The new president of Radiant Records, Chris Thompson.
For those of you who have been with us since the very beginning of this website, you know how much we love and value Chris Thompson. Even before we started the site, we contacted Chris at Radiant to make sure we could get some cds to review. Chris, rather gloriously, answered not only positively, but with great enthusiasm. It’s no exaggeration to state that his response gave us the confidence to launch progarchy.com.
As just announced, Chris is the newly-appointed president of Radiant Records, arguably the premier American label for prog and art rock.
Today, to celebrate his new position as president of Radiant, we had a chance to talk with Chris about his role and the role of Radiant in the coming years.
***
Progarchy: Chris, thanks so much for taking your valuable time to talk with us. Can you tell us about your new position at Radiant? What will you’ll be doing as President?
Chris: Hey, Brad. This new position has been created to allow me to focus on growing Radiant Records on a global level. Also, with my focus being on the business side of the label, it will allow Neal much needed time to focus more on the music and creative side.
Progarchy: Can you give us hints as to where you’re going to take Radiant?
Chris: With increased exposure in international markets and growing Progressive fan base in North America, signing new artists, and working to become a digital download hub for Progressive Rock, our desire is to take Radiant to the next level. With a state of the art recording studio, Radiant Studios, and the many relationships in manufacturing and distribution, we have a lot of room to grow and expand our organization.
Progarchy: Sounds perfect. Can you give us a bit about your own background?
Chris: My background is purchasing and estimating, as well as with anything organizational. Having worked with Neal in every area of touring (i.e. merch, lighting, tour management, booking, logistics), I have pretty well done it all. With my experience in marketing and merchandising, I will be able to assist Neal with product design and manufacturing, as well as other artists that we sign to the Radiant label. I have 20+ years in management and customer service, and I strive to offer better service than you can get anywhere else. Nothing less.
Progarchy: Finally, how would you assess the current and future states of rock music?
Chris: Progressive Rock has held true, demanding high quality music and creative artwork and packaging. As the world is leaning toward mp3’s and a jpeg of a cover, our Progressive fans still love everything about the music and the artists that make it. Radiant’s fans and customers are the best there are, and we are dedicated to bringing them the best music, the best products, the best shows, and the best customer service we can.
Progarchy: Thanks so much, Chris. You’re definitely the future of the genre, and it’s great to have you in this new position. Congratulations!
Released today, the gorgeous album from IZZ, EVERLASTING INSTANT.
I promise to provide a much more in-depth review of this album in the coming weeks. It arrived happily this morning at the Birzer estate in Longmont, Colorado. The sun is shining, the Rockies radiating, and some of the best music of the progressive rock era (about my age, as it turns out) is playing for the third time. As most of you know, “Everlasting Instant” is the conclusion to the trilogy that began with “The Darkened Room” (2009) and continued with “Crush of Night.” (2012).
As this is merely a mini review, let me state a couple of things.
First, the album is absolutely outstanding.
Second, while it is an excellent piece of art on its own, “Everlasting Instant” successfully incorporates themes (lyrically and musically) from the previous two albums, thus closing the trilogy with a profound sense of accomplishment.
Third, the music surprises me a bit—only because it’s as melodic as all IZZ albums, but its minimalism at points and its equally hard progressive aspects jarred me several times during the initial listens. Frankly, this album is far more prog than the previous two, and it’s gone well beyond what I expect of IZZ. All to the good!
As proggers, we should all rejoice with the release of this gorgeous album.
As American proggers (those of us who are), we should raise our fists in victory. This has been a VERY, VERY good year for American prog: Glass Hammer, Neal Morse, IZZ. Please, keep them coming!
Join Neal in his home town for this two-day music festival!
Long time collaborators Mike Portnoy and Randy George, as well as Neal Morse Band anchors, Bill Hubauer and Eric Gillette, will join Neal as this group of master musicians perform
Neal’s world renowned albums? (Question Mark) and Sola Scriptura
This weekend will be filled with Special Guests, Exclusive VIP Packages, a FREE Inner Circle only performance, Pre-show dinners, and much more!
We also invite you to be our guests for a worship and baptismal service with Neal and friends on Sunday, Sept 6.
This music event WILL SELL OUT, so make your travel plans to Cross Plains, TN now!
Alan Cox was the promoter of the Neal Morse Band concert in Aurora, Colorado, on February 28, 2015. It was a truly glorious evening. Here are Cox’s amazing photos from that night–posted with his kind permission.
