2008-04-11: The History of Art Rock Band "The Muffins"
Among those with a passion for challenging, adventurous music, the name of the Muffins (not the new wave group that did "Echo Beach") has long been spoken in hushed tones of adulation. Cult heroes of an underground genre (the
2008-04-10: Review: Asia "Phoenix"
I must admit I was a bit disappointed when Geoff Downes decided to discontinue his working relationship with John Payne. ASIA was doing fine with the duo; they’d finally seemed to have formed a steady lineup for the band an
2008-04-09: Asia Live on Amazon.com 15-April-08
Tuesday, April 15, at 8pm EDT, rock supergroup Asia will be celebrating the release of its new album, Phoenix, with a performance from the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.
2008-04-09: Interview: Oblivion Sun
Take guitarist / vocalist Stanley Whitaker and keyboardist / saxman Frank Wyatt from Happy The Man, add keboardist Bill Plummer, bassist Dave DeMarco, and drummer Chris Mack, and stir! The result is the band Oblivion Sun. Obl
2008-04-08: New Flower Kings Drummer Erik Hammarstöm
OK flowerheads, I suppose it is about time to let you in on what is cooking in the FLOWERKINGS camp......
we most certainly have a new drummer in the band, his name is Erik Hammarstöm, he is from Stockholm, he is 32 years o
2008-04-02: Review: Caamora "She"
As someone that makes a point of never buying an album that’s advertised on TV you could say I have an aversion to sales hype. I was therefore understandably sceptical when a fanfare of publicity announced the release of Ca
2008-03-28: Victor Wooten trades his funky soul for a spiritual one
Mystical visitations are much on the mind these days of Victor Wooten. In addition to a new album, "Palmystery," out next week, the Nashville-based contemporary bass guitar hero is also releasing a book, a work of fiction tit
2008-03-27: Interview: Jon Anderson
To start, Jon, let's recap. When Yes finished touring in 2004 you decide to take a break. What was behind your decision to take that break from Yes for a while?
JON ANDERSON: I was very ill with bronchial pneumonia. I had
2008-03-18: Review: Tim Burness "Vision On"
Tim Burness' fame originated in the eighties, with his band at that time, Burnessence, noted for their support slots with such acts as IQ and Pendragon. And his musical tastes seem to have stopped after that certain period of
2008-02-27: Gagliarchives NEARfest news (and downloads too!)
The Gagliarchives will be hosting the 2008 edition of its annual NEARfest Radio Special on Saturday, March 15th. Host Tom Gagliardi will be joined by Festival Organizer Chad Hutchinson for four hours of nothing-but-NEARfest.
2008-02-27: Interview: Adrian Belew
Few people in the music industry are as busy or accomplished as Adrian Belew. The list of people with whom he's worked is a "Who's Who" of the music world. King Crimson, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Trent Reznor a
2008-02-20: Review: Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus
The story of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe could fill up a season of reality TV all by itself. Since there’s already way too much of that going on for my tastes, I’ll try to keep this brief…
In 1988, lead vocalist J
2008-02-07: DVD Upcoming Release: Pallas - Moment to Moment
A brand new DVD release of the legendary Pallas! The Scottish neo prog outfit is one of the very first bands of the neo progressive movement of the early eighties. It's an energetic and magnificent band somewhat reminiscent o
2008-02-07: DVD Review: Blackmore's Night "Paris Moon"
Blackmore’s Night was an under the radar group until last summer when I received free tickets for one of their concerts in North Carolina. At the end of their three hour performance, I was a fan, and began assembling their
2008-02-07: Video: Symphony X "Set the World on Fire"
Symphony X - Set The World On Fire
from the Album: Paradise Lost
(c) InsideOUT Music / SPV (more)
Added: January 18, 2008
Symphony X - Set The World On Fire
from the Album: Paradise Lost
(c) InsideOUT Music / SPV
2008-02-05: MoonJune Records Announces the First Studio Album of the Funambolic Belgians
Belgian heavy avant-prog-jazz-rock combo The Wrong Object returns with a brand new studio release of their trademark instrumentation and sonic landscapes. Laden with a full load of heavy and volcanic Frippesque tinted guitar
2008-02-05: Round Table Review: Ayreon "01011001"
The title 01011001 is the binary byte notation of the ASCII-character "Y". This is a reference to the Planet Y belonging to the race Forever introduced on Into The Electric Castle. The vocalists are divided into characters fr
2008-02-05: Geoff Tate Discusses Upcoming New Album, Tour
It has been nearly two decades since Operation: Mindcrime hit the top of the charts in 1988. The saga is now complete - in 2006 QUEENSRŸCHE released the much anticipated sequel, entitled Operation: Mindcrime 2.
