Steve Perry Finally Returns to Stage

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock musicLeave a comment

Well, folks, it finally happened. One of the all time greatest voices in rock has returned to the stage, for one of the first times since the mid 90s. No, Steve Perry has not released a new album and he is not on tour (unfortunately). He did, however, join the Eels on stage at a concert, in St. Paul, Minnesota, last night to sing one of their songs, along with “Open Arms” and “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin.” Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo writes,

Steve Perry, one of the most elusive frontmen in rock, hasn’t performed with Journey since 1991, or performed solo concerts since 1995. But don’t stop believin’, Perry fans. The rock icon finally returned to the stage Sunday night… to join indie-rock band the Eels at the 1,000-capacity Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn.

Perry showed up at first to sing the Eels’ 2000 cult hit “It’s a Motherf—er,” his voice instantly recognizable and sounding surprisingly strong considering his well-publicized health problems (ongoing arthritis, hip-replacement surgery in 1998, two melanoma-removal surgeries in 2013). Joked Eels leader Mark Everett upon hearing the Fitzgerald audience’s thunderous response: “They don’t applaud like that for me! I guess I gotta disappear for 25 years!”

Considering everything Steve Perry has been through over the past 20 or so years (hip problems, Journey problems, losing his girlfriend to cancer), his voice was rather good. Time has obviously aged it, but he sounds as if he could finally be ready to make an album and possibly do a tour. I certainly hope so.

Check out the video of him at the concert. The audio quality is poor as the video was taken with a cell phone, but it is fairly close up. And a warning about the first song he sings, it is called “It’s a Motherf***er,” so there is some profanity in it. He starts singing “Open Arms” around four minutes.

Christopher Lee: Metal Knight

On By Time LordIn ProgarchyLeave a comment

Sir Christopher Lee — a.k.a. Saruman and Count Dooku — is turning 92 years old tomorrow… and he has a new metal album out today:

Sir Christopher is well-known for his devotion to fantasy and heavy metal themes, with several album releases and collaborations in the genre to his name. Having started his second career working with the Italian Symphonic Metal band Rhapsody of Fire a decade ago.

“I associate heavy metal with fantasy because of the tremendous power that the music delivers”.

The star of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Star Wars’ sagas inspired generations of artists, with his dark, yet elegant portrayals back in the late 50’s and 60’s. His interpretation of ‘Dracula’, is considered by many to be the quintessential. ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’, being other movies which inspired metal songs.

In June 2010, he received the ‘Spirit of Metal’ at the ‘Golden Gods Awards’ from Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) for his work in ‘Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross’ and his contribution to metal themes on the silver screen.

Last Christmas, his rendition of ‘Jingle Hell’ (Bells) achieved number 18 in the Billboard Charts, making him the oldest performer (91) ever to chart.

‘Metal Knight’ is a mini album featuring 7 tracks, two of which are covers from the ‘Man of La Mancha’ musical, based on the character ‘Don Quixote’.

“As far as I am concerned, Don Quixote is the most metal fictional character that I know. Single handed, he is trying to change the world, regardless of any personal consequences. It is a wonderful character to sing”

A radio mix version of ‘My Way’ and ‘The Toreador March’ are also included.

The Best Prog Bands You’ve Never Heard Of (Part Nine): Gotic

On By Connor MullinIn progressive rock music3 Comments

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The ninth band featured in this series hails from the land of monstrous windmills, otherwise known as Spain.  Gotic, the brainchild of Catalonian flautist Jep Nuix, released one album, the instrumental Escenes, in 1977.  Escenes benefits from a wonderful mix of keys and flute, which drive all of the songs.  The pastoral cover of the album reminds me of the fantasy landscapes of Roger Dean.  The album is not very long: there are seven songs, all of which but one are under 6 minutes in length.  There are four that I find especially pleasing to the ear:

Imprompt 1: the second song is up-tempo compared to most of the other pieces, with solid, fast paced drumming and a brief guitar solo.

La Revolucio: the fourth song is probably the heaviest piece (the songs are no heavier than any of Camel’s works) with solid bass throughout and, about halfway through, a brief fife and drum duet.

I tu que ho vienes tot tan facil: the sixth song and probably the best; features acoustic guitar, more fantastic flute work, and even some synth.

