"While very melodic throughout, Noise Floor allows the Beard to demonstrate that they have retained their identity, despite everything. There might be more immediacy in melody and hook, and there is definitely some progression in the band's compositions (at least from their last album "The Oblivion Particle"). There is also a greater tendency to allow reminiscence of the childhood influence of other melodic American and British Prog bands. But there is absolutely no tendency to abandon that intangible Prog singularity which has always appealed to the band's die-hard fans. On the contrary, the band seems to be consistently mindful of that which makes them Spock's Beard."

Spock's Beard's chief weapons of surprise, innovation, excitement and melody are strong indeed, even after all these years and so many changes in personnel. May they live long, prosper and continue to make some of the greatest music in Prog. Or as the Cardinal might have said if Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition scene had been about a band: "Nobody expects the Beard. If you have committed the heresy of not following them, we'll soon change your mind about that." PN-TPR



Essential Track: "Have We All Gone Crazy Yet" is eight minutes of Prog heaven. The assertion that there is no 'epic' on this album is disproved by this song. The big AOR ballad introduction might seem unremarkable to begin with, but suddenly, there it is - that absorbing and evocative Spock's Beard Prog-pop that we love and expect. Again, this could have been written in Neal Morse's days, but it was not. It is 2018 Beard and yes, it is THAT good. Melodic folk guitar strumming reminiscent of early Jethro Tull leads to a captivating vocal switch between D'Virgilio and Leonard that contrasts to make both vocals sound even better. The verse and chorus are spine-tingling, gut-wrenching stuff, and the resulting composition is as good as anything in Spocks Beard's vast catalogue. It is Prog, Spock's Beard style, delivered in full flight, and it is sublime. Kansas and Styx influences are there, but done with insane complexity such as only the Beard can deliver. The harmony lead solos will make Leonard's excellent guitar playing indispensible on the road. A quirky middle keyboard interlude soon morphs into a ferocious, tortured beast of a guitar riff that is frightening in its power. (Alan Morse is known for creating unique electronic guitar sounds, and he does it again in this song.) The guitar, keyboards and vocals are literally on the rack here. Suddenly, Queen is conjured in the last passage, but again, with a twist that only these fine musicians can deliver. After the insanity, a huge, epic passage featuring a blistering solo from the most under-recognized lead guitarist in Prog, builds before fading into the ether. This is my favorite song on the album - it has everything, and in my opinion will eventually be recognized as one of the best songs in Spock's Beard's catalogue. PN-TPR



Read the reviews on The Prog Report.

Listen to samples and buy the CD from Inside Out Music or wherever fine prog music is sold.

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Click on the following link for a complete list of bands that have played for the NewEARS Art Rock Series

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2018-06-22
Mary Fahl of the October Project - performs her reimagining of Pink Floyd's at One Longfellow Square - Portland, ME at 08:00 PM
$25 adv, $30 door

2018-06-23
Mary Fahl of the October Project - performs her reimagining of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" in it's entirety plus more at TCAN (The Center for the Arts in Natick) - Natick, MA at 08:00 PM
$30 & $35

2018-06-24
Mary Fahl of the October Project - performs her reimagining of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" in it's entirety plus more at Infinity Music Hall - Norfolk, CT at 07:30 PM
$29 - $39

2018-06-27
Styx - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Tesla at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion - Boston, MA at 07:00 PM
$29 - $350 (VIP)

2018-06-29
Umphrey’s McGee at House of Blues - Boston, MA at 07:30 PM
$35 - $55

2018-07-10
#YES50: Celebrating 50 Years of YES at The Wilbur - Boston, MA at 08:00 PM
$59 - $225

2018-07-11
#YES50: Celebrating 50 Years of YES at Casino Ballroom - Hampton Beach, NH at 08:00 PM
$25 - $79

2018-07-13
#YES50: Celebrating 50 Years of YES at Grand Theater at Foxwoods - Mashantucket, CT at 08:00 PM
$25 - $40

2018-07-17
Coheed and Cambria at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion - Boston, MA at 06:30 PM
With Special Guests Taking Back Sunday
$29.50 - $59.50

2018-07-19
Bent Knee - The Paper Earth Tour at The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA at 08:00 PM
With Special Guests Gatherers
$15

2018-07-27
Mary Fahl of the October Project - performs her reimagining of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" in it's entirety plus more at Iron Horse - Northampton, MA at 07:00 PM
$25 adv, $30 door

2018-07-28
Radiohead - Dead Air Space Tour at TD Garden - Boston, MA at 07:30 PM
$49.50 - $89.50

2018-07-29
Radiohead - Dead Air Space Tour at TD Garden - Boston, MA at 07:30 PM
$49.50 - $89.50

2018-07-29
Brit Floyd - Eclipse World Tour - 45 Years of The Dark Side of the Moon at Casino Ballroom - Hampton Beach, NH at 08:00 PM
$25 - $65

2018-08-04
Yanni 25 - Acropolis Anniversary Concert Tour at Providence Performing Arts Center - Providence, RI at 08:00 PM
$29.50 - $250 (Premium Package)

2018-08-04
Thomas Dolby: An Evening of Music & Storytelling at TCAN (The Center for the Arts in Natick) - Natick, MA at 08:00 PM
TBD

All Events ...>>

Click here for all of Season 1 - 3 of the NewEARS Prog Show podcasts on WEMF...>>