In 2006,
2008-02-05: GUITAR ICON - STEVE STEVEN’S of BILLY IDOL releases MEMORY CRASH
HOLLYWOOD (February 5, 2008) – After a decade, the much anticipated Steve Stevens solo release is invading the world - MEMORY CRASH releases March 4th, 2008 on Magna Carta Records.
Steven’s spent the last few yea
2008-01-02: IZZ and Tony Levin: Elephant Talk
IZZ and TL doing Elephant Talk from the most recent NewEARS show.
2007-12-26: Video off of Tony Levin's Latest
Jeremy Frindel directed music video of "Speedbump" from Tony Levin "Stickman" CD
2007-12-26: Tadashi Goto is Signed to ProgRock Records
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – 4 December 2007 – "Inner Visions" is the second solo album from Japanese virtuoso Tadashi Goto. Although a young man with only one other album under his belt, this instrumental tour de force h
2007-12-18: Review: Oblivion Sun "Oblivion Sun"
Oblivion Sun is a new band formed by Stanley Whitaker (guitars and vocals) and Frank Wyatt (keyboards and sax), the founding members of Happy the Man (HtM), who after 25 years of silence released The Muse Awakens in 2004. Whi
2007-12-18: QUEENSRŸCHE & The Tradition of Protest
What's happened to the idea of holding the line against evil, against the human infection so capably noted and harangued by such as folkies as Phil Ochs, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and a proud line of others? Well,
2007-11-27: Review: Akacia "This Fading Time"
Akacia is US-based progressive rock group, based in Massachusetts according to what little (updated) information I managed to find on this group. This Fading Time is their third release, and from what I could find out facts w
2007-11-20: Review: Porcupine Tree "Fear of a Blank Planet"
Porcupine Tree’s latest Fear Of A Blank Planet tries to condense the essence of the entire record in the title itself, similar to what Public Enemy did when it came up with a nearly identical and brilliant title for a brill
2007-11-20: Review: Persephone's Dream "Pyre of Dreams"
Pyre of Dreams is quite possibly the most accomplished album by Persephone's Dream yet. Chock full of varied instrumentation, a vast array of vocalists, and eclectic songwriting, it is easily their most diverse work. It still
2007-10-31: UKZ - The New Super Group
Announcing the formation of "UKZ" - the quintessential musicians' band, formed by keyboard and electric-violin icon Eddie Jobson, and featuring Aaron Lippert (vocals), Trey Gunn (10-string touch guitar), Alex Machacek (guitar
2007-10-29: Review: Fish "13th Star"
What makes a good Fish album? The hit and miss attempts by the big Scotsman seem to point to a few success factors: (1) the more miserable the man is, the higher the chance of classic composition, (2) the co-writer for the mu
2007-10-29: QUEENSRŸCHE - Take Cover Album Streaming In Its Entirety
QUEENSRŸCHE's upcoming covers album, Take Cover, is currently streaming in its entirety at ArtistDirect.com.
As previously reported, the Take Cover tracklisting will include (original artist in parenthesis): 'Innuendo' (
2007-10-25: Review: Gentle Giant "Live in New York 1975"
There is strange and there is eclectic. Then there is Gentle Giant.
