Well.......someone had to start one. Post yours here. I will try to write something up tomorrow.
Steve Sly
Well.......someone had to start one. Post yours here. I will try to write something up tomorrow.
Steve Sly
I'll copy mine from the other thread...
I had to skip out on Kingcrow and Shadow Gallery, the former because my wife isn't a late-night person and the latter because we needed to get home so that we could get our 7 year old to school on time. I had seen Kingcrow last week and will be seeing Shadow Gallery at ProgPower, so I didn't miss a huge amount, but I would have liked to have seen them.
Friday:
Bolus - I thought they were pretty solid, tho I missed the first half hour of the set. But, they seem to be one of those bands that if you missed their set you weren't going to be kicking yourself.
The Flower Kings - What more can be said about them? Great band is great, even with Roine far from 100%. Props to him for gutting it out and giving us a great show.
Saturday:
Jolly - Been kinda looking forward to seeing them, tho I won't say I'm the hugest fan of everything they do, and they put on a good show.
Pain Of Salvation - I had already seen them the previous week, and this show was a subset of that show, but with much better sound, so there's a tradeoff. They've managed to gut out a tour where they were missing their second guitarist, but they've made it work. Would have liked to have heard "Sisters", which was in the encore at Empire. Really would have liked to have heard "Road Salt", which he opened the NYC show the next day.
Believe - I liked their set well enough, but overall I felt their music was a little samey after a while.
Riverside - This is my second time seeing them, so I knew what to expect. They were pretty awesome. I also liked the part where they talked about being pigeonholed and ended it by playing the opening chords of Perfect Strangers. Wish my wife wasn't falling asleep during the show, tho.
Sunday, also known as ProgChurch:
Dream The Electric Sleep - I had read this band wrong the whole weekend. I kept thinking "Sheep". Damn my Sci-Fi brain. For me, they came off as a more progressive Alter Bridge. I don't think the stuff from their first album did much for me ultimately, but I liked some of the new stuff they played. Both me and my wife agreed that they need to unleash their drummer a bit more, because he seemed to be pretty good. I also didn't think they were quite energetic enough for an opening slot.
MoeTar - First off, I have to say that Moe definitely has a hell of a voice. To be honest, tho, I found their materiel hard to digest. It reminds me a bit of Finneus Gauge, who I also had some issues with. I'll keep my eye on them.
Electric Asturias - Just when I thought the second day would be a dud, these guys come on and put on a hell of a show. It didn't shock me later to find out that Yoh Ohyama has done some video game soundtracks, since it felt similar in style to a lot of Japanese composers I've heard in the past. I did like that they worked hard to talk to the crowd when English was far from a strong point with them. My wife was tickled when Tei Sena talked about her favorite animal.
I was glad to actually meet a lot of people, including Buster. It is kinda tough sometimes when many people go wandering between sets. Well, one year ends and we shall wait to see what the next one gets us.
Copied from the other thread:
GREAT time as always!!! Thought I was too old to stay up until the sun comes up but I was wrong! Must have had hugs in the quadruple digits! (How am I going to make it thru the day without hundreds of hugs???) Loved seeing everyone and can't believe it's all over and have to wait another year!
Involvement in a project precluded me from seeing all bands this year. Highlights for me were MoeTar, Asturias, PoS, Riverside and The Flower Kings. MoeTar was polarizing, to be sure, but no one can deny that band oozes talent! They are incredible IMO! I've seen them before so knew what to expect. Aside from Moe's astounding voice (which, in all honestly you're either going to love or just plain not get) She has razor sharp precision with her voice. Astounding! if you can latch onto this bands incredible sense of rhythm they will blow your mind! TIGHT!!! (Almost borrowed a Luis-ism but it's too early to think like that!) Their guitarist put on a solo tour de force that was the singular highlight of the weekend. WOW!!! Great sound, intense and FULL of emotion. He wailed!
The Flower Kings put on a very good show, but that's what you expect from them. Roine was ill and literally almost didn't make it so kudos for his fortitude. (What was with illness? Moe was sick too but rebounded and you've NEVER know it by her performance.) Riverside were strong but, to me, oddly, much less aggressive ('metal'?) than I've seen them in years past. Good show!