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"Sounding like no other singer of her generation" (Allmusic.com), Mary Fahl is an expressive, emotional singer/songwriter who first achieved fame as lead singer and co-founder of the mid-1990s NYC- based chamber-pop group October Project. The hallmark of their sound was Mary Fahl's awe-inspiring power vocals over gorgeous melodies played with passion and sophistication. As a solo artist, Mary has released several compelling albums, including the fantastic re-working of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" for V2 Records and her wonderful, original studio album "The Other Side of Time" on Sony Odyssey. She has also written and performed songs for several major motion pictures, including the lead song ("Going Home") for the Civil War epic Gods and Generals. Her most recent album "Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House", winner of the Indie Acoustic "Album of the Year" award, is a collection of twenty-four tracks recorded live at one of America's oldest vaudeville theaters that captures the soaring, soul-permeating vocals and musical breadth that makes the Mary Fahl concert experience what the Portland Press called "soul-permeating". The show was filmed for PBS and is currently airing on PBS affiliates around the country. Fahl's elegant, cinematic songs draw on classical and world music sources, American art song, as well as thinking man's folk-pop which she performs with an earthy, viscerally powerful contralto that Boston Globe critic Steve Morse calls "a voice for the gods that can transport listeners to other realms". Her music appeals to a wide range of musical enthusiasts, including a large, loyal fan base of Mary Fahl evangelists.

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2018-06-22: Album Review: The Sea Within, “The Sea Within”
There are several modern collaborative groups between popular progressive musicians-“supergroups”, if you will- that have created really stellar music, among them Flying Colors, Transatlantic, OSI (to name a few). However, fo

2018-06-22: Devin Townsend Project: launch video for "REGULATOR - live in Plovdiv"
On the 22nd September 2017, Devin Townsend Project played a special show at the Ancient Roman Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the landmark Ocean Machine album in full, as well as a set of fan

2018-06-22: Boston Globe - The Return of the Giant Hogweed
That impressive plant with white flowers that appeared out of nowhere in your backyard might be trouble. Giant hogweed is an invasive species that can form huge blisters and burn your skin, biologists say. It’s currently infe

2018-06-21: Gryphon "Raindances: The Transatlantic Recordings 1973-1975" 2CD set (Esoteric UK)
One of the most original groups to emerge in the Progressive era, Gryphon came together at the instigation of Royal College of Music students Richard Harvey and Brian Gulland, initially as a vehicle to fuse traditional Englis

2018-06-21: Aisles release new video from forthcoming live EP
Chilean prog rockers Aisles have released a new live in the studio video clip of Club Hawaii. The track, which originates from the band's fourth album , the double concept work Hawaii, is taken from their forthcoming new Live

2018-06-20: Sons Of Apollo: launch video for 'Signs of the Time' ahead of European tour dates
SONS OF APOLLO--former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malm

2018-06-20: Dream Theater begin work on album no.14
Dream Theater have entered the studio to begin work on what will be their 14th studio album. Keyboardist Jordan Rudess reported back in February that the band were looking at May to start work on the follow-up to 2016's The A

2018-06-19: Sanguine Hum ready new album Now We Have Power
Sanguine Hum have announced that their new album will be titled Now We Have Power. The follow-up to 2015’s Now We Have Light is due out in October after the band signed a record deal with Bad Elephant Music. The album will co

2018-06-19: King Crimson Could Spend More Time in the U.S. Because of Brexit
The U.S. could see more of King Crimson in 2019 after leader Robert Fripp said Brexit had made it impossible to mark the band’s 50th anniversary with a European and U.K. tour, adding that he’d turned his attention to “other p

2018-06-18: Traverser signed for RoSfest 2019
US progressive rock band, Traverser, is confirmed to appear at ROSFest 2019. Traverser was formed back in 2005 and has two albums to their name at the time of writing with “Redshift” from 2014 as their most recent production.

2018-06-18: Why Deep Purple Named Their Tour ‘The Long Goodbye’
Ian Gillan said Deep Purple named their current tour “The Long Goodbye” because they wanted to give themselves the chance to put off the decision about whether to retire. He said he now believes they’d “be going on” after som

2018-06-17: Fernando Perdomo & The Out To Sea Band
FERNANDO PERDOMO has been making a name for himself as a producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. As owner and operator of Reseda Ranch Studios (Reseda, CA), he has been involved in a diverse range of musical pr

2018-06-16: Drum Legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Bill Bruford’s Definitive Boxed Set “Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like A Lifetime Ago” Nominated For Progressive Music Awards “Reissue of the Year”!
Drum legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bill Bruford’s recently released definitive boxed set “Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like A Lifetime Ago” has been nominated for “Reissue of the Year” by Progressive Music Awards.

2018-06-15: AAJ Review: Chris Squire: Fish Out of Water (Deluxe Edition)
If ever there were an album that deserved the deluxe treatment, it would be Fish Out of Water (Atlantic, 1975), which would turn out to be (more or less) the only solo album ever released by Yes co-founder and electric bass t

2018-06-15: Lawrence Gowan Explains Why Styx Started Playing ‘Mr. Roboto’
Styx singer Lawrence Gowan explained why they recently added “Mr. Roboto” to their live set list, saying that they’d been considering it for the past five years. The band had never performed the song live, although the band's

2018-06-15: Fates Warning: launch new single and unboxing video for "Live Over Europe" release!
Progressive Metal pioneers FATES WARNING are now presenting a third single for their upcoming new live album entitled “Live Over Europe”, which will be released June 29th, 2018 via InsideOutMusic worldwide. Check out “Life in

2018-06-15: Wetton Downes’ iCon Trilogy of Studio Albums Re-Released with Bonus Tracks – OUT NOW !
The John Wetton Estate and Geoffrey Downes are pleased to announce the re-release of the iCon Trilogy of albums, now remastered with bonus tracks in six panel digipacks. The re-releases have been personally overseen by Geoff