Most influential new prog artists

[Wounded Land]

Okay, we all know that Yes, Genesis, and ELP have spawned legions of imitators, but what new artists have done the same? I know that "new" is a vague term, so let's limit the discussion to post-Marillion bands (so starting with the '90s, really).

Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, and Opeth. Anybody else? Riverside, maybe?

I was thinking about this because I'm listening to Grace for Drowning, and although it was my #1 album for last year, and very highly regarded by many other people, I wonder how much influence it will ever have on the (prog) music world in general (ditto for this year's #1, Anglagard's Viljans Oga). When I look back at the '70s or '80s, those albums that I would judge to be the best for any particular year tend to be more obviously influential. For some reason, I have a hard time imagining that there will be tons of bands taking their inspiration from Steven Wilson's solo albums, as good as they are.

What do you guys think?

[playbass]

You don't think Riverside are a bit PT-influenced?

[Rufus]

Elbow

[polmico]

Given the love Big Big Train gets around here, I think they're very influential. They're very retro with obvious influences but still so much they're adding to the genre.

If Classic Rock Presents Prog is to be believed, then, yes, SW is the biggest, most influential star in the prog world. He's on every other cover, and there's usually at least one feature about him. I love his music, for what it's worth, and can't wait to hear the new one--then see what's next.

[The Letter M]

If I can name PEOPLE who are influential, I'd definitely add that Roine Stolt (who was around in the 70's but didn't hit a peak until he formed The Flower Kings), Neal Morse (both with Spock's Beard and Transatlantic, as well as solo), and Steven Wilson (with Porcupine Tree and solo). Also, Andy Tillison and Daniel Gildenlow as well, since they're masterminds behind their own bands.

Pretty much, these guys have helped create a huge chunk of modern prog that has been quite influential in many more bands since then, and in ALL facets of the most popular modern prog. Them and their related bands have covered a LOT of ground since the 90's, much in the way that Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson and Pink Floyd did in the 70's.

More recent than the 90's, though, I'd say bands like Muse, Coheed & Cambria, the recently deceased The Mars Volta, and other more "mainstream" prog-related bands have put progressive music in the popular spotlight, and thus have also influenced many other bands to create similar music.

There are tons more influential bands these days than there were in the 70's, IMO, just because the genre has widened so much, fans and musicians have taken to the dozen or so influential bands of the 90's and 00's and spawned dozens and dozens more new bands in the various veins of modern prog subgenres.

-Marc.

[Dana5140]

Not to pick a fight, but I am not sure one can claim to be influential if you are "retro with obvious influences."

[NogbadTheBad]

GYBE! and Radiohead spring to mind.

[polmico]

Not to pick a fight, but I am not sure one can claim to be influential if you are "retro with obvious influences."

No, no fight. But what are we talking about? Are we talking about influencing other prog artists or pushing music into new, unexplored territories? If it's the latter, then I wouldn't really bother citing a modern prog rock band--nor, mind you, do I need that from a modern prog band to find it enjoyable. I think what BBT are doing shows a good path forward in the prog genre, and I'd be happy for other bands to be influenced by them.

"Influential" does not have to mean "game-changing." It doesn't have to mean reinventing the wheel. It just means providing a good model for how things can be done well.

[moecurlythanu]

^ Just out of curiosity, what bands have you heard that strike you as possibly influenced by the BBT sound?

[Progtopia]

Possibly Nightwish.

[polmico]

^ Just out of curiosity, what bands have you heard that strike you as possibly influenced by the BBT sound?

I was more wishing more bands would be. There's a few of these new symph bands with very clean vocals. Izz and Mars Hollow are probably the most popular around here. BBT, for me, are doing it better than anyone else.

I guess I didn't really respond to the OP's initial post.

[Wounded Land]

Okay, I can definitely see Radiohead and Nightwish. Good calls.

I love Roine Stolt and Neal Morse...but are there a lot of bands copping their sound/approach?

[Progmatic]

Steve Wilson is an obvious one I would agree to....
Dave Kerman on the avantgarde side of prog...
John Zorn would be more into fusion side of prog...
Edward Ka-Spell on psychedelic side ....

btw some of those influential people may not be followed by multiple of copycats but they are involved in multiple projects influencing whole (sub)genre...

[Wounded Land]

Hey, what about Meshuggah? It's not often that a band spawns a whole genre!

And, Progmatic, what I was looking for are bands/artists that directly inspire "clone" bands. I'm not looking for high-profile musicians in particular sub-sub-genre, although I would certainly agree that John Zorn, at least, should be on the list.

[Magic Mountain]

Tool is another one. At the height of their popularity there were a lot of bands trying to replicate their sound.

[Toothyspook]

[QUOTE=polmico;42351]Given the love Big Big Train gets around here, I think they're very influential. They're very retro with obvious influences but still so much they're adding to the genre.

QUOTE]

They are very nice and I look forward to GR3 oops EE2 but I cant see what they add.

But to get back to the question I do think that Steven Wilson has certainly shaped things for a good number of years now.

[Progmatic]

And, Progmatic, what I was looking for are bands/artists that directly inspire "clone" bands. I'm not looking for high-profile musicians in particular sub-sub-genre, although I would certainly agree that John Zorn, at least, should be on the list.