In 2013, Eric Gillette, best known as the lead guitarist of the Neal Morse Band, released his first solo album. At the time, it arrived as a review copy just when Progarchy was getting off the ground. And, due to the graciousness of a number of record labels who immediately supported us (thank you!), a couple of releases got, more or less, lost in the deluge of prog wonder. One of these albums was Gillette’s. I don’t have time for a full review at the moment, as I’m heading off to CU to teach for the day. But, having been rather blown away by Gillette on Saturday night in Denver, I decided to pull the first album out again. Oh boy, it’s good. Really, really, really good. I shouldn’t have let this one fly by without notice. A full review or two is coming your way.
In the meantime, trust me. This is one very talented young man, and he is the future of prog. Purchase this album.
It’s time for our Weekly Featured Product! This week, our featured item, is Songs From November, the latest solo album from Neal Morse! This week ONLY, you can get Songs From November for just $9.99 (regular price – $13.99). As one reviewer put it, “Songs From November may be [Neal’s] bravest outing to date. Musically, creatively, and production-wise, it’s like nothing he’s ever done. The final 11 songs are among the best that Neal has ever composed.” Get it today for only $9.99!
Review: The Neal Morse Band, ALIVE AGAIN TOUR, Aurora, Colorado, February 28, 2015.
Neal, in a quiet acoustic moment, singing “Somber Days” from TESTIMONY.
Last night, I had the incredible privilege of seeing the Neal Morse Band live in Denver (actually, in the suburb of Aurora), playing at the Soiled Dove Underground. To make it all so much better, I had the company of my beautiful, prog-friendly wife, Dedra. Colorado prog friends, Geddy, Vince, and Amy, were there as well. And, just to make the company even more interesting, Dedra and I sat with two brothers—Joe and Dave, originally from Columbus, Ohio, but now residing in Denver. Joe might even have been a bigger Neal Morse fan than I am, if such a thing is possible. The guy waved, pumped his fist, and screamed “amen” throughout the whole show. I loved it. Before and after the concert, we talked about the American founding fathers and the constitution! Not something I was expecting. But, when I told them I taught history at CU, they became pretty animated and wanted to make sure I taught only from primary sources. As it turns out, I do. So, a great geek time was had by all. Neal Morse and Thomas Jefferson have far more in common than you might suspect.
But, of course, if you’re reading this, you’re not interested in my pedagogical style or my views on the saint of Monticello. You want to read about Neal! Or Mike! Or Randy! Or Bill! Or Eric! Of course, you do.
The NMB, 2015: Portnoy, George, Hubauer, Gillette, and Morse.
Whether or not I can add much to Tad Wert’s excellent review of the Nashville show remains to be seen. I will do my best.
Let me get the suspense out of the way. This was one of the single finest rock concerts I’ve ever seen, and I feel deeply honored to have been there. All day, today, I’ve been able to think about little else. I’ve seen Neal Morse before, and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed myself at his shows. But, this. This was truly something special. Not only is Morse coming off of the single best album of his career, The Grand Experiment, but he has also truly expanded the show into a “band” effort. He is still the leader, to be sure, but this was the show of the band, not of an individual, or of an individual with a supporting band. These guys meshed so very, very well together.
So very well. Sigh. . .
I took pretty copious notes, trying to record my reactions, during the 2.5 hour concert, and words such as “AWESOME” and “INSPIRED” appear frequently. At one point, I looked at my notes and thought, “I’m turning into a teenaged girl. All I need is some hearts on top of my ‘i’s.”
A few years ago, Tad called George “avuncular.” It’s true! And, he’s an amazing bassist, too. But, is he related to Princeton’s Robert George??? The next album: The Bass and the Natural Law.
As to the set list, the guys played The Call; Leviathan; Harm’s Way/Go the Way You Go; The Grand Experiment; The Creation; Somber Days; Waterfall; In the Fire; Alive Again; Rejoice; Reunion; King Jesus. In between there were several solos—all quite good.
Let me offer a number of observations.
Neal and Mike were clearly in the highest of spirits, and the two really served as the pillars around which the others moved (Randy’s a pillar, too, really).
I’ve been listening to Portnoy for 23 years. He just gets better and better.
Morse was in full “ham” mode, and I loved every moment of it. I wasn’t alone. Morse had the audience, totally and completely, from the first second to the last.
When I first saw Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer on the MOMENTUM tour, they properly blew me away. I’d not seen a thing, as it turns out. They’ve each grown so much in confidence, it was almost like watch two entirely new players last night. Hubauer could’ve been in Procol Harum, and Gillette would’ve been a nice substitute for Trevor Rabin on 90125.
