Anderson-Stolt Trailer

Amazing sound from this new trailer.  Sounds like something from TALES OF TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS.

The Genius of Routine (Video)

If you need a reminder of what artistic genius is, please watch this deeply and utterly humane Steven Wilson video from last year’s HAND.CANNOT.ERASE.  No one who has a lost child can make it through this without the most powerful of emotions swelling up and beyond.  Simply incredible.

An Apology to Mr. Steven Wilson

Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson, The LONDON GUARDIAN.

I will admit, I find it hard to believe that Steven Wilson’s HAND.CANNOT.ERASE. is now fourteen months old.  It arrived on my doorstep—courtesy of amazon.com—on the day it was released, and I played it immediately, of course.  At the time, however, I had become truly skeptical of anything Wilson was doing at that moment.  My dislike and distrust had not come on me suddenly, but, rather over a relatively long period of time.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn’t come across his work until a random turning on of album rock radio in Fort Wayne played an incredible song—“Trains” if I remember correctly—just as Porcupine Tree had released IN ABSENTIA.  I not only purchased that album that day at a Fort Wayne Bestbuy, but I also searched out an independent CD/record store, and purchased much of PT’s back catalogue.  To say that a decade of obsession (in the healthy, fan sense; not in the psychotic sense) with Wilson and all of his art set in.  I was certainly a completest.  If it had Wilson’s name on it, I owned it.

Continue reading “An Apology to Mr. Steven Wilson”

Bassworks: My Top 10 Chris Squire Bass Performances

Bass legend Chris Squire may be gone, but he is most definitely not forgotten. During the time we were lucky enough to have him in this life, Squire produced some of the most innovative and interesting bass work of any genre of music. Not content to simply keep time along with the drums, Squire put the bass guitar square in the center of the melodic discourse of Yes music, with a unique picked sound that was thick yet trebly.

Compiling a list like this is no easy task when you are dealing with the level of talent that Squire possessed. While there are a few in the list that I knew would be on here, paring it down to just ten was a difficult task. Of course, any list like this is going to be subjective and your mileage may vary. These, however, are my 10 favorite Squire performances.

Continue reading “Bassworks: My Top 10 Chris Squire Bass Performances”

Thank you, Cailyn Lloyd

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Page 76 of PROGRESSION (issue 69)

A favorite musician (and supporter) from the opening days of progarchy, Cailyn Lloyd is an absolute gem in the music world.  And, from what I know of her, she’s a gem to her family and community as well.  Not surprisingly.

Thanks for including us in your lovely ad, Cailyn.  Much appreciated!

If you’ve not had the pleasure of listening to Cailyn’s music–Stevie Ray Vaughn meets ELP meets Hayden–you’re in for a huge treat.

 

 

Fire Garden: The Pledge!

fire garden 1
The glorious first album.  Still in constant rotation in my music listenings–Brad

One of my favorite musicians (and an incredible man of integrity and friendship), Zee Baig, has just announced a pledge campaign for his mighty and as-near-as-perfect-in-this-world progressive band, Fire Garden.

I give you my fullest and most complete and bestest encouragement to pledge!

Zee is worth it.

Zee’s art is worth it!

A hundred fold.

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/firegardenmusic

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Behind Rush R40

r40 rush
Actually 41, but who’s counting!

There’s a wonderful look at the “behind the scenes” of Rush’s 40th anniversary tour last year by Derk Hagedorn.  The article is actually six months old, but I just found it now.

From Jack White and Bruce Hornsby to Van Halen, Shakira and Jane’s Addiction, Brad Madix has mixed for a huge number of top artists over his impressive career, winning a number of Parnelli Awards, a Grammy nomination, and other industry accolades along the way. Together with business partner Greg Price, Brad also founded Diablo Digital Inc., a company that specializes in providing turn-key live recording systems for tours, festivals and installations. Most recently Brad was behind a VENUE | Profile at FOH for Rush’s R40 Live Tour, which commemorated the band’s 40th anniversary and featured songs from every era of their extensive catalog. I spoke with Brad shortly after the tour about the unique challenges he faced mixing the R40 Live Tour as well as his initial impressions of the new VENUE | S6L system.

Go here to read the full article.

 

Pre-Order Eric Gillette’s Second Album

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http://www.ericgillettemusic.com/store/p2/The_Great_Unknown_%28DELUXE_PRESALE_BUNDLE%29.html

RochaNews: Airbag’s new song, “Killer”

 
AIRBAG, PROG MAGAZINE PREMIERE NEW SONG “KILLER” FROM UPCOMING ALBUM “DISCONNECTED”
“Disconnected” out June 10 on Karisma Records; new “Disconnected” website launched
OSLO, Norway – Norwegian progressive rock act, Airbag, has teamed up with Prog Magazine to launch a new song, “Killer,” from the band’s upcoming fourth studio album, Disconnected, at: http://teamrock.com/news/2016-05-03/airbag-premiere-new-track-killer.


“Killer was one of the first songs written for Disconnected,” commented Airbag guitarist Bjørn Riis. “I had this idea of this ruthless corporate guy who used everyone to gain success – sort of Bateman from American Psycho meets Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko. He’s outside, or disconnected from, the rules of our society.


“Musically, ‘Killer’ is slightly different from what we’ve done before. There’s more emphasis on the drums, different rhythm patterns and electronic elements. It really was a band effort, where everyone was contributing ideas and trying out new stuff.”
 
Disconnected, the follow-up to Airbag’s critically acclaimed 2013 release The Greatest Show on Earth, will release on June 10 via Karisma Records. 

The band has launched a Disconnected website with several pre-order options, video content and more at: http://www.airbagdisconnected.com/.


Featuring six songs with a common theme of alienation between the individual and society, Disconnected was recorded with long-time collaborator and engineer Vegard Sleipnes and produced by Airbag vocalist Asle Tostrup and guitarist Bjørn Riis.


Guitarist Bjørn Riis adds: “The early demos for ‘Disconnected’ were written during a couple of months in late 2014. The idea and inspiration for most of the lyrics, and the title track in particular, came from me realizing that I had to make some changes in my life. I was tired of the daily routine, working 9-5 in an office doing basically nothing and never having enough time for my family and music. I took a year off and started writing for the album.


“As for the music, you want to look forward and explore new sounds and musical ground. We talked a lot about wanting to use more electronic elements and giving more room for the drums, allowing them to be more percussive and basically avoid the usual rock formula on all songs. We also wanted to do a more stripped down production and create a more spacious and dynamic sound.”
 
1. Killer
2. Broken
3. Slave
4. Sleepwalker
5. Disconnected
6. Returned

Airbag’s music is best described as scenic, epic rock – a sonic journey of lush soundscapes and arrangements, underlined by soaring guitars and soulful vocals. Airbag’s three previous album releases: Identity (2009), All Right Removed (2011) and The Greatest Show on Earth(2013) have gained the band a solid following and reputation among both fans and the press. Prog Magazine hailed The Greatest Show on Earth as a “confident step in the right direction, so much so you’re led to believe that album number four really could be the big one.”


Over the years, Airbag has also become a solid live act, playing at several major festivals and as support and in double-bills with bands like Marillion, Anathema, Pineapple Thief, Riverside, RPWL and Gazpacho.


Stay tuned for more information on Airbag and Disconnected, out next month on Karisma Records.
 
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Trevor Horn: Two Shows with Yes

Yes_-_Drama
1980

TeamRock and Prog are reporting that Trevor Horn will be playing with Yes, live on May 9-10.  Amazing.

http://teamrock.com/news/2016-04-26/trevor-horn-to-join-yes-for-two-uk-shows