As posted on Facebook...
How do I describe a magical feeling that embraces you, envelopes you, draws you in to the point where you feel you have been there before. The music, the people, the dragonflies, the heat that should smother you, but just holds you in its arms instead. That is as close to describing what I felt at my first ProgDay this past weekend. It was the 20th edition of this great fest, an event that was on my list for a very long time, and even after one travel glitch after another, something kept urging me forward to get there somehow…
First I want to start off by thanking the organizers, the crew, and the volunteers for putting on such an amazing event! The fact that they have been doing it for 20 years simply astounds me. They worked so hard to make sure everything went off without a hitch, and other than some minor problems during Kotebel’s act, it all went smoothly… at least from a layperson’s point of view. So thank you for all your hard work. It shows!
Second, I want to thank my friend and “host”, Phil Stauffer-Todd, for showing me the ropes and adding a lot of flavor to the experience of ProgDay. He had some great stories to tell of past events. Phil is one of those “salt of the earth” people whose company I enjoy. I am blessed to have many friends like that. He was a great guide, and is a great guy. I don’t know how many of the festival crowd knows this, but on his way driving back to Oklahoma after the fest, he got the call that his wife Kristen had passed away. I don’t know how he made those last several hundred miles home. My heart goes out to him and his daughters at this devastating time.
Third, all the wonderful people in attendance, old friends and new. It was good to see so many familiar faces from previous east coast events, meeting new ones whose names are part of the online community, and meeting some amazing people I had no clue about, especially Phil Goins. I don’t want to name them all because if I forget anyone, I’ll feel bad. Thank you for making my experience even better by your friendliness, your openness, your shared beers, LOL! You made a fat, middle-aged woman with major depression and social anxiety feel ACCEPTED, and no other fest has ever done that for me. One man came up to me because of my Styx and Kansas tattoos, and we had a good conversation about both bands. Wow, I can have a respectful and knowledgeable conversation about music with a man instead of being written off as a silly bimbo. That was refreshing!
Fourth, all the fantastic bands that played at this event! I had only heard of a few of them before this fest, so I basically didn’t know what to expect. I was simply blown away! So much talent on stage, and genuine friendliness off stage. I enjoyed each band, even if a couple of them weren’t “my cup of tea”. I even danced a bit to the last band on Sunday because I just felt so good, even if I am no spring chicken. Yes my knees hurt, but it was worth it!
If I left anyone out, I apologize. Oh, the caterers were great, the hotel staff were great. The weather wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, although it did take the wind out of my sails later on both afternoons. I will know what to do next year. Schedule my travel time better, rent my own car so I can explore on my own, bring beer to the pool so I won’t feel like I’m mooching, bring a swim suit for said pool… so much planning. Did I say “next year”? You better believe I’m coming back! I would like to make ProgDay my fest of choice, as long as I can afford the trip and can take the time off work.
I encourage anyone who remotely loves an eclectic mix of prog to attend ProgDay. Those of you who miss NearFest might find the music you seek here. I think there’s enough variety. Please consider the trip, and don’t let the weather spoil it for you. If an old Alaskan/Oregonian like me can survive the Carolina heat, anyone can!
Okay, on with the band reviews…
Zombie Frog: Love, love, love! They were right up my alley, music wise… good, hard, prog rock with a metal edge. They had lots of good, youthful energy on stage, and were so enthusiastic and grateful to be there. "I can't believe we're playing to people sitting in lawn chairs!" These guys have a future! They were my second favorite act.
Kotebel: This band was great, straight up symphonic prog, lots of exquisite keyboard work, considering they had two keyboardists. I like a lot of what they did. There was some equipment trouble toward the end of their act, but they recovered quickly and went on to finish.
The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra: Very eclectic and sort of all over the place. I couldn't really bond with the music, sorry to say. I didn’t NOT like them,they just weren’t my kind of Prog. I was impressed with them as musicians knowing their craft and demonstrating it well.
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 in a bluesy/jazzy/psych atmosphere.
Backhand: Sunday started off with another "fun" band. They totally blew my mind with a great set! Phil Naro did a great job with the vocals. I gave this band #3 status. I also plan to order their one and only CD! Met the drummer just as I was leaving the field that evening. He was very sweet!
Necromonkey: Very fresh, fun, funky. Good energy. You could tell the were having a good time up there. Once again, not my thing, but they were very enjoyable, and I didn’t have any reason not to like their stage performance.
Travis Larson Band: Also good energy as well as great guitar work. I am more of a keys girl than a guitar girl, but I was impressed with Mr. Larson’s talent. 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 in because I was still recovering from the heat blahs felt earlier, but these 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! 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, as well as his whole dragonfly bit. (There were lots of dragonflies in the air toward the end of their set.)
Thus endeth my first ProgDay… the first of many I hope to attend!
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