I meant to title this "Yanks Rosfest 2014 Review". OK, not as bad as "Camples".
RoSfest 2014
I survived it all again, the endurance test known as Rosfest, so nice being back after missing 2013. This would be a different experience for me, as I would go in cold for 6 out of the 10 bands, not knowing a note of music or even the style. And the bands I knew, one I already didn’t like (Caravan), another I was not expecting much from (Collage). Poor lineup, at least that was my thoughts going in, nothing like the killer 2013 lineup I sadly missed. Well, I’m not someone afraid to admit when I’m wrong, and was I ever!
Friday
I arrived in Gettysburg exhausted, thanks to not feeling well the last few weeks, and the nearly 4 hour drive didn’t help any. And I wasn’t enthusiastic about day one. But what the hell, tickets are paid for. On to the bands…
Clepsydra
I must say, this is the first Swiss band I’ve ever heard. I guess Swiss music sounds like 80’s neo. Talk about your “neo-prog by numbers”, that describes them well. As predictable as possible, this is the sound that neo bashers refer to, and for once I have to agree with them. If you heard one song, well you have heard it all, all the same tricks in each song. The vocalist actually had one of the better voices of the weekend, had a great upper range. I couldn’t place who he sounded like, but another attendee mentioned the late Francesco Di Giacomo of Banco fame (I hate having to say “late”). This guy was less operatic, but at times the tone was not much different. I wonder how he would sound with more challenging music. No matter the album, the songs all sounded like they were from the same writing and recording session. And the band seemed to play at the edge of their capabilities, which were limited. They were polished though, can’t find fault in the performance, didn’t hear major mistakes, so they were well rehearsed. But I couldn’t take hearing yet another 3 note keyboard solo repeated over and over. The guitar work wasn’t much more complex. At one point he had the spotlight on him and played the same simple pattern for a good minute, as if he didn’t know what else to do. I’m exaggerating but not by much. They had the neo sound down pat, but really only the general framework of neo, the blueprint, and they wouldn’t dare depart from that script for even a second. We would hear more neo this weekend, but by acts that do it more justice, that prove it’s a worthy prog sub-genre. This band didn’t manage that.
Grade: C-
By the way, how about the lights and sound? Holy crap, what an upgrade, I was mesmerized by the visuals, and found the sound to be as good as any concert I’ve attended. How do they do this on the tight Rosfest budget? Oh, once again, every band started on time! What a great staff, I tip my hat to them.
Caravan
I saw a version of Caravan back at Nearfest about a decade ago. Did nothing for me, seemed like a polite English thing I just don’t have the patience for. So I was not looking forward to this set at all, I wondered why I should even bother. Well a funny thing happened, I ended up actually LIKING their set this time. Maybe it was the lineup changes, or a decade of expanding my musical horizons. Or maybe just a better performance. It did help that this time around they gave Geoffrey Richardson a lot more to do, all I really remember from the first time was the electric spoons bit, which was still fun seeing again. This guy is incredible, such a versatile and talented performer on whatever instrument he chose. I was most surprised by his lead guitar work. Definitely one of the top musicians of the weekend. The set seemed a nice mix of old and new. While the newer stuff is far less proggy, it came off well. But it was the performance of two epic, jamming tracks that really did it for me, “For Richard”, and then one of my favorite performances of the weekend, “Nine Feet Underground”. Can’t say I have real desire to pick up any Caravan albums, but I just may want to buy downloads of these two songs. Count this set as a pleasant surprise, I even got to tell that directly to Pye Hastings on Saturday.
Grade: B+
OK, now the festival is officially off to a good start. Time to sleep, I had to skip the Friday after party. A shame, I heard that Shadow Merchant was pretty good at the hotel.
Saturday
Elephants of Scotland
More neo, but wow, what an upgrade from Clepsydra! I was surprised to learn they are from Vermont, and well, not Scotland. They seem to take a cue from Scottish band Pallas, in that it’s an edgier, more muscular form of neo. And sound textures seemed to be their thing. Some nice layers of sound, and they varied them quite a bit. Looking out onto the stage though, I see three members all decked out in blue. What was this, the Blue Man Group? And topping that was the one and only keytar! Hard to make that instrument look cool. But I was surprised to see it also used on the main keyboard rig as a standard board. Don’t matter how it looked, I was loving the great keyboard sounds used, not nearly as predictable as the first neo act, just lots of color, and as I said, textures of sound. The guitarist also used many different sound textures, just a great mix between keys and guitar. The one thing missing from their sound was that of a strong front man. The vocals were only so-so, and I thing a strong singer would take their music to the next level. Vocal duties were shared, along with solid enough backing vocals. They played songs from both of their albums, and I seemed to find a few things I liked and didn’t from each. They seem an album away from fully realizing their sound, but so far I still really like what I hear. They also showed a fun sense of humor, especially when the Viking hats came out. Each member donned one, which included horns and blonde pigtails. And they played by far their most off the wall song, aptly titled “Interstellar Immigrant Song”. Not sure how to classify this, just a wacky but quite interesting piece. The set was paced very well, as they didn’t frontload or backload their best songs, a mistake some festival bands make. The kept my attention from the beginning to end, and kicked off Saturday in fine fashion. Definitely a band to look out for in the future, especially if they find a proper vocalist. Here’s hoping.
Grade: B+
Thank you Scientist
My second time seeing them, so I knew what to expect. I simply love this band’s live show, love their energy, their oddball mix of so many sounds and styles, and the fact they are a 7 piece band but utilize every member so well. No keyboards to speak of, yet I find their sound so refreshing, and yes, quite proggy. And this coming from a total keyboard nut. However this time they had a proper stage, so they had plenty of room. And the energetic lead vocalist romped around the stage, as if it still wasn’t big enough for him. I still don’t know how to classify them, the sound is at times funky, heavy, even fusion, nearly always done at a frantic pace. I hate to admit it, there is even a punk influence, though these guys are no garage rockers, they can all play, outstanding chops. I’ve yet to hear an album of theirs, though I did pick up their debut, so it’s hard to comment on individual songs. Each member had so much to say musically. I’m not the biggest trumpet fan in rock or jazz, yet this guy really impressed me. And he and the sax player really fed off each other nicely, definitely a good team of a horn section. I guess the fusion aspect came from the violin work. But every song is rooted in a slightly raw, rocking edge. And it’s all anchored by a very confident vocalist, he seems to hold it all together, no easy task. And his voice is perfect for them. Looking forward to really listening closely to the studio versions, and getting to know this music inside and out. So much going on, this will take a while. During this performance, the band made use of rear projections to show the sci-fi animated classic “Fantastic Planet”. Had nothing to do with the songs, but it gave off a cool, surreal vibe. Still, at times I found myself following the movie story a bit too much.
So cool seeing a very young band really pushing the envelope, while still making highly entertaining music. The future of prog? Don’t know about that, but I hope for bigger things to come for this band from my home state of New Jersey. BTW, they had potential to be a polarizing band, yet they seemed to be embraced by the RF crowd. So nice to see.
Grade: A
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