I'm a fan of Pain of Salvation and had never seen them before so this was a real treat. Daniel Gildenlow has a great voice and I enjoy his stage presence very much. Going to see them this week in Chicago (as well as Riverside and Jolly, who I had to miss). Totally revamped band from the one I am aware of from the earlier albums. Fairly mellow overall from a band that used to be much harder edged but good stuff. Glad they did a song off of BE.
Electric Asturias are a Japanese instrumental band featuring a darling of a violinist. Their smooth and VERY polished set went over very well with everyone. They are very tight and accurate and strong performers. You get a strong sense of composition from their songs. I especially enjoyed the sound quality as you could hear each instrument clearly and individually if you chose to focus on them. Very good guitarist! I thought they were in the vein of a Ponty/instrumental Kansas (tho not derivative).
DTES and Shadow Gallery were less proggy than I would have liked so weren't exactly my cup of tea. I really liked the guitarist from DTES. His in between song banter was friendly, sincere and funny. Seems like a great guy. Points to Shadow Gallery for putting on a strong performance. Their singer is very good. However, they were just WAY TOO LOUD. I also found their drummer to be athletic but not terribly creative. Way too much kick drum action for my taste.
“We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.” Orson Welles
Bolus - Got the weekend off to a good start
The Flower Kings - Roine is a trooper. This is the first 'short set' I have seen them do. It was good, and worth the wait.
Jolly - A good opener for Saturday, nice toons.
Pain of Salvation - First time I have seen them, first exposure to more than sound bites. I was impressed more than I thought I would be.
I had seen Gildenlöw with Flower Kings and Transatlantic so I knew he was good. I will not miss them if they make their way to the US again.
Believe - They were nice. Good guitar work. I wish they used the violinist a bit more. The one legged drummer kicked it, no doubt.
Riverside - They owned the joint. I really liked the performance. One of the reasons I came this year.
DTES Good Sunday opener, trippy rock. Nice use of backing tracks, it filled them out.
Moetar - They rocked. It took Moe a bit to get going. Her vocals sound pretty tough to do. I am a fan. Ballads....not so much.
Electric Asturias - Surprise winner! They were prog awesome. The band intros were a little cringe inducing but heartfelt and cute.
Shadow Gallery - Loud and strong. I did not know their material, but I can see why they have a following.
"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
Did Gildenlow hang out anc chat with people at all? Wasn't sure if he was the kind of guy who would do that or not. Somehow, I wouldn't think so after their whole attempt to go big time, glam, etc. but on the other hand I don't really know and he has been a member of TFK afterall. Just wondering what kind of guy he seemed - I've never seen PoS but saw Gildenlow with TFK a couple of times.
I saw him at the signature line, and he seemed to be very good at interacting with everyone. I don't see him being any different from the rest of the bands, tho they probably didn't hang out as much afterwards since they needed to move on to their NYC show the next day.Originally Posted by JKL2000
Another great weekend. Already starteed scheming to how I can get the time off next year.
Great to see old friends and meet new ones. As to the bands:
Bolus----A nice set to get the weekend started. Interestingly, on Saturday night they took the stage at the after hours party and I thought their sound was better there. I think they had been focusing on their Friday set for a year so they might had a bit of "paralysis by analysis", but they set the stage for the rest of the weekend very well.
Flower Kings----I know what they did was thrown together to cover for Roine's illness, but I quite enjoyed it. I could see them throwing in an "experimental section" into their sets permanently like others do accoustic sections. A good show, and maybe they learned something. Tomas seemed a lot more animated and into it that previous times I've seen him.
Jolly---Good way to wake up. I thought when the guitarist and bass player sang harmonies that it added a very strong punch to each song.
Pain Of Salvation----Enjoyed the set very much but I was hoping for a bit more. What I love from the band is when they get dark. Gildenlow's voice was front and centre and he was amazing but the depth missing from the lack of 2nd guitarist and what I thought was volume being a bit too low (how often is that said) took away some of the power in the songs.
Believe----Very good set. You could tell they were enjoying themselves and it showed in their music. I find there is a big difference between a "front man" and a "poser". I think their lead singer crossed the line a few times.