Gentle Giant was an unusual, to say the least, British progressive rock band that released about a dozen albums from 1970-1980. While their later 70s albu
2007-10-25: MVD New Release - Al DiMeola - Speak A Volcano: Return To Electric Guitar
After 30 years of a splendid career and exploring a variety of styles, Al Di Meola still ranks among the most popular guitar-masters of jazz and jazz-rock. Here, on his first "electric" DVD, Di Meola shows up with "Speak A Vo
2007-10-19: Interview: Steve Vai
Utter the word “Vai” within the rock-guitar world, and you will hear many definitions. Vai’s first boss, the late Frank Zappa, called him “our little Italian virtuoso.” To fans of the 1986 film Crossroads, he’s Sa
2007-10-17: Prog milestones: Next generation acts change the face of the genre
This list attempts to reflect the changing face of modern progressive rock music and the impact progressive bands have made on the global stage.
“I think a lot of great bands are playing really interesting music right n
2007-10-17: Review: Puppet Show "The Tale of Woe"
After a 16-track demo became Puppet Show’s 1998 debut CD, Traumatized, outside forces — including family and career matters, plus a game of musical chairs with drummers — sidelined this Northern California progressive-r
2007-10-15: Review: Ritual "The Hemulic Voluntary Band"
Wondering at the title to this disc, I did a search for the word “hemulic” and came up empty handed. So, while once can certainly imagine conceptual links to Sgt. Peppers, I can’t tell you what the meaning of the title
2007-10-11: Genesis: Chapter & Verse
Images from the band's new oral history, from 1969 to 2007
2007-10-10: Eddie Jobson has formed a new group
The news is out... after a 27-year absence from band activity, Eddie Jobson has formed a new group. Further details will be officially announced in mid-October.
2007-10-08: Duo Review: Big Big Train "The Difference Machine"
Big Big Train seem to have been floating around prog circles without making that dramatic an impact for eons; I remember picking up their From The River To The Sea cassette way back in the early 1980s when the so-called new w
2007-10-01: Review: Tangerine Dream "Madcap's Flaming Duty"
The Tangerine Dream turns 40.
Edgar Froese formed the Tangerine Dream in 1967 as a cutting-edge experimental band featuring a unique lineup of three synthesizers plus drums. Their early experiments with electronic music we
2007-10-01: Radiohead to give away new album
In a break from industry tradition the UK band famous for hits including Creep, Paranoid Android and Karma Police, has told fans "it's up to you" what they pay to digitally download the album.
This isn't the first time tha
2007-09-24: Interview: Mike Rutherford
British prog-rock titans Genesis surprised much of its global fan base when it announced it was reuniting its hit-wielding line-up of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks for a 2007 European and North American tour.
2007-09-24: Case Study: Kansas' classic Point of Know Return
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Kansas’ Americana-laced, prog-rock behemoth Point of Know Return, the band’s guitarist, Richard Williams, provides an insider’s look at the making of each song.
2007-09-21: Nektar Live Internet Broadcast Today at 2:00 PM EST.
Nektar will feature in a "live" Internet broadcast on the 21st September from the Substage in Karlsruhe Germany.
The broadcast will be accessible on http://s3.pop-stream.de:7592/listen.pls. The show should start around - wh
2007-09-20: Review: The Flower Kings "Sum of No Evil"
This brand new release from The Flower Kings has been trumpeted as a return to the former glories of earlier albums like Stardust We Are and Retropolis. In Roine Stolt’s own words this is “Flower Kings to the max”, expl
2007-09-20: LITTLE ATLAS Releases "Hollow" on 10T Records
Records is proud to announce the release of the brand new full length CD release by Little Atlas, entitled "Hollow" on October 8, 2007. This will be the Miami-based band's 3rd official release and their first on 10T Records.
2007-09-20: Review: Invisigoth "Alcoholocaust"
American duo INVISIGOTH (Invisible Goth, I suppose) present their first official CD; you see its title, "Alcoholocaust", is a compound word as well. The press kit, while shedding no light on the outfit's history or the musici
2007-09-19: Interview: Derek Sherinian
“The music in my head encompasses such a variety of ground,” says ex–Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian. “I don’t think there is one guitarist who can cover all the styles featured on my albums. I’m very mu
2007-09-04: New Holding Pattern CD!