Holy schnikees, these guys are amazing. Given his age, Gillette has fantastic future ahead of him. And, he sings as well as he plays.
Every one of the members of the band played wonderfully. Randy even played a bass pedal solo!
The second best moment of the night was the performance of Waterfall from the new album. As I’ve noted here and elsewhere, this is the best album of Morse’s career, and I’ve been a huge (huge!) fan since THE LIGHT. In context of the new album, Waterfall offers a beautiful 6.5 minutes of Genesis-like delicacy and wonder. In concert, however, it’s an altogether different thing of beauty. Watching Neal, Bill, and Eric on guitar and Mike on tambourine exuding love and tenderness, I was moved at the most profound level.
One of the highlights in an evening of highlights: a Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young Waterfall (with more than a bit of Hackett-era Genesis). And, yet, pure NMB!
The best moment, though, arrived with the finale of the main set, the title track of the show and one monster of a prog tune, Alive Again. I realize some will take this as hyperbole, but it’s how I felt and how I feel: I was at a 1973 Yes concert, listening to the first live version of Close to the Edge or at a 1978 Rush concert, hearing the first live performance of Xanadu. Yes, this is how good “Alive Again” is. This is the greatest prog epic Neal has written, and it’s one of the best prog epics ever written. In hindsight, I realize the entire set list had been carefully constructed to lead to this 30-minute plus finale.
Before heading to the concert, I checked out some reviews and came across some of the standard comments about Neal. Too preachy is the most common complaint. Really??? If Jesus is half as cool as Neal makes Him, call me a follower. I love Morse’s convictions, his sense of purpose, and his humor. Morse is a natural leader and a man endowed with immense gifts. Preach it, Neal. Preach it until the end of days.
Last Night in Nashville, TN, The Neal Morse Band kicked off their tour in support of their new album, The Grand Experiment. Performing in the intimate confines of Rocketown to a very enthusiastic audience, Neal and his cohorts tore through an energetic set that lasted more than 2 hours and included some surprises in the set list.
They got things started with the a cappella opening to “The Call”, with every band member nailing his vocal part perfectly. Eric Gillette, a veteran from the Momentum tour, is on lead guitar, while Bill Hubauer (another Momentum vet) plays keyboards, clarinet, and sax. Of course, no Morse band would be complete without longtime collaborators Randy George on bass and Mike Portnoy on drums. I brought a friend with me to the show, and he was blown away by Mike’s performance, saying, “I haven’t seen anyone play drums like that since Keith Moon!” Eric was incredible throughout the show, singing occasional lead vocals and playing some absolutely shredding guitar. Bill’s instrumental and vocal versatility give the band almost two musicians in one person, and Randy George holds it all together with his fluid bass runs. As Neal proclaimed at one point, “Randy with the bass pedal solo – how prog is that!”
The band played every song from The Grand Experiment except (surprisingly) “Agenda”. Highlights included Neal playing a beautiful instrumental on acoustic guitar that led into “Waterfall”, as well as the Kings-X-sounding title track. They also played “Into the Fire” from ?, “The Creation” from One, and they got a roar of approval when the intro to “In Harm’s Way” (from Neal’s Spock’s Beard days!) boomed out.
This being the first gig of the tour, there were some inevitable glitches, but Neal took them in stride – even stopping “The Grand Experiment” to restart a tricky vocal section. The audience loved it, and once they were back on track, they never looked back.
There are few performers who can connect with their audience the way Neal does – conducting them during singalongs, raising his arms in appreciation, and even jumping off the stage to sing and play among them. He and the entire band gave all they had, every minute. As my friend exclaimed to me in the middle of a song, “It sure is nice to see a band just having a great time playing together!”
Neal asked if we could handle “one more epic” (of course we could), and then launched into “Alive Again”. Neal has written many, many epics, and this one is near the top. It rocks, it soars, it ebbs, and just when you think it’s over, it comes roaring back for an incredible finale.
As far as the encores, I won’t be a spoiler. Suffice it to say that there are some really fun surprises, both in terms of performance and song selection!
It’s been said (I have no idea if it’s true) that Keith Richards was once asked what it was like to be the world’s greatest rock and roll band. He replied that on any given night, there was a band playing in a club, somewhere, and for that night they were the world’s greatest rock and roll band. Last night, Rocketown hosted the world’s greatest.
You can get details of the rest of the Alive Again Tour at Radiant Records. Don’t miss this one.
Update: I mentioned above that “Alive Again” is one of Neal’s best epics. Actually, all of the songs on The Grand Experiment are a group effort, and Neal, Mike, Randy, Eric, and Bill all deserve credit for them.