Riverside-------Wow! First time seeing them. I love moody and I love dark. They grabbed my brain without my knowing it, took it on little trips, and by the time I figured out what they were doing to me they were putting my brain back. Have I said "Wow" yet?
DTES----Loved these guys. Definitely woke me up. They oozed attitude during the songs but not in between. Some people seemed to think there were more heavy bands this year compared to others; I think it is the darkness that was prevalent more and that made me very happy.
Moetar----First song I didn't get it. In the middle of the second song I started ignoring the singer and focused on the instruments. Quite quirky and compositionally interesting, but something was missing. By the end of the third song I realized what was missing....the vocals. Once I stopped treating the group as a singer with a band playing behind her and listened to her voice as being another instrument and part of the whole, it made sense. Not really my thing, but I could appreciate the cleverness from an analytical point of view. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, but they are not something I'd drive 4 hours to see again. Definitely extremely talented and I can see how some people would be blown away by them.
Astauria-----If you get a chance to see them....EVER....don't be a moron and miss it. Nothing else needs to be said.
Shadow Gallery----OK, I might be the biggest fanboy here. I was so happy they included "Chased". Yes it is a wankfest, but some times a good wankfest is a really fun thing. Now if they every add "Encrypted" to their set list I'll be ecstatic. Too loud? Probably. Would have been nice to separate some of the instrument more clearly, but for the metal-heads out there they were an excellent way to end the festival.
A few final thoughts:
a) Magog is petitioning to add another prop to Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics. To the events involving clubs, hula hoop, ball, ribbon, and rope, Magog wants to add "Beer Cooler" where you dance around trying to keep it above the ground and then put it down safely when you can't hold it anymore and do sommersaults over it.
b) I made it home after a L-O-N-G drive highlighted by a traffic jam caused by an accident in a construction zone in Detroit. At least it allowed me time to "DETOX?" and I hope Scotty had enought time to do that also.
c) George and Krista: THANK YOU!!!! You've made a happy man very old, but it's my own fault.
"The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best..." - Henry David Thoreau
Just a very brief review from my still foggy brain:
Bolus - pretty good music, vocals sometimes didn't do it for me. Some 90's styling?
Flower Kings -Maybe 6-7th time seeing them, despite illness I thought this was one of their best shows I've seen. Hasse is the quintessential rock star!
Jolly - I love Jolly and Jolly loves YOU! Great set. I like these guys and they didn't disappoint.
Pain of Salvation - I really like some of their stuff. I picked up Perfect Element CD after hearing that one for the 1st time. That was killer.
Believe - Long time fan. Great set. Some good energy behind it.
Riverside - 4th time seeing them I think. One of their strongest shows. REALLY enjoyed them. Again!
DTES - Enjoyed them. First time hearing them. Not so much a fan of the vocals, really like the music. New material sounds promising.
MoeTar - The musicians are top notch and the vocals are killer. But the music style is so not what I like. They were great at what they were doing though.
Electric Asturias - I can't form the words to express how much I loved this set. I'm an old school fusion fan and Jean Luc Ponty is one of my very favorites. They have a strong similarity in much of their material. Compositions were masterful and their performance was simply stunning. Now I need to find all their CDs!
Shadow Gallery - I like melodic metal if it isn't too heavy. I really liked the Digital Ghosts CD and some select tunes from their past. I thought they should have played more of the accessible material for this crowd. While Tyranny was done well, it may have been too heavy for RF. Too much double bass drum, which is one of my dislikes of metal. The guys are all very talented and the vocal harmonies were really great. Was a little tired by the end of their set though from high level sound fatigue.
All in all a great ROSfest. More diversity this year and a record crowd. Really wish people didn't leave early to go see the Almighty Neil in Philly. Shitty thing for them to book that show on ROSfest weekend.
Thanks again to George and crew for another great weekend.
...and still plugging to get Sunchild here next year!!! I'll also settle for Saga or Camel
JG
"MARKLAR!"
Tony- good review. Moetar=quirky. Good word. And yes, Moorea treats her voice like an instrument. Very unique!
As for Daniel, I can't speak in depth about this but he was standing in the lobby of the hotel early Saturday morning by himself. We greeted each other and he seemed very approachable. He waited for someone for around a half hour. I debated talking to him but thought it was too early and the coffee hadn't kicked in so decided not to waste his time. Did want to talk to him. Doubt I'll get a chance later this week in Chicago. Oh well.