Historia d’Una Gota d’Agua: the final song on the album and also the longest (about 10 minutes in length); opens with beautiful classical guitar and flute which, combined with piano, make this song a relaxing listen.

Escenes is most certainly worth a listen, especially if you enjoy softer prog with a jazz feel to it. You won’t regret it.

Here is La Revolucio:

Maja on Music and @ForeverStillDK

On By Time LordIn ProgarchyLeave a comment

Killer Youth currently features a profile of Maja Schønning, the lead singer of Forever Still:

We had the chance to sit down and talk with Maja about why she likes music and she told us,

“My favorite thing about music is the raw and honest emotion. It’s an escape for me, both listening to music and making it. Music allows me to be sucked into a completely different world and just linger there.

Creating music is an outlet for all my fears, all my insecurities and it’s the way I heal myself. Music keeps you company when you have no one else, and now I’m able to bring that comfort to other people, which is truly a blessing.”

Figuring out that it was more important to be happy rather than safe was a big part for Maja deciding to pursue a career in music. From her statement above you can see that music is what makes her truly happy in life but there was still a moment when she was at a crossroads with her career. When we asked her why she decided to become a musician she said,

“I became a musician because I needed it, and because it made me feel whole and alive. I was always taught that I should take the safe road, get an education and a safety net, but I realized that it would never make me truly happy.”

Read more at Killer Youth.

 

Tempering Jingoism: Neil Peart’s Territories

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock music2 Comments

Though I’m certainly no pacifist, and I rather love and owe allegiance to the American republic of the founding period, I can’t help but think of Peart’s lyrics when it comes to the beating of drums on Memorial Day weekend.

We see so many tribes overrun and undermined
While their invaders dream of lands they’ve left behind
Better people…better food…and better beer…
Why move around the world when Eden was so near?
The bosses get talking so tough
And if that wasn’t evil enough
We get the drunken and passionate pride
Of the citizens along for the ride

They shoot without shame
In the name of a piece of dirt
For a change of accent
Or the color of your shirt
Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colorful rag is unfurled

Amen, Neil.  It’s one thing to honor those who have given their very lives for us, it’s quite another to use those same sacrifices for nationalistic, egotistical, and nefarious agendas.

Cowbell FTW

On By Time LordIn progressive rock music1 Comment

Don’t miss the Will Ferrell and Chad Smith Drum-Off.

Watch the video first (below) or read the spoiler-laden chronicle.

Finally, A Rocker Wins American Idol

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock music1 Comment

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No, I do not watch American Idol, so you can all stop judging me. Yahoo just keeps bombarding me with articles about it, and when I saw a few weeks ago (or was it months? I don’t know anymore) that one of the contestants sang Rush’s “Working Man,” I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the songs on American Idol generally, for lack of a better word, suck, as do many of the singers. So, to see someone sing some proggy music was quite refreshing.

The latest “American Idol” (quotations because how can he be America’s idol when hardly anyone watches the show anymore) is Caleb Johnson, and this guy has a great voice. He really does capture the classic rock sound, and I think he could do really well with his own hard rock band. From what I have read about his performances, and from the few I have watched, he seems to fit in better with a band than he does singing solo.

Caleb Johnson’s newfound fame means two things for the music world, in my opinion. One, it means that rock in general is making a legitimate “comeback” to the mainstream. However, it could also mean that the majority of American Idol’s viewers are older people who grew up with bands like Rush and Led Zeppelin. I certainly hope it means the former, because modern pop music has become atrocious. Long gone are the days when Journey or Al Stewart were considered pop music. Maybe, just maybe, we may see a return to a “rockier” pop. It is definitely possible; just look at the widespread success of Muse.

I was most impressed by Caleb Johnson’s performances of “Working Man” and Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.” Watch and see what you think.

 

Sun Ra at 100

On By Pete BlumIn progressive rock music1 Comment

Today is the 1ooth birthday of Sun Ra, extraterrestrial jazz visionary.  Check out Joel Rose’s celebration over at NPR.

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Sun Ra (1914-1993)

Editorial Rant: What is Nu in Nu-prog?