What is sub-sub-genre. It either is prog music or not. For me prog metal is not prog music.

Dave involvement with his bands like 5uu's, UTotem and Thinking Plague inspired whole avant-garde subgenre sprouting bands like Aranis, Cheer-Accident, One Shot, Morglbl, Hamster Theatre, Ahvak, Doctor Nerve, Yugen and similar
Edward Ka-Spel has with his prolific output maintained whole psychedelic subgenre for few years now....

[Scrotum Scissor]

Hey, what about Meshuggah? It's not often that a band spawns a whole genre! [...] what I was looking for are bands/artists that directly inspire "clone" bands. I'm not looking for high-profile musicians in particular sub-sub-genre, although I would certainly agree that John Zorn, at least, should be on the list.

Meshuggah most definitely qualifies as the quintessential harbingers of grindy techmetal, but they're not really the originators of that specific direction either - just like Black Sabbath were in fact not the originators of heavy metal at large, although they were one of the all-time greatest at it.

John Zorn would actually be my first choice as "most influential" for anything leftfield in jazz/modern classical/rock crossover approaches these past 20-25 years. Partly because of his basic antithesist attitude towards generics, in other words his artistic and musical "ideology" (or perhaps even "philosophy") - and partly in that same capacity as composer/performer and curator (promoter and venue organizer, producer, label owner, columnist/writer/lecturer etc.). Zorn taught the values of sonic extremes and conceptual "transcendence" to audiences from environments that had formerly been identified through such traits (free jazz, contemporary composition, free improvisation), but who'd since then gone on to become parts of the artistic establishment, and as a result we now have much more acceptance for the ventures of "out rock" in modern classical contexts etc. I'm not saying he did this singlehandedly, but his Big Gundown release was and remains a paradigmatic mark in relation to the "legitimacy" of exploring genres from external viewpoints with the aim to unbound them.

For the "mainstream" progressive rock as such, I think the level of influence pretty much corresponds to the names that are dominant at any which time; Radiohead, Elbow, Sigur Ros, GY!BE, Tortoise etc. Although none of these are either committed to the "prog" tag or admitted from inside the "genre"; for the latter check Opeth, SWilson/Pork, Dream Th., Coheed & C., The Mars V. and so on.

I'm personally no fan of the Neal Stolt axis, but they're quite obviously influential to many dedicated "insiders", which is to say at least their relative success is.

But although I really like acts such as Echolyn, BBT and Discipline, there are few souls outside of the "most inner circle" who have ever heard anything of them whatsoever.

[Wounded Land]

Sorry, Progmatic, I wasn't trying to be an ass. What I was getting at is that I am trying to identify bands that are direct, major influences on the way that many other bands construct their sound.

I love Thinking Plague, but I view them as themselves derivative of older RIO bands. There are differences between themselves and, say, Present and Univers Zero, but they are differences only the truly devoted can discern. IMHO. And again, I love them.

Tool, though, definitely.

[Wounded Land]

Meshuggah most definitely qualifies as the quintessential harbingers of grindy techmetal, but they're not really the originators of that specific direction either

Who is?

[Progmatic]

derivative

well then you have hard task because Steve Wilson derived his music from Pink Floyd, Hawkwind ...Dream Theatre from King Crimson (Red), Black Sabath...

[Scrotum Scissor]

Who is?

To my mind at least; Death Row, Watchtower, Atheist, Voivod, Crumbsuckers. Although none of these ever came close to the mindblowing force and perfectionism of the 'shuggas.

And I'm not all too conviced that Thinking Plague can be said to have actually derived from anyone in particular; Mike Johnson was always equally as fundamentally influenced by "symph" as by "avant-prog" pioneers, and indeed directly by composers such as Barber, Schumann and Shostakovich. The line towards the Art Bears for instance, is way more obvious in a band like Sleepytime Gorilla Museum than with TP.

[bill g]

I think the newer artists that could most likely influence me are Advent (sometimes Gentle Giant like, but sometimes not-such as Ramblin' Sailor past the 3 minute mark), Thinking Plague, as well as some of the outdoorsy indy artists that have slightly prog tendencies such as Kingsbury Manx, Tennis, etc..., none of whom are completely original perhaps, but still influential to me personally.

[Lino]

Interesting. Influential modern prog artists. Hard to imagine really because if they are modern "prog" artists, they are generally influenced, not influencing. That being said Steve Wilson does deserve mention because he has brought attention back to prog in a wider 2-pronged scope...commercial success for his own work...and his success in re-doing the classic work of the classic era giants.

That being said, my take on influential modern progressive rock usually doesn't include bands who emulate to a great degree the exact musical style that was popular 40 years ago.

[Progmatic]

Interesting. Influential modern prog artists. Hard to imagine really because if they are modern "prog" artists, they are generally influenced, not influencing. That being said Steve Wilson does deserve mention because he has brought attention back to prog in a wider 2-pronged scope...commercial success for his own work...and his success in re-doing the classic work of the classic era giants.
.

Exactly my point...more you digging into the past less original modern prog artist get...but as I suggested some can be declared influential by the virtue of the impact on the (sub)genre (rather just by the number of bands that would follow them)