Having had a chance to listen to a stream (a review copy from the fine folks B/W/R PR) of the new Steven Wilson, I’m very glad to write that it’s profound and good and true and wonderful. I wasn’t so taken with the last album (the RAVEN one), though I thought the first two solo albums quite astounding. And, I pulled out my Chicago DVD show of Porcupine Tree. Sheesh, when Wilson wants to be, he’s incredible. The last solo album I thought a poor mimicry of the work of that ever-wonderful genius, Andy Tillison.
This new album pays homage to late 1970s Rush, but it does so in a way that honors Rush. All to the good.
As the Grammy’s are happening as I write this, I remember how utterly disappointed I was with Wilson a few years ago when he tweeted how sad he was not to have won a Grammy. I responded in my own tweet: “Dear Lord, you are so much better than that!” Or something akin to this.
I meant it.
A Grammy is an albatrossian weight, not a mark or a sign of anything other than bland, tapioca conformity on a corporate scale.
Not watching the Grammy’s, I can happily report that I’m listening to the brand new, deluxe version of Galahad’s EMPIRES NEVER LAST. Let me offer another “sheesh.” What a great album, made even better through remixing and editing. Glorious.
Yesterday, my family and I devoured the new Neal Morse, THE GRAND EXPERIMENT. We are all rather smitten.
Today, I listened to all of Dave Kerzner’s NEW WORLD (deluxe edition) as I made Sunday evening pizza. Again, I’m a rather happy fan.
I also read Bryan Morey’s insightful review of Mike Kershaw’s latest EP, DEPARTURE, featuring lots of FRACTAL MIRROR talent. This got me to thinking about Greg Spawton and his ability to form communities–not only around himself immediately in BBT, but also through the internet. Kershaw, Urbaniak, Kull. . . what a crazy bunch of proggers we all are. And, that Morey. He’s a natural.
And, now, I patiently await the arrival of the new Glass Hammer.
I’m sorry–what awards show is going on tonight? Yeah, I’ve got much better things to listen to, thank you very much.
The Neal Morse Band, The Grand Experiment (Radiant Records, 2015), Special Edition. Tracks: The Call; The Grand Experiment; Waterfall; Agenda; Alive Again; New Jerusalem (Freedom is Coming); Doomsday Destiny; MacArthur Park; The Creation (Live); and Reunion (Live).
Not as beautiful as last year’s Flying Color’s SECOND NATURE album cover, but just as intriguing.
Birzer rating: 9.5/10.
“The Call” begins with a multipart gospel/Trevor Rabin-Yes era harmony before breaking into a wild keyboard/drum sequence that is pure third-wave prog. Quickly, all instruments play at full blast. It’s a rather ingenious immersion into the album.
Everything soars with a precision and beauty. “With every beating of my heart. . . I am engulfed in who you are.” Morse is doing for the listener what God’s grace has done for him. As the lyrics suggest, the only thing that prevents disaster of an eternal magnitude is an embracing of “The Call,” unique to each person.
A little past the halfway mark in the song, the Neal Morse Band breaks into a harrowing Transatlantic/Flower Kings moment of dread and introspection. Randy George’s bass, especially, steals the moment as things only slowly resolve into a hyperfrenetic mass of sound.
After Momentum, I had thought Morse had become rather comfortable in his Christianity, thus allowing it to become a part of his art, a foundation, rather than an explosion. That is, Momentum might very well have been written by a seriously religious person whose sensibilities had been shaped dramatically by his faith but who felt no need to proclaim it as though by one recently saved. This album, though, is an explosion of religious enthusiasm and praise. Clearly, “The Grand Experiment” is prog meets worship in a significant way.
Whether the listener will agree with Morse’s religious perspective or not matters little, as the music is so strong and the conviction so real that one can’t help but admire Morse for writing about and proclaiming what he loves most. I might not go to his Church, but he certainly makes his faith look extremely attractive, open, warm, and loving. This is not the kind of evangelicalism that condemns all who do not understand or agree 100% to some form of a brimstone hell. Instead, Morse chooses to critique the world but praise the potential of each individual as endowed by grace.
“The Grand Experiment,” the second track, opens with a more blues-based sound than I’d normally expect from Morse, but it has a strong Kansas, Styx, Allman Brothers feel as Morse almost growls his way through the beginning of the song. This is rather heavy. A short song at only 5 and ½ minutes, “The Grand Experiment” remains very heavy throughout—again, in a 1970’s American prog-gish fashion. Backwards keyboard sounds even swirl from speaker to speaker. It’s with this song that I realize how astounding the engineering, production, and mastering of this album is. An audiophile’s dream.
