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Thread: PROGTOBERFEST III IN CHICAGO

  1. #51
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    This festival is fantastic........just saying.....full review at some point, but there is still another full day to go. Kevin has put together a stellar festival!

  2. #52
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Glad you're having fun there, SteveSly! I always look forward to your reviews.

  3. #53
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Sounds like a fun festival, hows attendance?
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  4. #54
    There's a pic on FB of Mike Keneally, Bryan Beller (on keys) and Gary Green (on drums!!!l) playing a short jazzy rendition of Smoke on the Water. WTF?

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    Quote Originally Posted by philsunset View Post
    There's a pic on FB of Mike Keneally, Bryan Beller (on keys) and Gary Green (on drums!!!l) playing a short jazzy rendition of Smoke on the Water. WTF?
    Gary was a drummer before he was a guitarist...Mike played with Gary & Malcolm Mortimore recently at GORGG.
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  6. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by NogbadTheBad View Post
    Sounds like a fun festival, hows attendance?
    To me it seemed like there were more people than previous years. It appeared to be pretty well attended all weekend.

  7. #57
    Had a great time on Sunday. New! did a great version of Neu!'s first album. Lots of good bands all around. Discipline, Wertico & Co, Don & Bunk, Martin Barre (really rocked), but I think the big surprise was Eye from Columbus. HEAVY to say the least! Keyboardist Lisa plays those classic tones (Hammond, Mellotron) while the band has a penchant for 70s rock mixed with a metal edge. Probably shouldn't have been that surprising since they are signed to Laser's Edge.

    Thanks to everyone that came and bought a book! And a big shout out to Kevin for putting it all together. Here's to IV!
    Last edited by strawberrybrick; 10-23-2017 at 11:07 AM.
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  8. #58
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    I read on FB that In the Presence of Wolves had all their guitars and basses stolen from their van overnight at their hotel. That sucks. They're trying to collect donations ($) to replace them that they hope to pay back. I feel like that happens a lot - equipment getting stolen.

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    I'm really glad I went even though it was just for Sunday. Getting there from Iowa Sun AM was easy. Getting *out* of Chicago this morning was a different matter...

    Here are some personal highlights:

    Eye -- awesome! These guys (and girl) can really do space rock. The subtleties are harder to pull off than people might imagine. Better live than their (very good) CD.

    Kinetic Element -- Excellent epic symph compositions. Visaggio (sp?) is a great keyboardist and the new singer is really good too. A little less tight than the other bands.

    Discipline -- As good as ever. New guitarist needed to warm up but once he was "on" he was on. Great to hear classics from Unfolded, but would have liked more new material.

    Thank you Scientist -- These guys have more chops than a steak house. Unbelievable. I hope some millennials connect with this music so these guys can be around for a while.

    Wertico jazz trio -- Good. But my brain was still overwhelmed by Scientist. So I could not get into this.

    Martin Barre -- Great as always. Love the Tull, the blues, the Beatles covers. But stop the self-deprecation! A little is funny, but he introduced several tunes saying they were shit. Why??!

    Don & Bunk. Sorry. Started falling asleep so went back to hotel.

  10. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    Had a great time on Sunday. New! did a great version of Neu!'s first album. Lots of good bands all around. Discipline, Wertico & Co, Don & Bunk, Martin Barre (really rocked), but I think the big surprise was Eye from Columbus. HEAVY to say the least! Keyboardist Lisa plays those classic tones (Hammond, Mellotron) while the band has a penchant for 70s rock mixed with a metal edge. Probably shouldn't have been that surprising since they are signed to Laser's Edge.

    Thanks to everyone that came and bought a book! And a big shout out to Kevin for putting it all together. Here's to IV!
    Agree, EYE were one of the highlights of the weekend for me. I was sitting right in front and center in front of the stage, and loved every minute of it. I had seen them at ProgDay in 2016 and they were just as good this weekend.

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    I will post a more comprehensive overview of my thoughts later in the week, but for now I just want to say that Kevin, his crew, and Reggie’s pulled off a fantastic festival. Although I did not catch all 39 bands, I saw a lot of them and EVERY band I saw deserved to be there. The talent level over the weekend was just off the charts. You want variety? Virtually every form of prog on the planet was represented. I did all 3 days for the first time this year and was glad I did as it was all great. More later……..