Forgot to mention Riverside in my review above but having seen them for the 4th time I knew what to expect and was not surprised, save for them being less aggressive, less 'metal' than in years past, which doesn't bother me either way. It's just more like the band I expected when I heard the Voices in my Head and Second Life Syndrome cds way back. Live at Nearfest and FMPM they were much more raw. Great show!
Kudos to George for the more diversified line-up. I had a feeling not everyone would 'get' MoeTar and that's ok. I almost feel robbed at a festival if I don't find myself REALLY not liking a band or two because that means there was something for everyone. I don't think Rosfest 'took a chance' on Asturias- that was a no brainer! Very easy to like! As mentioned above, I didn't find DTES or Shadow Gallery terribly 'proggy' for whatever that's worth but don't mind a band or two that is off the beaten path for my tastes. Keep it up George!!!
“We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.” Orson Welles
Very accurate reviews so far, I'm in accord with most all of it! Riverside and Believe were my two top favorites -- the Polish sound leads the way this time! And of course TFK. I was very impressed with Moetar's musicianship (including the vocals), but at the same time really don't like their songwriting (including the vocal lines). After being amazed at their arrangements for a while, I had had enough. Good to have the younger bands there too, and some good sets of music. The Majestic is just such a GREAT place to experience this music -- thank you George!!!
Let's see your CD hauls - what's worth buying from the recently released stuff?
I have to say, Moetar absolutely kicked ass! I knew they wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, but love them or not, the are incredibly talented and I think Moe was the the most impressive singer of the weekend. I also have to second the comment about the guitarist's solo: one of the only mid-set, spontaneous, full-crowd standing ovations of the weekend, and well deserved.
Really liked DTES. Great drummer who just had to have his own drumset on set on stage because it was that important to his sound. Large bass, 24" rides, 18" crashes, big booming sound. Great style.
Ended up liking PoS quite a bit. Daniel's delivery was the most passionate, I thought. Art-Metal, IMO.
FWIW, my 19 yo nephew who came along (and is in a couple of bands himself) responded best to Jolly and DTES.
I came away with new respect for Riverside, disappointment with Shadow Gallery (I like double bass as much as the next guy, probably more, as a drummer, but sheesh!!), and was floored by Asturius (gotta get a CD).
ROSfest (atleast this year) was a Rock festival... NOT PROG.... I knew what it was going into it but I thought some bands would surprise me.... nope.. not one... The Flower Kings were ok, but I have seen them 5 or 6 times and that
was the strangest set I've ever seen them do and that was due to Roine not feeling good I am positive of that because I left ROS on sunday to go to the FK/Neal Morse/Portnoy show at the Keswick and FK were once again great.
Riverside was good, I seen them twice before at Nearfest(miss Nearfest) and both times their sound was bad but this time they sounded good and delivered a good solid performance....Bolus, the sound was too muddled...their cd's sound much better almost like a different band.... MoeTar is technically unbelievable but every song sounded the same...if you listened to one song..you heard the whole set and even the stuff from the new album which isn't out yet.... Atleast District 97 has some different songs with different feels and leslie hunt isn't doing vocal gymnastics on EVERY SONG....If Moe would have just shut up for a while and let the band play they would have been good.... Jolly, DTES, PoS.... ALL heavy Rock bands...no prog... Believe was ok other than the singer dancing around like an idiot taking away from the musicians while they were playing solos or lead parts....atleast they had a violinist and the singer did play a few notes on flute....he should concentrate
on playing more flute and less stupid dancing....He did have a great voice but his stage presence thru it off for me.... I am very sorry I missed Asterius... one band I really wanted to see but I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to Glenside to see Neal and the Flower Kings...so I missed them unfortunately and I also missed Shadow Gallery which is the reason why I went to Glenside....Shadow Gallery had to be the worst Headliner of a "PROGRESSIVE" rock festival that I've ever seen...I was totally disappointed at the announcement of them as the Sunday night headliner and when Neal and The Flower Kings announced their sunday night show...it was a no brainer to actually go see real prog music instead of some heavy uninspired rock band....
