2013 Progresssive Music Awards...

[Nearfest2]

Too bad it's so focused on the UK and largely ignores the rest of the Progressive Rock world.

[robh]

They are a British magazine selling (principally) to British audience. It is hardly surprising really.

[Troopers For Sound]

Too bad it's so focused on the UK and largely ignores the rest of the Progressive Rock world.

At least 4 of the winners were not UK based: Sound of Contact (mostly American and British Canadian I think?? Poor Simon Collins had to be rushed to hospital earlier in the day so couldn't collect his award), Mike Portnoy, Thomas Weber and the Von Hertzen Brothers.

[ChrisXymphonia]

You want the magazine to change and have a more non UK centric approach? Vote by your wallet and get a subscription. As soon as non UK readership surpasses that of UK readership I bet they will but I also think it will loose its appeal then to their advertisers and the high street magazine shops.

[strawberrybrick]

I'm pretty certain most folks are aware they are selling a product; they certainly aren't giving issues away for free.

Maybe Vicky will choose to elaborate on that.

Not quite sure what point you're trying to make Kerry...

[Jefferson James]

Not quite sure what point you're trying to make Kerry

I will try to make my points as clear as glass:

let's again not pretend this isn't a business.

I haven't seen anyone on this -- or any other thread -- claim Prog Magazine and associated partners are not a business; no one is pretending they're not a business to my knowledge. They sell a product -- magazines -- and that's what businesses do: sell products and services.

You state "let's again not pretend this isn't a business" and I counter with "no one appears to be pretending it's not a business."

never returned an email I have written him - is that a British thing?

Vicky at Esoteric is British to my knowledge; she is also an active participant on this thread. Since you're clearly asking "is not returning email a British thing?" I figured an actual Brit might provide you with an answer.

Hope this clears up your confusion.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

You want the magazine to change and have a more non UK centric approach? Vote by your wallet and get a subscription. As soon as non UK readership surpasses that of UK readership I bet they will but I also think it will loose its appeal then to their advertisers and the high street magazine shops.

so... this is a tiny niche subset of the much larger Progressive music world then? ok, that explains everything, they can take their ball and go home then... no significance

[District97]

At least 4 of the winners were not UK based: Sound of Contact (mostly American and British Canadian I think?? Poor Simon Collins had to be rushed to hospital earlier in the day so couldn't collect his award),

Do you know why?

[Troopers For Sound]

^^^^^^^

I think Jerry said it was due to kidney stones.....nasty

[Esoteric]

Im pretty sure Jerry like myself gets hundreds of emails a day and to some extent gets around to the ones he actively has to "action" or do something with at that time to get his next couple of editions sorted and keep the facebook and website updated etc. Myself I get everything from the "why didnt you include XYZ track etc" to why cant you do XYZ reissue to magazines please send me photos of XYZ to current artist queries to sorting out the artwork guys, notes writers etc as well as promoing out the releases physically and online----so you tend to go back to whats urgent or current to your next couple of months. I dont think its just a British thing, I think its probably relative to how much that other person has ongoing. I can assure you I dont get emails back from various guys overseas too at the magazines etc. Also you do get emails sometimes from people with non specifics--please call me etc but no details of what about etc.

[strawberrybrick]

Hope this clears up your confusion.

I still don't see what it adds to this thread. I'm so confused!

[Jefferson James]

Can we get back to bashing the Progressive Music Awards and pretending Prog Magazine isn't a business now? I have some emails I need to ignore.

[bondegezou]

Let me start by saying that I do not subscribe to PROG magazine. I find it the equivalent of an archaeological dig for remants of the "glory days" of Progressive music.

Too bad it's so focused on the UK and largely ignores the rest of the Progressive Rock world.

OK, so let's examine these two statements by looking at the latest issue...

The cover and the big, 12-page feature is on Ian Anderson (UK). But there's then articles on...

Magenta (5 pages; UK)
Pallas (retrospective on their 1983 album) (4; UK)
Gentle Giant (3; UK)
Tarja Turunen (3; Finland)
Katatonia (4; Sweden)
Elbow (4; UK)
Maschine (4; UK)
Al Di Meola (3; US)
Karnivool (3; UK)
Blackfield (4; Israel/UK)
Moon Safari (3; Sweden)

Plus 1-pagers on...

Fuseboxx (Philippines)
Julianna Barwick (US)
Thieves' Kitchen (UK/Sweden)
Public Service Broadcasting (UK)

There's also a 2-page interview with Jon Oliva (US) and a 1-page quiz with our own Dave Kerzner (US).

The lead album review (2 pages) is of Gentle Giant. The lead live review is of the Kscope 5th Birthday event (3 pages) with Anathema, North Atlantic Oscillation, Henry Fool, Nosound, Bruce Soord etc. Out of 15 live reviews in total, 13 were for events in the UK, 1 in Sweden and 1 in Italy.

The lead news item (1.5 pages) was on Dream Theater (US). There were also half-page columns on Rational Diet (Russia), a member of Avantasia (Germany) talking about Queensrÿche‎ (US), Funkadelic (US), and The Windmill (Norway).

So, while the "glory days" of prog are strongly represented (e.g., feature article on Ian Anderson, focus on a Gentle Giant archival release), it seems to me there are plenty of newer bands as well. It is a UK magazine, there is a UK focus, but Scandinavia certainly don't want for representation and there is coverage of some more far flung bands.

Henry

[benson]

Yes, I agree that the two comments henry quoted are a little silly. If anything, sometimes I think there isn't ENOUGH of the glory days represented.

[spacefreak]

So, while the "glory days" of prog are strongly represented (e.g., feature article on Ian Anderson, focus on a Gentle Giant archival release), it seems to me there are plenty of newer bands as well.