  12. #62
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    I've heard back from a few friends who went to this fest. They loved the fest and enjoyed most of the performers.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gruno View Post
    I've heard back from a few friends who went to this fest. They loved the fest and enjoyed most of the performers.
    If I counted right I think I caught at least part of 27 different performances, so there were some that I did not see. Not all of them were my particular cup of tea, but everyone that I saw was really good.

  14. #64
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    What an awesome weekend!

    Highlights for me:
    * Five of the Eyes: A Mars Volta-esque band with an incredible amount of energy and sound. The lead singer had the best moves all weekend (sorry, Leslie). Came out of nowhere to blow me away. I'm looking forward to listening to their CD that I bought.
    * District 97: OF COURSE. The main reason I went.
    * Dave Kerzner: Especially the second day, but also the first day and just the chance to meet him. (Hi squids, I'm the guy that doesn't look like my profile picture.) The tributes (like Durga's Great Gig in the Sky) were amazing, but I also loved hearing Ocean Full of Stars. So powerful. Dave, story for you below...
    * ABACAB: Exceptional job reproducing the Genesis sound. The audience was really into it.
    * Karmakanic: I love these guys. I'm not into Tangent as much, but I enjoyed at least half of the Tangekanic sound.
    * Bruce Soord: I have a huge emotional attachment to The Pineapple Thief (got me through some rough times about seven years ago) and it was great to meet him before and after and chat about how much his songs mean to me. Super-friendly guy also. Then I had a surprise the next morning when I went downstairs in my hotel and he was there again checking out and I got to chat with him and his wife. Classy folks.
    * EYE: As mentioned above. They are powerful.
    * Discipline: I had heard OF them, but had not heard them. Bought 4 CDs on the spot. He has such a powerful voice and stage presence.
    * Martin Barre: I did not expect to be entertained as much as I was. He was funny (even when self-deprecating) and they sounded phenomenal.

    Also, a shout out to The School of Rock who performed all of Yes' Fragile. It was a little rough in places, but very entertaining to watch them do their thing, especially as they all switched between guitar, keys, vocals, etc.

    Dave: As I watched you the second day, a guy sat down next to me and asked who you were. After I told him, he asked if you were from Chicago. When I replied negatively, he responded, "Too bad. I was going to steal their guitarist." Don't let it go to Fernando's head.

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    Here is my take on Progtoberfest weekend. I caught at least part of sets by 27 bands. I will try to remember as much as I can…….it was a looooong 3 days…..

    PART I

    FRIDAY
    My sister Anne and I made the 2 hour-ish drive to South Chicago on Friday afternoon, stopping for a bit to eat and a beer at Shoreline Brewing in Michigan City Indiana on the way. By the time we got checked into the hotel and made the walk down to Reggie’s it was getting close to 6:00Pm so we had missed a couple of bands.

    First up was Schooltree in the Rock Club. This was a band I was totally unfamiliar with, but they were very good. Apparently their latest album is a rock opera, and they performed selections from it during the show. Lainey Schooltree is a very good front woman and it was an enjoyable way to start the weekend.

    Next it was over to the Music Joint to catch the tail end of Five Of The Eyes set. This was another band I was totally unfamiliar with, but I dug what they did. They are a young band with a ton of energy and I enjoyed what I heard from them.

    Back to the Rock Club for District 97 and they were great as usual. This is the 4th time I have seen this band and they always deliver. Leslie is a fantastic vocalist / frontwoman, and the rest of the band are all very talented.

    Back to the Music Joint where In The Presence Of Wolves were already on stage. I had seen these guys at ProgDay and own their albums, so was looking forward to this. They are young, very high energy with music that borders on metal. I loved their set.

    Back to the Rock Club where Dave Kerzner was already on stage. I had just seen him at ProgDay back in September, but for this show they were playing the new album “Static” in it’s entirety. Dave’s voice was in better shape than at ProgDay and having Pink Floyd backing vocalist Durga McBroom on hand this time, gave the band a much fuller sound. I enjoyed it.

    Back to The Music Joint where Aisles was already on stage. I had heard good things about this band, and they were very good. They are from Chile and I have been told they are fairly well known in other parts of the world. I am a sucker for bands with twin lead guitar and these guys used it well. Great set!

    Back to the Rock Club where Alphonso Johnson Band (featuring Chester Thompson) was already on stage. This was completely different from everything else I had seen that day with more laid back fusion / jazz sound. These guys were incredible musicians and it was a nice way to end the evening. They even did a fusion version of Genesis “Follow You Follow Me” which was interesting.