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock music2 Comments

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Though I more often than I like fall back on the use and employment of labels, I also realize that labels reek of unimaginative and ridiculous and poorly developed thought.  We label rarely to clarify.  Instead, we label to move a thing out of the way and start looking at the next thing.  And, even it is our intent originally to understand the thing through a label, the very process of the labeling of a thing places it rather firmly as this or that, thus automatically dismissing our possibilities in fully understanding the thing and allowing it to take on a life and identity of its own.

For those of us who prog, I often think of the frustrations I feel whenever I go to Progarchives.  An excellent site in most ways, its obsession with labeling drives me a bit bonkers.  Over the last decade, I have discovered that—at least according to Progarchives—I possess a loving relationship with what they call “cross-over prog.”  What on God’s great green earth does this mean?  Doesn’t prog automatically mean that something crosses over something else???  That fusion has occurred in unexpected ways?  Isn’t the very essence of prog as an art form that it really cannot be defined or categorized?

When I saw that the new issue of CLASSIC ROCK had downloaded onto my iPad this morning, I rolled my eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to get the new issue.  CLASSIC ROCK is one of the few periodicals I read faithfully.  To say I’ve been frustrated regarding the move from the old app to the new would be not just a gross understatement, it would be false.  Despite attempting at least 20 times (following, specifically, the directions provided by CLASSIC ROCK) to switch from the old to the new, I’ve failed.  I finally gave up trying, accepting the limitations of the old app.

So, maybe a little lingering frustration. . . .

But, I would’ve rolled my eyes anyway.  Next to a sensationalist photo and headline regarding Guns n Roses reads “Nu-Prog, The 10 Bands Revolutionizing Rock.”

Nu?  Really?  Neo Prog or New Prog would sound ridiculous.  But, Nu?  Sheesh.  Are we quasi-literate five year olds?

The 10 bands are Syd Arthur, Knifeworld, Haken, Messenger, Archive, Incura, Sontaag, Alcest, Gazpacho, and Plank!  I only know three of the ten, but I’ll be checking out the others.

But, who am I to criticize?  A friend of mine once joked with me that I defined prog as “any music Brad Birzer likes.”  Sadly, there’s probably a lot of truth in this in my arrogant little brain.

Words are sacred.  Art is sacred.  We should love our music and all of its expansiveness as much as we love our words and all of their importance.  There’s no such thing as “nu” in the English language.  If we’re going to claim we’re entering a new stage of music, let’s give it a proper name, not an advertising slogan or soundbyte.

Delain: The Human Contradiction

On By Time LordIn ProgarchyLeave a comment

Charlotte Wessels

I have been listening to the new Delain album on and off for a few weeks now.

I really liked the single “Your Body is a Battleground” when I first heard it before buying the whole album. It’s a nice symphonic metal track with interesting orchestral bombast to reinforce its darkly epic theme about corporations having a sinister financial interest regarding what chemicals you pump into your body.

But I was disappointed, when first listening to the entire album, that none of the other tracks were really grabbing me more than that lead-off single track. The other tracks just seemed to be the standard Delain thing with nothing out of the ordinary. They all blended into one another with a sameness. Nothing really stood out.

But then suddenly lightning struck, and twice: my attention was arrested by two tracks that have since become, after repeated listens, my absolute favorites on the album: “Army of Dolls” and “Don’t Let Go.” These are both very cool, super interesting songs that mix dance floor beats and synthesizers together with metal guitar riffs!

This is an exhilarating new direction for Delain… and I must say that I really love it.

Both tracks have a unique flavor to them. They are creative and unusual and so much fun to listen to.

Now, I’m not a dance or electronica guy at all. And I am known to prefer metal, especially with a prog sensibility. But still, something about these tracks makes them work wonderfully. There is a magic blend or balance to them. I can’t analyze it but I do want to say that, against all expectations, they achieve somehow just the right effect for me. Very surprising.

So, just on the basis of these three tracks alone, I can say I am happy to have purchased the whole album. Sometimes a middling album has some hidden gems that redeem the whole effort, and that’s what happened here for me: you have to dig for them.

I hope that Delain in the future ditches whatever over time has become boring in their schtick and unhesitatingly follows their artistic freedom to make more uber-cool music like this.

Yes, my favorite two tracks here may indeed be “dance metal” contradictions, but of the most interesting human variety.