Only the mainstream and most cliched aspects of prog are strongly represented there. Neither the richness of the scene during its glory days, nor the diversity of the modern scene.

[bondegezou]

Only the mainstream and most cliched aspects of prog are strongly represented there. Neither the richness of the scene during its glory days, nor the diversity of the modern scene.

Fuseboxx, Rational Diet and The Windmill? These are "the mainstream and most cliched aspects of prog"?

Of course the more popular acts are going to get more coverage. That's what popular means. I love some deeply obscure acts and want to see them become popular, but obscurity for the sake of obscurity damns the genre.

Henry

[spacefreak]

Fuseboxx, Rational Diet and The Windmill? These are "the mainstream and most cliched aspects of prog"?

Of course Rational Diet and The Windmill not, but how much coverage have you seen on them in comparison to metal band disguised prog Anathema, Mostly Autumn or Magenta?

Fuseboxx on the other hand have all the elements that I don't want to listen in prog. But that's another story...

Obscurity for the sake of obscurity keeps the genre alive in my opinion.


PS. Jon Oliva that got two pages is prog? Or some contributors there live in the era when they were writing for Kerrang

[bondegezou]

Of course Rational Diet and The Windmill not, but how much coverage have you seen on them in comparison to metal band disguised prog Anathema, Mostly Autumn or Magenta?

Fuseboxx on the other hand have all the elements that I don't want to listen in prog. But that's another story...

Obscurity for the sake of obscurity keeps the genre alive in my opinion.

Describing Mostly Autumn as "metal band disguised prog" is preposterous and rather undermines your credibility. Prog's coverage does have a lot of prog metal in it, and it's not a style I'm keen on either, but it is what many fans like. No genre benefits from fans being told they like the wrong things.

Henry

[spacefreak]

Describing Mostly Autumn as "metal band disguised prog" is preposterous and rather undermines your credibility. Prog's coverage does have a lot of prog metal in it, and it's not a style I'm keen on either, but it is what many fans like. No genre benefits from fans being told they like the wrong things.

Henry

You misunderstood me. The quote "metal band disguised prog" went only for Anathema.

[Polypet]

Don't let a couple dissenters color this thread. This event is a good thing for the prog world in general. Anything that elevates it's profile a bit is a win. It's put on by a good bunch of people too. Some of the comments in this thread are so off the mark it's hard to take them seriously. And I don't...

Another nice touch...every person at the awards was given a CD of totally unsigned prog artists amongst a bunch of freebie bits and bobs. No way of saying how many will go on to listen, but it demonstrated to me a real sense of support for bands at a grassroots level.

Matt.

yeah, it seems like a positive thing regardless of one's views on awards shows, awards or Prog(R) in general.

personally, i think the fact that the great independent unheard get a shot at a) being heard and b) getting some kudos is a win for everyone. a band like Sanguine Hum having even a chance to win at all is big. being able to attend and hobnob with some of their heroes is a huge thing. certainly this is one of the few opportunities for that.

frankly, even i'd have been jazzed to possibly meet Hillage, Dave Gregory or Gail Zappa and i'm pretty stoic about that stuff. it's very cool that this turned out to be such a nice thing. a thrill just to be nominated surely. congratulations to everyone.

off the mark, indeed

forest/trees

K

[Polypet]

Only that it's coming soon-ish after the Roxy Performances CD and a new 1973 Road Tapes album. Plus Dance Me This sounds like it'll be out soon as well. Mostly we talked about the recent Zappa performance at the proms as she was really impressed with the conductor, and also the October performance of 200 Motels in London - which I think she said consisted of 16 suites of music??? Although maybe i'd had too much wine by that point

our dear friend Artis the Spoonman is apparently all over that Dance Me This. he told me about it YEARS ago, so we can't wait to possibly finally have a chance to hear that. looking forward to it. thanks for the heads up, Matt

[sherrynoland]

You are a bloomin miserable bunch sometimes! You complain that this kind of music doesnt get coverage and when it actually does (and its a really excellent event too) cannot wait to "poo poo " it-- sour grapes I reckon!

Hear, hear!! Chuckling over here...

I don't know anything about the event, and awards are always a bit spurious, but they're great promotion and usually fun. Taken with a grain of salt, a good excuse for a party. Why not?

Sorry, just realized I missed out the last three pages. This comment was completely superfluous! Disregard...

[Sid Smith]

Sorry very late to the party with this. Not here to defend the magazine or the awards ceremony - folks are entitled to their opinions and to see as they find.

What strikes me about the magazine (I'm a regular contributor and I also attended the awards) is that in my experience it's open to suggestions and ideas. That doesn't mean we always get what we want as the editorial team have to strike a balance between putting the BIG names on the cover in order to maximise sales (perfectly acceptable in my view) and honouring the diversity of what constitute progressive rock (bearing in mind that it's almost impossible to get a consensus on what and what isn't prog with a capital P or not).

Several of the pieces I've written (short album reviews and long multi-page features) have been on people and artists that some fans would say have no business being in a magazine about prog rock. Swings and roundabouts. Had you asked me three years ago if there was any room on the UK newstands for a niche magazine like Prog I'd have laughed out loud. That it's still there and apparently thriving (as well as expanding its coverage well beyond the usual suspects) seems to me to be something to celebrate - which is partly what the awards are about.

[Jubal]

I also have to scratch my head at the "Band of the Year" choice. I feel like Spock's Beard and Sound of Contact definitely deserved the honor above Marillion. Were these awards for 2012?

[bondegezou]

I also have to scratch my head at the "Band of the Year" choice. I feel like Spock's Beard and Sound of Contact definitely deserved the honor above Marillion. Were these awards for 2012?

These awards are clearly not for all of 2013 given how much of the year is left! They seem kind of for the latter half of 2012 and the first half of 2013.

Hnery