    SATURDAY

    The music started at the crack of noon on Saturday. We were running a little late, but I wanted to catch at least some of Frogg Café in the Rock Club. They were already on stage when we got there, but I caught most of it. I have seen these guys quite a few times over the years, and they were a nice way to ease into Saturday morning. Mike Keneally came out and guested on a song which was very cool. All in all a great set from the Frogg’s.

    Next up in the Rock Club was ABACAB Genesis tribute playing the entire “Seconds Out” album from start to finish. I will be honest…….I am not always that keen on tribute bands, but wow, these guys knocked it out of the park. The set totally exceeded my expectations and they really did a nice job with the whole thing. The vocalist nailed it the whole set. They also had twin drums and everyone was on the mark for the most part. Very enjoyable set.

    Next I did some socializing, but did stick my head into the Rock Club to catch a bit of Wave Mechanics Union. They were a huge big band style prog / jazz act that were very good. I stuck around for a few songs, but then headed back over the Music Joint.

    Next in the Music Joint was a 3 piece band I had never heard of, but they really impressed me. King Lama are from L.A. and obviously have a lot of gigging experience. I totally enjoyed their set and picked up their album afterwards.

    Back to the Rock Club for CAST. I have seen CAST several times over the years. Some of their personnel have changed but I think their current lineup is as strong as they have ever had. Their most recent album is one of their all-time best and they featured a lot of it in the set. I also enjoyed the medley of older songs from their first 10 albums that they did since I own almost all of those albums. This was one of the best CAST performances I have ever seen and I totally dug it.

    Next in the Rock Club was Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins. What can be said about these guys? They always tear it up and this show was no exception as they were great. I liked that they seemed to do more of the heavier side of their catalogue for this show which was cool with me. I had a chance to chat with Mike briefly later in the evening and he was as nice as ever. Great set!

    Next back in the Music Joint Dave Kerzner was doing his acoustic storytellers set. The place was absolutely packed so I listened to most of it from out on the sidewalk patio in front of Reggie’s (the weather was gorgeous). Durga McBroom did her famous take on Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig In The Sky” which sounded great. They also covered King Crimson and were doing tracks from Sound Of Contact.

    Next it was back to the Rock Club for the combined forces of Karmakanic and The Tangent who performed as one band switching off between the two band’s songs. I am a big fan of both bands so really enjoyed this. Goran Edman was having some vocal issues (turns out he was coming down with a cold), but overall it was very enjoyable. The band took a break so…..

    ……it was back over to the Music Joint for Necromonkey…….which wasn’t really Necromonkey. Apparently there has been a falling out and drummer Mattias Olssen was the only member of the duo in attendance. Playing with him was a Chicago prog rock all-star band featuring members of Sonus Umbra, Mirthcon and others. It turned into a mostly improvised jam that probably should not have worked as well as it did, but it was pretty amazing and very enjoyable.

    Next it was back to the Rock Club for the 2nd set by Karmakanic / Tangent. Andy Tillison debuted a new song dedicated to the victims of the shootings in Las Vegas that included 30 seconds of silence. It was quite moving. The set by both bands was great and a lot of fun.

    To cap off the night it was back to the Music Joint to catch the last half of Bruce Soord’s solo set. I am a big Pineapple Thief fan, so enjoyed it, and it was a nice way to kind of wind down the evening after 14 hours of progressive rock.

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    PART II

    SUNDAY

    One of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing EYE was playing at the break of noon in The Music Joint so we got there early and was able to snag a seat right up front and center in front of the stage. Any cobwebs I had in my slightly hungover brain were quickly blown away as their brand of stoner heavy prog kicked my ass right from the beginning. I could have heard another hour from them, but all too soon it was over.

    Back over to the Rock Club where Kinetic Element were already on stage. They performed an hour long set consisting of just 4 songs. It has been a while since I have seen KE and I think they have come a long way. Their new lead vocalist has a unique voice that really grew on me as the set went on. All in all it was an enjoyable set.

    Next up in the Rock Club was one of my all-time favorites Discipline. The club appeared to be pretty much packed when they came on stage, and they certainly did not disappoint. Mathew Parmenter was in fine form and they performed songs from their two most recent albums as well as closing with “Canto IV” which brought the house down. An hour went by way too quickly as the band got a rousing standing ovation at the end. The crowd wanted an encore, but due to the festival time table it did not happen.

