous vamp “Read the Room”, Greenwood and Skinner gouging a trench below Yorke’s mewling protests on “Under Our Pillows”; the Beatlesque ballad “Friend of a Friend” delicately dissolving the boundary between courage and despair in less than five minutes. In the face of lives ever more trapped onscreen, are the only options self-destruction (as “Bending Hectic’s” dissonant strings erupting into unmistakable Greenwood power chords) or resignation to Technopoly’s embrace (the closing “You Know Me!”)? Whatever our take, Yorke, Greenwood and Skinner once again prove brutally honest guides to the expanse of beauty and abyss of horrors lying before us. 

— Rick Krueger 

2023 In Review: kruekutt’s Final Favorites

On By kruekuttIn americana, classical, country, pop, progressive rock, Rock and Roll1 Comment

Well – that was a longer break than anticipated. (Sometimes, as John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to you/While you’re busy making other plans.”) Thanks for your patience and ongoing support as we wave goodbye to 2023 and 2024 begins! 

Thanks as well to Time Lord and Bryan for their 2023 wrap-ups. The flow of excellent new and reissued music continued unabated in November and December; below are some further favorites (plus some I didn’t get around to before my last post), with listening links and “micro-quick takes” to match.

The Beatles, 1962-1966 & 1967-1970: The pioneering 1973 compilations get a cutting-edge makeover. The “Red” album expands by 12 tracks — more covers, more George vocals, more from Revolver — and everything’s finally remixed to breathtaking true stereo by Giles Martin. The “Blue” album broadens the picture of the Fab Four’s later years via 9 more tracks, with the archival swan song “Now and Then” (read Time Lord’s elegiac appreciation here) serving as a lovely, definitive coda. Fifty years on, a reminder of what all the shouting was about – and why Beatlemania has never really gone away.  

Kerensa Briggs, Requiem: The first new classical piece I’ve fallen in love with in a long time. Briggs is a young British choral composer with formidable gifts and a direct, appealing style; based in chant and ripened with echoes of the French romantics, her Requiem cuts straight to the heart of grief, consoling the listener’s spirit with its rich settings of Scriptural promises. The Choir of King’s College London, conducted by Joseph Fort, responds vibrantly on the major piece and other short works (including a setting of the Taoist text “Inner Light” that George Harrison nicked for a Beatles B-side). Restorative, uplifting and highly recommended.

Charley Crockett, Live from the Ryman Auditorium: A recent Nashville vacation (including a night at the Grand Ole Opry) triggered a deep dive into all things country — traditional, bluegrass, alternative, modern, you name it. Leaning on his Gothic concept album The Man from Waco, Texas troubadour Crockett and his band The Blue Drifters electrify a sold-out Mother Church of Country Music with this generous, rambunctious set. One of the most eclectic artists in the genre today, Crockett flavors his honky-tonk stew with everything from mariachi to Motown (check out “I’m Just A Clown”), from funk to deep blues, with props to Red Dirt forebears like James Hand and Townes Van Zandt along the way — and his thick, chewy baritone sells it all.  If you crave some down-home listening, you can’t go wrong here.

Peter Gabriel, i/o: Yeah, PG has been promising new music for twenty years — but, boy, has he delivered the goods! Released a track at a time every full moon, the finished album (available in three different mixes) is a hypnotic, seductive delight all the way. Whether on atmospheric opener “Panopticom”, melancholy meditations “Playing for Time” and “And Still”, or upscale worldbeat anthems “Road to Joy” and “Olive Tree”, killer hooks, arresting soundscapes and neoclassic soul melodies abound. It’s Gabriel as you remember him — including those lyrics that swing wildly between sappy motivational speeches and sage advice — freshly retooled and energized, blazing a hopeful, humanistic path thru this century’s chaos.

King Crimson, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic XL: Robert Fripp wasn’t kidding when he called the 1972-73 incarnation of Crimson a magic band. John Wetton on bass and Bill Bruford on drums bring the muscle; David Cross on violin and Jamie Muir on percussion add thrills in the moment. Arguably, the crunching Hendrix-meets-Stravinsky title tracks, menacing balladry of “Exiles” and improvised mojo of “The Talking Drum” set the template for the rest of KC’s career. This 2-CD/2-BluRay set includes a new spatial audio mix by (who else?) Steven Wilson, an “Elemental Mix” that spotlights individual contributions and the complete sessions for nerds like me who want to know how the sausage got made. Explosive, unstoppable stuff.

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Altitude: Whether backing greats like Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash, riding his “hillbilly boogie” to a successful solo career, or charming Ken Burns’ documentary audiences, Stuart comes as close to the living personification of country music as anybody. Here he and his stellar backing band lay down some serious hoodoo: “Sitting Alone” fuses tight harmonies to a Byrdsy guitar jangle, the title track twangs with abandon, “Tomahawk” joyfully calls down the Second Coming in double time, and a hush descends for the haunting “And the Angels Came Down.” A fresh helping of Cosmic American Music as pioneered by The Grateful Dead and Gram Parsons: sleek, gutsy and deeply satisfying.

And in review, the list of my other favorite releases and reissues of the year, covered in previous Quick Takes (links are to my original articles):

Stay tuned, won’t you? With new albums due soon from Neal Morse, The Pineapple Thief, Steve Hackett, The Bardic Depths and Big Big Train (not to mention BBT’s first US tour this March), the Rockin’ Republic of Prog is ready for a banner year!