All in all, this was the worst ROSfest or actually the worst Festival period, that i have ever attended...and I have been to 11 Nearfests (really miss Nearfest now) and the past 5 Rosfests and 3 - 3RP's and I have never been this disappointed at any festival I have ever been to except this one.... BUT like I said, I knew going into it what the bands were, but I was hoping to be surprised... IF you want to host a "ROCK" festival, thats fine, then call it a "ROCK" festival...IMHO the Flower Kings were the only Progressive band there other than Asterius(which I missed) and Riverside, which really is more of a heavy prog band, not real symphonic.... IF you look at the list of the past ROSfests that George has hosted...ITS AMAZING and the fact that this was his 10th year.... he should have put a great festival together but to me...it was nothing more than a rock festival and if you like that, thats great but this was very weak in the "prog" music vein.
I love the whole weekend in Gettysburg and getting together with friends and just having a good time but it would have been much better with better music....I will definitely wait next year to see what bands are going to be there before I commit to buying tickets again.....
Bolus - eh? tailgate time
The Flower Kings Great show, especially considering the circumstances, and a likely impromtu set. Hans did rock it and their new drummer was freakin great.
Jolly - very impressed, excellent musicians, excellent vocalist. real surprise
Pain of Salvation - thought this would be much more of a metal edge but really liked their set.
Believe - sorry to be negative but this was not to my liking. tailgate time
Riverside - nice show, great musicians, great show
DTES - one to skip next time...tailgate time
Moetar - OMG, No progressive bands here are you kidding! Take Zappa, Keneally and wrap Moe's voice around it...wow, one of the best new sounds I've heard. very impressed, cant wait to hear their cd.
Electric Asturias - what a surprise. reminded me of listening to some of Jean Luc Ponty's early albums. Almost a fusion style- loved it.
Shadow Gallery - had to work Monday am and from the music of theirs I have, they sound like a UK Dream theater clone...not my cup of tea.
I for one was very glad there was a variety of acts, and that it did not follow the rumor that Rosfest was strictly symphonic prog. MoeTar was a breath of fresh air for me and my buddies...and I too think there are some bands that will appeal to some, and not to others. For us this just means more time to tailgate. Part of our particular love for these festivals. Great time overall as always... thanks George and staff.
Bolus: I dug these guys a lot. As I have mentioned before, they sometimes remind me of the 90’s era band Crucible. They put on a nice opening set for Friday night that featured music from all 3 of their albums. My one complaint was the sound was pretty muddy, especially on the vocals. It was very difficult to tell lyrics, and I already knew some of the music. Other than that I thought they did a good set.
Flower Kings: Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder. It has quite a few years since seeing the Flower Kings in concert and I think maybe the long break was both good for the band and the fans. I think I enjoyed this show as much if not more than anytime I have seen them in the past. Roine was very ill, even spending part of the night pulling a Robert Fripp and sitting in a chair in the background, but that did not take anything away from the performance. He still played great and the whole band just seemed to be clicking on a very high level. Thomas Bodin seemed to have an especially strong night to my ears. I sometimes overlook just how good of a keyboard player he is. Hasse’s voice is still amazing and continues to hold up without any loss of range. All in all I really enjoyed the show
I was staying on the opposite side of town so did not make the Kingcrow show at the hotel Friday night.
Jolly: Really enjoyed these guys. I have both of their albums and dig what they do. I thought they pulled everything off really well live and you could tell they have been touring and are tight with their live material. This may sound weird, but in some ways Jolly remind me of a more progressive oriented Alice In Chains. Bottom line I thought they were a great Saturday opener.
Pain Of Salvation: It is interesting to see the transformation of this band over the years in the time since they played at ProgDay back in 200? (can’t remember off the top of my head). That performance was much more metal oriented where the ROSfest show was all over the map musically. The loss of their 2nd guitarist probably impacted the set list, but overall I was very pleased with the performance. Gildenlow is an incredibly talented guy and the rest of the band are all top notch as well. I enjoy the “Road Salt” albums as well as the older heavier material, so I was pretty happy with the set list. Their lounge lizard take on Dio’s “Holy Diver” was fun too.
