Post them here. I'll do mine when I'm lucid enough lol.
But thanks again to the organizers for another year of providing an outlet for us to gather for good music and a good time!
Post them here. I'll do mine when I'm lucid enough lol.
But thanks again to the organizers for another year of providing an outlet for us to gather for good music and a good time!
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
Progday 2014
A great weekend. My hat is off to the organizers, they pulled off another killer show.
No rankings just my humble opinion.
Missed the Pre show Friday, just too tired.
Saturday - a day of buzzy sound issues and getting things dialed in. Hot North Carolina sun. Got a little fried. More ( much more ) sunscreen applied on Sunday.
Zombie Frogs - Hard fusion-ish get this party started ( in a proggy sense ) sort of band. Nice riffage.
Kotebel - Symphonic prog from Spain. Nice compositions and interplay of the musicians. One of my favorites of the weekend. The Concerto was really nice. Very nice people too.
Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - I knew them from cd's and was looking forward to a live show. They got the 'hottest' time slot and did not disappoint. The addition of vocals was interesting. I ended up feeling sorry for the bar of soap, streching the limits of creative lyrics.....sure.I suppose they could be Mahavishnu Rodeo if they got tired of their current name.
Sensations' Fix - Nice spacey guitar noodling. A good closer for the first day. Franco Falsini looked like he had a lot of fun this weekend. His band was solid, and had a guest Sax player, the keyboard players father (?).
Had (even more ) tech issues with sound. More stomp boxes and effects does not always equal sound quality/reliability.
Sunday - Sound issues seemed to have gone away. Hot sun still ever present. Glorious sunny day with many dragon flies.
Backhand - Sunday morning opens with a bang. They threw me off with the Blues early in their set.. I guess it is a tip of the hat to the night before. I preferred the instrumental parts better than the vocals. No dissing Phil Naro, he has an excellent voice, I am just an instrumental prog loving kind of guy.
Necromonkey - brooding Gosta Berlings Saga ish prog awesomeness I liked it much. Different than the recorded music ( listened to it on the way home last night ). I don't know if was just 'the show' but they seemed unhappy towards the end and were just done with it.
Travis Larson Band - Nice straight ahead power trio ala Steve Morse Band. Killer riffs, great bass player. Nice folks. Hot tunes for the hottest part of the day. Bought all of their music and loved it on the way home.
Alex Carpani w/ David Jackson - Wow, what a great set. A fantastic mix of Carpani and Van Der Graaf. The 4 destinies were great. Killer....wow, awesome. The encore was also a surprise, more VDGG, went on a bit too long ( oh, oh, Bass Solo ) but they were having a great time and it showed. A wonderful closer for a wonderful weekend.
Once again a big Thank You to the Michael Bennett and the Committee members whose hard work and willingness to put themselves on the line for Prog really payed off this weekend.
Last edited by markwoll; 09-01-2014 at 02:13 PM.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
Good first day, way too hot, lots of friends to meet.
Zombie Frogs - B - fun heavy instrumental fusion
Kotebel - A - excellent set based around piano, instrumental prog
Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - C - not really my thing, instrumental and vocal lots of different styles
Sensations Fix - B+ - Italian psyche with heavy Ashra feel, excellent
Backhand - C - Competent AOR Prog from Venezuala with a Canadian singer, pretty fun.
Necromonkey - A+ - Sounded a lot more like Gösta Berlings Saga that their records. Monstrously good, the hit of the festival
Travis Larson - B - Tight fusion trio, good set
Alex Carpani with David Jackson - A - own material was good. Fantastic covers of VDGG with Jackson killing it and very funny. Could have done without the drum bass and vocal solos in the encore but finished splendidly
Excellent weekend with loads of friends old and new
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
The fun and friendship: A+
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
Heck yeah, I had a great time chatting with loads of people.Originally Posted by Steve F.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Left at 9 and got home at 2:30 while making three stops. Can't believe there was no traffic on 495 going around DC.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Sorry I didn't get to see you Ed
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
85 was 'carefree' and even 95 caused only a bit of swearing between Fredericksburg and the beltway. 8ish to 12:40
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
I don't really want to post not so hot 'reviews' of bands I didn't care for. This was not one of Progday's great years for me & my tastes personally, although I really enjoyed a few of the bands.
But I had a very, very good time, even with stating the above.
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
I can't really improve on this review, so...ditto! Mark, I really wanted to meet you, but did I? Was that you sitting next to Geezer at the table by the pool?
Yeah, my first brushes with real people this afternoon have been a bit harsh. I miss the nice prog people!
You probably did, but didn't know it was me. I was in one of the two tents next to the vendors where the wives were cooking food.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Cop out.
Eh, probably not. I was at the pool for a little while around 11ish and not sitting.
I am not as social as some folks when there are lots of conversations going on at once.