— Rick Krueger

Best Albums of 2023 — #10: Moon Safari, Himlabacken Vol. 2

On By Time LordIn progressive rock1 Comment

It’s been worth the wait. Moon Safari is back with the equivalent of a prog double album. It’s got a killer single with “Emma, Come On,” and it’s got a killer epic with “Teen Angel Meets the Apocalypse,” and it’s got everything in-between.

I’m not kidding. This album has everything but the kitchen sink, with all kinds of tiny details that show a true love for the craft. There’s a sax solo on “Forever, for You”, groovy time signature changes on “Between the Devil and Me”, an effective spattering of 80s synth drums on “Blood Moon”, and an hilarious soundalike Van Halen synth part on “198X”.

But if you want big, then three out of the nine tracks are over ten minutes long. You get more than you bargained for, making this the ultimate prog bargain of the year. It’s like a decade’s worth of music-making and music-enjoying all on one disc.

The album is endless joy and endless fun. Come on, Emma, and prog on with Moon Safari. What a great way to close the year. See you in 2024!

Best Albums of 2023 — #9: District 97, Stay for the Ending

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District 97 released their greatest album yet in 2023. It was a magnificent leap skyward into the upper echelons of the prog stratosphere.

From start to finish, this is a perfect album, showcasing every strength in the band. First and most obvious are the vocal skills of Leslie Hunt, which have never been better.

But everyone shines as her vocal effect radiates outwards. Take her vocal duo with guitarist Jim Tashjian on “Mirror,” which is extremely powerful and emotional in its force. Alternatively, the track “X-Faded” shows she can achieve powerful effects even with understated singing.

It seems like every song explores new and different realms, such that this is a rich record that repays repeated listens. Especially to savor the integral contributions of Tim Seisser on bass and Andrew Lawrence on keyboards to Leslie’s vocal tapestries.

Most impressive to my ears is the new sound to Jonathan Schang’s drum kit. It’s like he’s been studying the timbres of Bill Bruford most carefully, because that’s who his drumming reminds me of on this record. Everything he does is perfectly controlled and wonderfully musical in effect.

Most remarkable is the fact that “Deck is Stacked” even includes a drum solo (to complement the song’s lyrical theme about never compromising musical vision in spite of a heartless and rigged music industry): Schang’s drum solo is never boring (even though 99.99% of drum solos eventually are); instead, it is unbelievably so musical and so inventive and so beautiful that it holds up after repeated listens as the consummate work of art that it is.

Hearty congratulations to District 97 on this magnificent achievement in 2023! We are eternal fans after Stay for the Ending. The final track, “The Watcher,” seals the deal on District 97 being able to command the heights of prog metal for the year.

Best Albums of 2023 — #8: Tanith, Voyage

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Tanith delivers with sci-fi and fantasy lyrical themes galore on their epic retro-metal quest, Voyage. Vocalist and Bassist Cindy Maynard steals the show with her lead turn on “Mother of Exile,” but every track is a standout. If you aren’t pumping the air by “Falling Wizard,” there’s no hope for you.

Don’t overlook this album, because it’s a hidden gem from 2023. Russ Tippins supplies tandem vocals with Maynard that give this band a unique flavor. Together with Keith Robinson on drums, they invoke the greatest traditions of rock trios. Excelsior!

Best Albums of 2023 — #7: Mutoid Man, Mutants

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This metal album will thrash you into a good mood if you can handle it. “Unborn” and “Siphon” are two particularly bone-crushing tracks that deliver supreme heaviosity that you can rarely get elsewhere.

But everything here is so much fun, and there’s something for everyone. You just have to like smart and wry heavy metal at its best.

Be sure to play “Memory Hole” as you fight back against the oligarchs’ attempts to erase history. The closing track, “Setting Sun,” is good, but not as show-stopping as “Bandages,” which closed 2017’s War Moans. Okay, so what; you’ll just have to go get that album too, and play them both back-to-back.

Best Albums of 2023 — #6: Neal Morse, The Dreamer — Joseph, Part One

On By Time LordIn progressive rock1 Comment

Neal Morse does it again with his best release of 2023, the first installment of his Joseph epic based on the story in the book of Genesis. Potiphar’s wife steals the show, sung convincingly by Talon David. But everyone rocks out thoroughly, orchestrated by Morse to unbelievably even greater effect than usual. The jaw-dropping guitar solo at the end of “Wait on You” by Eric Gillette is worth the price of admission alone, but you’ll be glad you came for the whole show. Can I get an amen?

Best Albums of 2023 — #5: Joel Hoekstra’s 13, Crash of Life

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Superstar guitarist Joel Hoekstra created a magnificent showcase this year for his skills on the solid rock album Crash of Life. With vocalist Girish Pradhan fronting the songs, it’s a remarkable display of virtuosity and supreme song-craft. The title track “Crash of Life” is particularly memorable. But the whole disc is superb from beginning to end.

Best Albums of 2023 — #4: Trevor Rabin, Rio

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At last, Trevor Rabin makes a long overdue solo album. The big revelation here is just how much Yes owed to Rabin for rejuvenating them back in the 80s. So much of that dynamic songwriting is echoed on Rio, along with a wealth of musical ideas that get stuffed into its ten songs.

There’s more going on here than a hundred songs on ten albums by ordinary artists. “Push,” “Paradise,” “Thandi,” and “Egoli” are particular favorites, but there is nothing second rate anywhere on this disc. It’s an abundant supply from a musical genius that repays repeated listens.