Believe: I only have one album by these guys, so I was not all that familiar with their material (especially the newer stuff). This was more traditional classic (Neo?) prog, but they pulled it off really well. The guitarist especially had some impressive moments. As others mentioned the vocalist may have been a bit over the top for a seated prog audience, but the guy had an incredible voice reminding me of Steve Hogarth in spots. Overall another very nice show.
Riverside: All I can say is wow! This is the 3rd time I have seen this band, but this show was by far the best. Like Jolly you can tell they have been playing out live a lot and these guys were spot on all night. The newer material blended well with the older stuff and it all just generally kicked ass. I also want to put in a plug for whoever was running the lighting rig. The lighting was impressive all weekend, but the Riverside guy really seemed to know how to perfectly sync the lights with the music. It was all very impressive. In a just world this band would be playing arenas in this country. Might have been my favorite show of the weekend.
Dream The Electric Sleep: I really enjoyed these guys too. I thought the new material came off really well, and they pulled off the stuff from their only released album really well live. I do think that they might have enhanced the show a bit if they might have explained a bit about their album, which is a concept piece about growing up in Kentucky around Coal Mining. If one was not already familiar with the album the subtleties of the concept were probably lost. Giving a little background on what it was all about might have helped people not familiar with the album “get it” a bit more. Anyway, I really enjoyed their show and their new one will be a automatic buy when it comes out.
Moe Tar: I would say these guys were probably the most polarizing of the festival. I have their album so knew what to expect. Moe (vocalist) was incredible, especially considering she was sick. Her vocal style may not be everyone’s cup of tea (I don’t know her at all, but would guess that she has a background in musical theater maybe?), but she has an incredible set of pipes. The guitarist was impressive and I really liked the track that the keyboard player wrote (can’t remember it off the top of my head). This did all of what I consider was the best material from the album. Overall good stuff.
Asturias: As others have mentioned I think these guys were the surprise hit of the festival. They were the one band I had not heard anything from going into it, but knowing the instrumental quality that typically comes out of Japan, I was expecting good things. The band did not disappoint, and were really killer all the way through the show. These guys were a bit different from more typical ROSfest bands, but I think they went over well enough that my guess is you will see more of this type of act in the future. The band got a bunch of standing ovations, all well deserved. Great stuff.
Shadow Gallery: Back in the mid 90’s when I first re-discovered that the prog underground existed Shadow Gallery were one of the first bands that I got into. It is always tough for a pure prog metal band to perform at a prog festival. Since prog metal seems to be kind of a love it or hate it thing, right off the bat usually a good third of the audience is either not present or only hangs around for a few songs. Playing to a seated theater crowd can also be a challenge since prog metal typically gets so much of it’s energy from crowd participation in a live environment. That typically just ain’t happening at a festival like this. So…….considering all of this I thought Shadow Gallery put on a hell of a show. Yea, it was really loud (my ears were ringing at the end of the night), and some of the theatrics can get a bit cheesy, but for me that’s all part of the fun of prog metal. Their newer material from “Digital Ghosts” is a dead ringer for Queensryche in spots and the older stuff spans quite a few different prog metal styles. Along with the newer stuff, they pulled out a lot of favorites from the past and I thought the set list was really enjoyable. Having D.C. Cooper (Royal Hunt and other bands) make a guest appearance for “New World Order” was very cool and the vocal duet was amazing. Instrumentally the band were rock solid. These guys can all play and of course they rock. I am a sucker for twin harmony guitars and these guys did not disappoint with plenty of it during the set sometimes having 4 guitars going at once. The drum solo got a little long in the tooth after a bit, but overall I really enjoyed the show and would love to see them again in possibly a different environment.
As others have said this show tended to be on the heavier end of the progressive rock spectrum, which is all good in my book. I like a little rock, with my prog. All in all the whole thing was a great experience and I enjoyed every band. George and staff did a terrific job! No complaints here.Steve Sly
One song into MoeTar's set and Kay (who is a (real, not smooth) jazz person leaned over and said to me, "this woman is the best singer I've heard in 7 Rosfests!".
As previously mentioned, no, they're not for everyone, but neither are Shadow Gallery and Believe (who we passed on completely), or Bolus (who we both liked but they were the guinea pig band for the sound guy, who (as previously mentioned), had it right the rest of the festival. We listened to 30 minutes or so, and the same 30 min for DTES, whose album I like but who's live act I'd seen enough of after that much time.