I was not wearing eye glasses, but wearing semi loud 'Hawaiian shirts" I had the camera on tripod in front of the 'tent line'. Next year maybe more shade is in order.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
Ahh, we were in the first row of canopies at about 4 o'clock behind you.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
I have no problems with posting my thoughts (especially since I don't have much 'nasty' to say).
Anyway, I went as mixture of two reasons... 1) A few friends I wanted to see chose to attend and 2) I made a point after not doing much outside of working my butt off since last year to make a commitment to doing things this Summer. Oddly, to be completely honest, the music didn't factor much into it this year. There were no "must sees" for me and that's usually what it takes to get me to consider.
The weather, the people, and all those other things were quite nifty of course.
The music...
Zombie Frogs: C+, Headbanging technical metal with a prog bend. Not a bad opener, but a grew a little weary of the compositions after a while. Nothing stuck. They were clearly having fun and brought some energy to the festival which was nice. I am docking them points though for being quite distracting (as in loud) in the field during Kotebel's performance. I give them a slight pass for probably not understanding the etiquette at prog festival (even an outdoor one). It didn't bother me personally, but knew others that were.
Kotebel: B+, Classy group, nice music. They played the entire last album and then some. They were about as close to a "must see" for me personally. If you dig symphonic rock with an occasional mild avant-chamber kick, definitely look into the last few records.
Galactic Cowboy Orchestra: C-, Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the fact most of the bands were instrumental and wanted something different. Maybe it's because the Dixie Dregs never did much for me. Maybe I was repressing memories of some evil fiddle player who teased me as a child. Dunno. Either way, they played well, but I didn't find the compositions interesting, and the occasional vocals less so.
Sensations Fix: B+, I have heard most of the material as well as Naso Freddo from Falsini, but I find the majority of the music completely unmemorable. That said, when you're there in the moment, it was quite good. It was a nice chyll, almost Floyd-like and a nice close to the first day. It's a shame that it's so hard to find their material in any normal fashion.
Backhand: C, Not really my bag. There were moments. The singer looked like David Coverdale and sang a bit of a cross between Matthew Parmenter and Klaus Meine (not that there's anything wrong with that). They strike me as a band that could get better as they mature, but they aren't there yet.
Necromonkey: B+, I had only heard a few YouTube clips before seeing them, but was obviously familiar with many of the works of Mattias as well as Gosta's music. As described above, it most certainly had a Gosta vibe and was quite good. However, the observation that they seemed to peter out at the end was something I was thinking as well. Anyway, still a very interesting set. We just have to convince the band that it was.
Travis Larson Band: C+, I like jazz fusion and you think I would have enjoyed all the groups that brought a little fusion to the table. But none of them really did it for me. Here comes Travis Larson, who seems a very talented musician that was playing a pedal board and other tricks to get a pretty full sound out of the trio. There was nothing actually wrong with the music and was quite professional. But again, there was very little that stuck with me personally.
Alex Carpani Band (with David Jackson): A-, This is another band that I was only minimally exposed to before seeing them live. They were quite good, energetic, and rather engaged. But I can honestly say that, without David Jackson, I would have given them a B or B- based on just their original material. He stole the show. He was humorous, engaging, and offered a "wow" factor that stood out from the weekend. The band played about half ACB material and half Van der Graaf Generator material - which was pulled off quite well. Additionally, they closed with PFM's Impressioni di Settembre, performed just fabulously and David's contributions. Quite an excellent close to the festival (notice I'm ignoring the 25 minute 'post-encore').
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
I enjoyed the music overall, and some of the bands were surprising, in particular Kotebel and the Alex Carpaini band.
First attendance at ProgDay, with no prior knowledge of any of the bands and hoping for the best. All hopes soundly exceeded! What a fine group of folks with whom to enjoy the prog.
Subjective pleasures:
Zombie Frogs riffage.
Kotebel's concerto.
GCO's violin, even if a viola burns longer.
Sensation's Fix space while inspecting clouds....dreamy.
Backhand's drummer--clearly happy to be there!
Necromonkey's drummer leaning over to the Moog and Mellotron.
Travis Larson's tightness and Winter Still.
Carpani/Jackson: Killer!
Superior crab soup or fantastic crab dip? Tough choice, good thing a choice wasn't necessary!
The word you are searching for is 'coward'.
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
Necromonkey were THRILLED to be there and had a great time. The way they left the stage was just for show - they came back and did a bow, remember?
Ian Beabout
Mixing and mastering engineer. See ya at ProgDay !
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...m/bakers-dozen
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...-and-holland-3
colouratura.bandcamp.com
Thanks to Michael, Debi and all the rest. Outside of a couple sound issues Saturday, the fest overall sounded fantastic. This was a major league Progday, one of the very best.
All the bands were great. There were a couple times I was slightly disappointed (and I mean very slightly), but that was just massively overpowered by all the great music to be had.
Too damn hot for me though. My body rejects that much heat. Had a rough day today readjusting.