Tasteful acoustic guitar opens the third track, “Waterfall,” and the intertwining vocals carry a soft Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young folk lilt throughout. “Waterfall” could easily have been a Flying Colors song. Most interestingly, the song morphs into a mid-period Genesis song, something off of Trick of the Tail or Wind and Wuthering mixed with a bit of early solo Sting. The trajectory of this six and ½ minute song is nothing short of extraordinary, and it proves just how brilliant Morse is as a musician.
“Agenda,” the fourth track, is another extremely hard-rock track, though less than 4 minutes in length. Despite the hard-rock elements of the instruments, Morse sings in a sweet poppish way, and the entire song reminds me of the best of Cheap Trick and The Pretenders.
The final sing of the main disc, “Alive Again,” is a nearly twenty-seven minute prog success. In every way, it’s a masterpiece. No hyperbole needed to explain this one. Indeed, the song is hyperbole made manifest! No one in the music world can write songs of this length in the way that Morse can. It is with this song that the Nashville progger reveals not only his brilliance and genius, but his very mastery of and over the genre. Rather than feeling like a series of songs thrust together with interesting bridges, “Alive Again” flows logically from part to part, telling a cohesive and compelling story. It has the structure of a classical symphony, but with all of the rock elements one would expect. The lyrics and vocal harmonies (again, think mid-1970s Kansas) guide, glue, and predominate, while the song never shies away from 1978 Rush-style atmospherics and percussion. Intensely religious, this song carries more respect for creation and the Creator than almost any formal church music produced over the last three decades. The song also features a psychedelic part with one of the members of the band (not Morse; Portnoy, maybe?) singing a testimonial. It works.
The bonus disc has three new songs—“New Jerusalem (Freedom is Coming)”; “Doomsday Destiny”; and “MacArthur Park”—as well as two songs recorded from last November’s Morsefest, “The Creation” and “Reunion.” Each of the new songs is absolutely gorgeous, and I’m not at all sure they didn’t make it as a part of the original, main album. While “New Jerusalem” has a bit of a Relayer aspect to it, nothing on the entire album has been shy about paying homage to earlier bands. Musically, this might very well be the best song on the two discs. There’s a bit more funk in “Doomsday Destiny,” for example, than anything on the main disc, but it would still fit well with the lyrical themes of The Grand Experiment. “MacArthur Park” seems to be an homage, at least musically, to Kansas, Yes, Jethro Tull, and ELP, despite the rather Peartian title.
My advice, make sure you get the entire package—the main disc as well as the special edition. The only reason I’m not giving this release a perfect 10 is simply because the album is confusing with its variations. But, the bonus disc is every bit as good as the main disc, and you’ll kick yourself in the future if you pass up these “bonus” songs. They are, to my ears, absolutely essential.
One last thing. I must praise the individual musicians. Morse might be the leader, the touchstone, and the fountainhead, but he has created a community of artists around him, artists who clearly love Morse, the art, each other, and the listener. No one of the five members of the Neal Morse Band gives only a part of himself. Each gives every single thing he has. George’s bass, Gillette’s guitar, Hubauer’s many, many instruments each boggle the mind.
But, I have to single out Portnoy. I’ve been listening to him since 1992. Since, I have regarded him as one of the three greatest drummers in the rock world, along with Peart and D’Virgilio. Over the past 23 years, though, I would’ve always put the caveat that Portnoy is the best hard rock drummer, lacking the subtly of Peart or D’Virgilio. For what it’s worth, I now officially revise that claim. Portnoy’s drumming and percussion absolutely, completely, and totally blow me away on this album. Holy Moses! The drumming and percussion is just so, so good that words fail me. Portnoy reveals sides to himself that I had no idea existed. On a personal note, he is just three or four months older than I am. I can’t tell you–the reader–how happy I am to see his growth, his desire to become what he is capable of. Thank you, Mr. Portnoy. I bow to your excellence.
Whatever the reason–Morse’s charisma or God’s grace or some mixture of both–“The Grand Experiment” is a true success, an explosion of enthusiasm, a true work of art. Nothing halfway here. This is the real deal. This is what we proggers live for.
Update, January 18, 2015–Chris Thompson, who works closely with Morse at Radiant, posted this on Facebook: “”The Grand Experiment” was written by everyone in the band. Neal came to the writing sessions with nothing, planning to co-write the entire album, with a piece of each member framed perfectly throughout each song.” Thanks, Chris!
Progarchy 