Surveillance Records is pleased to announce the reunion of the legendary U.S.
progressive rock band, Holding Pattern
The new album “Breaking The Silence ”is currently in preproduction and will be released worldwide
2007-09-04: Review: Circa: "2007"
Circa is the brainchild of former Yes sideman, producer and -- briefly -- member Billy Sherwood, a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter in his own right. Here he plays the role of bassist-vocalist in the John Wetton
2007-08-29: Interview: Shawn Gordon of ProgRock Records
“I spent my twenties as a rock star,” Shawn Gordon muses. He may be speaking tongue-in-cheek, but Shawn spent a lot of time in his teens through twenties prowling stages and studios. Coming from a musical family, Shawn's
2007-08-28: Review: The Strawbs "Live at NEARfest 2004""
There’s the old argument that some bands are more suited for the recording studio, while others really flourish when they hit the stage.
And then there’s British prog/folk rockers Strawbs, a band equally adept at both
2007-08-17: Interview: Alex Skolnick
After making his mark as lead guitarist for Bay Area thrash metal band Testament during the late ’80s and early ’90s, Alex Skolnick got a serious jazz jones that propelled him to New York City. There, he immersed himself
2007-08-14: Tony Palmer's "All My Loving" DVD
Tony Palmer's early masterpiece documenting music
and its effect on pop culture in the late ‘60s.
BOSTON
Coolidge Corner Theatre - 290 Harvard St. - Brookline, MA 02446
Friday & Saturday, September 14th & 15th @ Mid
2007-08-13: Was It Really That Bad?The Story Of Emerson, Lake And Palmer
Progressive rock can be a very disreputable subject. No other musical style has been so vilified by the critics and became a synonym for 'pompous' and 'bombastic.' Almost every music critic in the early '70's had something un
2007-08-13: Kara Leaves Fluttr Effect
It is with great emotion that we announce that Kara Trott will no
longer be part of Fluttr Effect. Due to creative differences we have
elected at this time to move forward and to allow her to pursue other
opportunities.
2007-08-08: RUSH Guitarist Reunites With Producer Terry Brown On New TILES CD
Guitarist Alex Lifeson of RUSH reunited with his old friend/producer Terry Brown for the first time in 25 years to work on a song for the forthcoming TILES CD, "Fly Paper". TILES guitarist Chris Herin provides a few details:
2007-08-07: Persephone's Dream Signed to ProgRock Records
ProgRock Records is proud to announce the signing of Persephone’s Dream to release their fourth album “Pyre of Dreams”.
Persephone’s Dream began as an idea late in the 1980’s; an idea for a prog-rock band fronte
2007-08-06: Review: Guido's Hand "Ictus"
Guido’s Hand hails from Atlanta Georgia, though they were educated at Valdosta State University. With extensive musical schooling, one can be certain that the musicians (brothers Joe and Gabe Monicello and Kevin Williams) h
2007-08-06: Interview: David Kilminster
If you were to give guitarist Dave Kilminster a school report card it would consist of all grade A's and the comments, “works well under pressure” and “plays well with others”!
Dave Kilminster is a self made man i
2007-08-02: Photos from NEARfest 2007
Excellent photos from NEARfest 2007 courtesy of Studio M.
2007-08-01: Interview: Kim Mitchell
The lanky cue-bald guitar god needs no introduction here in Canada – Kim Mitchell is an Order Of Canada-destined institution, having cut his teeth with the unfathomably great Max Webster through the ‘70s, then enjoying a
2007-08-01: Review: Symphony X "Paradise Lost"
Cut the cackle and come to the horses: this is the best album Symphony X ever made. Fortuitously (?) their heaviest and darkest as well. It may be due to the theme – the album is based on the novel of John Milton about the
2007-08-01: New Release: Yoke Shire "The Witching Hour"
Yoke Shire has just put the final touches on a double studio album entitled “The Witching Hour” with over 80 minutes of brand new original material. Brothers Craig and Brian Herlihy have been busy creating this new recor
2007-07-26: Interview: Ryo Okumoto
Whether screamin on vintage gear or cutting-edge workstations iconoclastic keyboard-master Ryou Okumoto soars with Spock's Beard.