We stayed for every note of TFK, POS, Riverside (proven commodities for me), MoeTar and Electric Asturias. I love Moe and the band, and her bringing a very intricate sensibility to her amazing phrasing. Her range ain't too shabby either!
The Japanese win the award for the most mouths agape, since many were unfamiliar with them (incl me). I bought 2 of their cds and will buy the rest eventually. I completely agree that if they ever come back to the US/Canada, GO SEE THEM!
Kay was in costume as a nun on Friday, and I had some "different" attire on for Friday's afterparty. Someone else can describe it if they feel like it.
"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
[ROSfest (atleast this year) was a Rock festival... NOT PROG ]
Well to me it's a music festival first and foremost. The funny thing is the band who were the most song oriented wound up being probably the most progressive and that was Moetar(who were next to Riverside maybe my favorite band of the weekend). But Asturias, Pain of Salvation and The Flower Kings not prog(not to mention Believe and Riverside)? Yeah ok. Whatever. Lol.
[Electric Asturias - what a surprise. reminded me of listening to some of Jean Luc Ponty's early albums. Almost a fusion style- loved it.]
I was thinking JLP also when I saw them. I would definitely classify them as prog fusion(at least based on their set).
Just in case you wanted to see them. I only shot two bands, MoeTar and Electric Asturias
A couple of representative samples. I missed the MoeTar song with the great guitar solo.
mark
"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
Wow, I could not disagree with you more. I think this was one of the stronger top to bottom lineups I have ever seen. Taste is subjective of course, but these bands clicked my buttons.
Steve Sly
I'm with Steve here. This was one of the strongest if not THE strongest RF I have been to so far(especially from a non headliner perspective). Even though I missed Shadow Gallery(for personal reasons I won't get into here although I did kind of want to check them out)I still had a lot of fun over all and thought every band was at least good with a few being great(Riverside, Moetar, Asturias and TFK springing to mind immediately).
I can't comment about ROSfest since I did not stay at the official hotel or go to the autograph tables, but when they played ProgDay, Daniel was very approachable and friendly to everyone. He actually came accross a bit on the shy side, but hung out and talked to people all weekend.
Steve Sly
While Laudio's negative review doesn't reflect my own sentiment, I can certainly understand where he's coming from. I don't think this was one of Rosfest's best lineups by any stretch, from my subjective point of view. The past 3 years all were more rewarding for me, particularly 2010 with Renaissance, Magic Pie and Pendragon headlining along with nearly every other band being excellent (if Unitopia had actually shown up, that year would have been impossible to beat).
The main difference to me this year was that it was NOT a symphonic prog lineup, which truly IS a change for Rosfest. While Rosfest has had maybe one or two non-symphonic bands every year, some more edgy than others, this year it seemed like TFK was the only purely symphonic band on the roster. Some may be happy about that, others not so, but I do think it should be acknowledged that this year was different. And I guess more people are happy about that than not...it was the highest attendance yet. I don't know how much the absence of Nearfest played in to a higher attendance, or perhaps even into George's decision to diversify the bands more this year. I guess we'll find out next year when we see who gets booked as to whether it returns to predominantly symphonic prog. I, for one, hope that it does.
Trust me, it won't. By broadening the musical tableau, Nearfesters fill seats they previously wouldn't, so (as you correctly stated), most people there were pleased rather than disappointed, and, in addition, from the very important perspective of George's bottom line (we do want this to continue, right?), it bodes well for the future.
Oh yeah, and Magic Pie are personal friends of ours and one of my favorite bands. Kay suggested to George that he make them the Rosfest "house band".
"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
Wow, aside from one disappointed fan, seems this fest went over big! Nice to hear. I'm really wishing I had seen that Japanese band, they seem to be the surprise of the fest based on these comments.
Just wondering, did the announce the attendance? Last year the peak was 632, I'd love to know how much they topped it by.
And possible band announcements for 2014, or have they not decided on the future just yet?
No 2014 band announcements (the only time they announced a band a year in advance I believe was Magic Pie the 3rd time they played).
"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
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