    At this point in the afternoon The Chicago Bears game had ended and the club had an influx of fans coming from the game. I went over to the Music Joint to catch some of Agori Tribe, but it was so packed I could not get close enough to enjoy it, so I grabbed some food and went up to the balcony area of the Rock Club to chill for a bit. The School Of Rock playing Yes was on stage in the Rock Club next and I was kind of half listening as I ate my food. I eventually went back down stage to give it a closer look. These kids were very talented and it was cool to see them tackling such difficult music. There were a lot of parents / family in the club during this set and even some of the Bears fans had drifted in and seemed to be digging what they were seeing. Yes, they were rough around the edges, but it was very cool to see.

    Next it was back to the Music Joint where the crowd had cleared out a bit and I caught the end of Lost World Band’s set. I have never heard of these guys. Someone told me they were from Russia. They were very good, playing kind of a mix of world music/ prog. I was quite impressed and enjoyed it.

    I did a bit more socializing and then decided to catch the tail end of the Chicago Zappa Collective in the Rock Club. I kind of wish I had caught more of this, as what I saw was very entertaining with 3 lead vocalists and a mind blowing guitarist. The last 3rd of the show that I saw was great. I wish I had seen more of it.

    Next in The Music Joint was a band called Progger. I caught a few minutes of this set and was quite impressed, but wanted to get back to the Rock Club for Thank You Scientist.

    Thank You Scientist has become one of my favorite younger prog bands. This was my 4th time seeing them and they are always great. They have had some personnel changes since the last show I saw, but the new guys never missed a beat and they kicked ass right form the get go. Another great TYS show!

    Back to The Music Joint to catch the tail end of Moulder Gray & Wertico. I had been told earlier in the day to make sure and try to catch some of these guys (I was totally unfamiliar with them), and wow were they great. Amazing fusion-ish prog rock that was very impressive. In fact……I could not walk away and missed the opening of Martin Barre’s set as I ended up staying for the end of MG&W.

    Next up in the Rock Club was Martin Barre. As mentioned I missed the opening and walked in just as they were finishing their first song. The rest of the set was incredible. I have never seen Martin solo before and it was a joy to listen to him and his band play. He mixed it up with blues, prog, covers, and a little bit of everything. His band were tight, and the vocalist handled the Tull material…..well….better than Ian Anderson can these days. Martin’s in between song banter was very funny and it was just an overall great performance. Really enjoyed it!

    The Don and Bunk show was still going on in the Music Joint when Martin finished, but after another 12 hours of prog and beer we decided to call it a weekend and head back to the hotel.

    All in all it was a wonderful weekend filled with great music, friends, beer, food, and fun. It is amazing to me how the club was able to keep everything as organized as it appeared. Kevin did a great job with this festival and announced that it will happen again next year. This is the first year that I have done all 3 days, and I will be doing it again next year.

  17. #67
    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    That review is so good it's ALMOST like I didn't need to go. Thanks, Steve.

    I did see Tangekanic w/Nik Turner's Hawkwind (Turner is 5 years older than me) Sunday night in Milw. w/my favorite elf Krista. Jonas had to fill in for Goran during their 2nd set, but as a singer who's dealt with throat crap before, I was very impressed with how good he managed to sound for a while in their 1st set.
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  18. #68
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Great review, thanks Steve
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  19. #69
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Yeah, great review, thanks for going to the effort. I'm exhausted just reading about it! I LOLed at "the crack of noon!" It was an impressive roster they had, for sure. I didn't know that Mattias was the only one there from Necromonkey, but that supergroup sounds like it was fun.

    Also impressive that Cast made it there, I've only seen them once, long ago (the Progfest preshow in the dangerous park in LA).

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    Great reviews. Definitely have to do this.

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    Sounds like everyone had a blast. Sorry I missed it. (I have a hard time getting out of bed let alone out of state...)
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  22. #72
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Next in The Music Joint was a band called Progger
    Fur reelz?!

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    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    Fur reelz?!
    Ha, absolutely. And they are an awesome instrumental fusion band, with a leader who is very good on both tenor sax and keys, and members from Texas, New York and other places. All the players in the band are highly skilled. In some ways, a heavier Snarky Puppy.



    neil

  24. #74
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    Mutha eff! That is hot stuff right there.

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    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    Mutha eff! That is hot stuff right there.
    One of my biggest surprises and favorite bands from the whole weekend!

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