2007-06-28: New MVD Entertainment Releases
MVD Entertainment new releases AWBH, Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Greg Lake, Bill Bruford and many more.
2007-06-28: Fender Die-Cast Replica Guitars
Georgia-based GMP is known throughout the die-cast industry for producing some of the finest quality limited-edition replicas in the world. These officially licensed, 1:3-scale Fender guitar replicas feature real wood necks c
2007-06-25: Review: Pinnacle "Meld"
I’ll begin by admitting that I was immediately put off by the lyrics of the long first track on this album, Information Overload. The song takes rather obvious shots at such easy targets as reality TV (or “reali-TV,” as
2007-06-19: Ian Parry is Signed To Progrock Records
ProgRock Records is proud to announce the signing of Producer/Vocalist Ian Parry for both his solo album "Visions" and his forth offering Consortium Project IV "Children of Tomorrow".
Unlike previous albums C IV is a more
2007-06-14: Review: Xang "The Last of the Lasts"
Musical inspiration can be a funny thing. You never know where it comes from sometimes. And certainly when it comes to progressive rock, musical inspiration can take some unusual twists and turns tackling everything from C.S.
2007-06-13: Review: Dream Theater "Systematic Chaos"
When it comes to Dream Theater, fans take a Goldilocks approach.
Octavarium? Too soft. Train of Thought? Too heavy. Let’s face it: nothing but Images and Words will ever satisfy everyone, and Systematic Chaos will not c
2007-06-11: Video: Owner of a Lonely Heart" on Fiddle
Alex Depue, the 2007 California State Fiddle Champion, performs Yes' prog rock classic "Owner of a Lonely Heart" at an open mic night.
2007-06-11: Review: Imogene "Imogene"
You don't see a lot of rock bands out there without guitar. Niacin is the first one that springs to mind – and a good picture when thinking of this album. The comparison goes deeper, though. Both bands' sounds are heavily r
2007-06-01: Interview: Patrick Moraz
When music aficionados hear the name Patrick Moraz, often a specific context immediately springs to mind. Typically, the Swiss-born musician is cited for his work as part of Yes during its Relayer era from 1974-76, his stint
2007-05-29: Review: Steve Morse "Major Impacts"
Steve Morse is one of those artists who has flown just under the radar of the public consciousness for decades, while receiving raves and accolades over and over again from his industry peers. Morse’s career began with the
2007-05-29: Gavin Harrison Voted Progressive Drummer of the Year
Porcupine Tree are happy to announce that Gavin Harrison has been voted best progressive drummer of the year in the much coveted reader's poll of Modern Drummer magazine.
2007-05-24: Review: Rush "Snake and Arrows"
Canadian rock trio Rush, what can you say? Almost 40 years in existence, formed in 1968, although they didn’t release their first album until 1974. Since then, they have more than 20 gold albums and over a dozen platinum al
2007-05-24: Book Revew: "The Grand Illusion - Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx"
don't know about you, but my image of the "typical" male rock star is based on some combination of reality, fantasy, wishful thinking and Hollywood.
It didn't take Chuck Panozzo long to realize that he didn't fit that image
2007-05-23: Video: Steve Wilson performing an acoustic version of "Sentimental"
Steve Wilson in studio with his guitar performing Sentimental off of Fear of a Blank Planet.
