Beardfish Announced for RoSfest 2014!

**harbinger58** · 11-22-2013

From The Desk of George Roldan:

Beardfish announced for RoSfest 2014

We're thrilled to announce that Swedish band BEARDFISH will perform as the Saturday night headliner for RoSfest 2014. While this is a band that is still regarded by many as a fairly new band on the scene they have actually been around for more than a decade already, with seven full length albums to their name. Initially renowned for their fairly eclectic take on retro-progressive rock they have developed towards a harder edged variety of that sound in later years, firmly documented on their 2012 album "The Void". An album they finished promoting in October 2013, just a few days ago at the time this is written.

Rikard Sjöblom, David Zackrisson, Robert Hansen and Magnus Östgren are the current members of Beardfish. A seasoned and experienced live unit at this point, and with half a dozen or so of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums to their name. It's a band we've thought about signing to RoSfest ever since their amazing performance at Progday back in 2006, and when the time was right now in 2014 we feel that they have the artistic and commercial quality that merits giving them a headliner slot. It's probably needless to say that we're looking forward to seeing this fine band on stage in Gettysburg, all the reports we've had about their live performances indicates that this will be a stellar concert experience.

As this is the final band announcement for RoSfest 2014, we also think that this is a good opportunity to reflect on the festival as a whole. As many will see from the bands we have signed for 2014, RoSfest is in development. There's a steadily increasing number of fine new bands that comes forth that we feel deserve the chance to play at a festival such as ours. Some established with a small following already, others are fresh entities just starting out. We feel we have an obligation to the best of those new artists to make them somewhat better known, especially when conditions for recording artists in general and new artists in particular are as challenging as they are. All of them represent the finest quality in music of course, we do owe our audience a high quality festival after all. They are just not that well known yet. We do take care to sign better known bands too. Newly reunited Clepsydra and Collage for instance, Beardfish as one of the top names among the new generation of progressive rock bands, and in Caravan we managed to sign one of the few remaining giants from the golden age. But all in all RoSfest 2014 has a somewhat higher percentage of lesser known bands than before. We hope our audience understand and support this slight alteration in approach.

Also, a friendly reminder that Gold Tickets for RoSfest 2014 are on sale. The order link can be found on the RoSfest homepage (direct link: http://rosfest.com/index.php?option=...=79&Itemid=120
With band announcements and signings now over and done with, we'll be busy preparing all the practicalities of arranging the 2014 edition of the Rites Of Spring Festival. We do hope you will attend, and are looking forward to seeing you at our annual gathering of fans, friends and musicians in our extended RoSfest family.

Official website - http://www.beardfishband.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/beardfish

**progeezer** · 11-22-2013

Oh my, it's just uncanny how questions sometimes get answered.

Great signing, Mr. Discreet!

I'm a Rikard Sjoblom fangeezer.

**Progdad** · 11-22-2013

This is a excellent band named to complete an already stellar lineup for next years' 2014 RoSfest.
It's gonna be a great one.

**Baribrotzer** · 11-23-2013

Also, their bass player brings in two very important qualifications for a RoSfest act: A hollow leg for alcohol, and a liver of iron. At Progday, he apparently started drinking when he got up, played without his shoes whilst drinking, drank all through the pool party standing in the pool in his underwear, and was still up and still drinking the next morning. Although by then, he could no longer speak English or any other intelligible language.

If John Jowett can't make it this year, and Fish isn't playing, he should make an acceptable substitute.

**SteveSly** · 11-23-2013

Very cool!

Steve Sly

**Fox** · 11-23-2013

I love that shoeless wonder of a bass player. I've got the hots for Rikard too. I would go for this show alone.

**Plasmatopia** · 11-23-2013

Originally Posted by Baribrotzer

Also, their bass player brings in two very important qualifications for a RoSfest act: A hollow leg for alcohol, and a liver of iron. At Progday, he apparently started drinking when he got up, played without his shoes whilst drinking, drank all through the pool party standing in the pool in his underwear, and was still up and still drinking the next morning. Although by then, he could no longer speak English or any other intelligible language.

If John Jowett can't make it this year, and Fish isn't playing, he should make an acceptable substitute.

At the NJ Proghouse Homecoming weekend the Beardfish guys were hanging around the venue all day Saturday and at the outset of their Sunday evening show Rikard made a crack about them having stopped drinking beer a little while before their set (or something like that). Personally I'm just jealous that I'd never be able to keep up with them.