All in all this was a tremendous weekend and got to talk with many of the musicians, especially my native Italians! Molto bene!
Was also nice to see a much larger crowd this year, although it started resembling Tent City.
JG
"MARKLAR!"
So you couldn't at least introduce yourself? I'm pretty easy to spot.
Wait........maybe you didn't want to meet me.
I didn't think any of the 8 bands was really disappointing, but I bought music from only 4, which I guess tells me something.
Kotebel
Galactic Cowboy Orechestra
Travis Larson Band (As Jed said, really nice people and a lot of fun at the pool)
Alex Carpani w/David Jackson
My primary reason for going is always the camaraderie & socializing. The specific entertainment comes in second.
Last edited by progeezer; 09-01-2014 at 09:51 PM.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
I almost didn't get to attend my first ProgDay, due to one transportation snafu after the other. Missed the Friday Preshow because I was stuck in Charlotte (which I ended up exploring and discovered it was a beautiful city), but finally got to Durham around 11pm.
Zombie Frog: Love, love, love! They were just my cup of tea, music wise, and they had lots of good energy on stage. They were so enthusiastic and grateful to be there. "I can't believe we're playing to people sitting in lawn chairs!" They were my second favorite act.
Kotebel: As everyone else mentioned, this was great, straight up symphonic prog, lots of exquisite keyboard work, considering they had two keyboardists. I like a lot of what they did.
The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra: Very eclectic and sort of all over the place. I couldn't really bond with the music, sorry to say.
Sensations Fix: After a long, hot day in the heat and humidity, it was nice to calm down to the sweeter side of prog. It was a nice way to end the day.
Backhand: Sunday started off with another "fun" band. I really liked these guys a lot! Phil Naro did a great job with the vocals. I gave this band #3 status.
Necromonkey: Very fresh, fun, funky. Good energy. You could tell they were having a good time up there.
Travis Larson Band: Also good energy as well as great guitar work. By then, I was wilting and not feeling well in the heat, so I sort of sat through this one.
Alex Carpani Band: NOW we're talking!It took me a couple of songs because I was still recovering from the heat blahs felt earlier, but thes guys soon had me on my feet dancing with the dragonflies. I loved these guys so much, I knew they had to my #1 act! Like Ian said, the solos during the encore went on a bit too long, and I was exhausted by then anyway, but overall, they had the killer vibe. I am not a huge VDGG fan, but enjoyed David Jackson's crazy contributions on the stage.
Jed, I am sorry you didn't feel comfortable socially at this fest. For me, for once, it was totally opposite. I felt like I was a part of something really great, and walking around sharing my opinions of the music with everyone, and meeting new people and chatting with them as if I'd known them all my life. Completely opposite of the clicquish RosFest. I felt my social anxiety pretty much slipping away here. I felt like I fit in, and that's saying something from a "loner" like me.
I had to miss the pool party on Sunday to get back to Charlotte for my very early flight this morning, so I don't know if the pool toss ever took place. My "roomie", Phil Todd, won the auction to toss Paul Sears and Chad Hutchinson into the pool. I hope to hear something about that. I was very sorry that I didn't plan my travel correctly, but that will change next year now that I understand the flow of this fest.
My other roomie was a very intelligent man, also named Phil, with Cerebral Palsy, with whom it was fascinating to discuss Prog, politics, and other subjects. My stereotype of Kentuckians flew out the window!
Overall, ProgDay was way more than I expected it would be. I liked all the bands, some more than others, but none made me fall asleep in the heat. I really loved the social aspect... way more women here, and they are the good women of Prog, "salt of the earth". I really enjoyed their company and conversation. I also chatted with a lot of men on the subject of Prog. It felt good to be respected for my knowledge and opinions on the subject.
I can't wait until next year, and it will be even better because I will know what to expect now. It's almost like Prog Woodstock. Come as you are, and leave your anxieties at the gate. I really felt at home with this fest and these people!
"The mountains are calling and I must go" - John Muir
"To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe" - Mark Twain
A few quick things...
I was happy to see Necromonkey translate their material to the stage.
I never thought I'd see Sensations' Fix, and it was as I would have hoped.
Carpani and Jackson doing VdGG was stunning. I've seen the current incarnation of VdGG twice now and there's been a lot to like, but it really made me realize how much they are missing. It's really a shame they can't hug it out but sometimes life is like that.
REALLY nice to see some people after a few years and in many cases too many. I'm also glad to see the festival doing well after all these years and Michael & co. deserve all the praise they get and more for that being the case.
Oh, AND... had I known that this event would feature the debut vocal performance of Michael Bennett, I would have paid double. I dearly hope that this is only the beginning of a beautiful annual tradition where we will force Michael to participate in the encore.
Steve, I know you're a decades-long VdGG fan. Can you at least tell us how it was for you to see Jaxon on stage doing his thing?The word you are searching for is 'coward'.
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