2007-05-23: Interview: Neal Morse
Neal Morse should need no introduction to fans of progressive rock for not only was he responsible for forming one of the most influential progressive rock bands with his brother Alan (Spock’s Beard) he has also played with
2007-05-23: Interview: THRESHOLD'S Rich West speaks about 'Dead Reckoning'
Call them progressive metal, thinking man’s metal, or just heavy metal, there is no doubt that England’s Threshold have a distinctive sound of their own, where comparisons are hard to come by. After years of molding out t
2007-05-21: Reveiew: Dream Theater "When Dream and Day Unite"
The first time I ever heard of Dream Theater was when I had the opportunity to raid the promotions closet of the college radio station I worked for. A promotional copy of their album When Dream And Day Unite happened to be la
2007-05-21: Interview: Vinny Appice
Vinny Appice has drummed throughout the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s in many bands; DIO, Black Sabbath, and Derringer are the most well-known. In 2006, some of the musicians in a fun cover band of Vinny’s called the Hollywood
2007-05-21: Review: Magic Pie "Circus of Life"
have waited very anxiously for the successor of the debut album ‘Motions of Desire’ of Magic Pie, one of the best releases of 2005. It is by no means a sinecure to equal the quality of such a top album, or even to surpas
2007-05-18: Reveiw: Yes "Yessongs"
One of the strange things about bands with the longevity of Yes is that individual fans' point of entry can vary so greatly. There are masses of Yes fans who came on board for their 1972 album Fragile (with its hit "Roundabou
2007-05-16: Mindwalk on TLC tonight
The Learning Channel tonight (Wednesday) at 7:00pm- Mindwalk will be on a new series- "My Kids A............." This episode is "My Kids A Drummer"
2007-05-11: Video: Dream Theater "The Dark Eternal Night" In-Studio
The masters of prog-metal previewing a song from the upcoming release.
2007-05-10: Review: The Bad Plus "Prog"
The last of the Bad Plus’s three albums for Columbia, 2005’s ‘‘Suspicious Activity?,’’ was a bummer. Only one of the 10 tunes was a cover, even though the jazz trio has become infamous for its whacked-out versions
2007-05-10: Video: Spinal Tap Reunion
Rob Reiner goes and reunites the band for Live Earth.
2007-05-09: Review — Genesis: Genesis 1976-1981
It’s very easy to begin any discussion of Genesis by first drawing the battle lines that still divide fans of the band’s early, Peter Gabriel-led incarnation, and the Phil Collins-fronted combo that finally drew the band
2007-05-08: Interview with Michael Dearing and Carl Groves of Salem Hill
It's been over a year since the DVD recording. Please discuss the release--title, content, etc. Is there a release date? And what has the band/members been doing since?
CG: The title is Mike's so I'll let him r
2007-05-04: Interview: Dave Kilminster
Dave Kilminster is a highly regarded UK guitarist whose radical technique and mesmerizing sounds were featured alongside rock luminaries John Wetton (former ‘ASIA’ and ‘KING CRIMSON’ vocalist/bassist), drummer Carl Pa
2007-05-03: Brad Delp is remembered, with help from his friends
ARLINGTON -- The ovation that began last night's tribute concert to Brad Delp lasted several minutes and had a tangible heft to it. It was also pretty much the only time that sorrow was the primary emotion in the sold-out Reg
2007-05-03: Interview: Rich Williams
Kansas was not your average rock band. They didn’t hail from LA or New York City and aside from the singer none of them had what could be called pin up good looks. They didn’t follow trends and they were not flashy. Th
2007-05-03: Interview: Erik Norlander
Above all, Erik, please accept my congratulations on the release of the long-awaited new Rocket Scientists' album, "Revolution Road". Your activity on the Progressive Rock front:-) is not something sealed with seven seals for
2007-04-30: Interview: Nick d'Virgilio
Spock's Beard's Spock's Beard is their ninth studio record -- and while some are ready to write it off as just another post--Morse attempt to stay in business, many others are declaring their eponymous effort to be one of the
2007-04-26: Genesis Genius
So you think you know Genesis? See if you can reunite Genesis and prove you're a true Genesis genius in this trivia game.
2007-04-23: Concert Video: Van der Graaf Generator at the Paradiso, Amsterdam
Van def Graff Generation recorded live from Amsterdam on April 14, 2007.
2007-04-23: Interview: Daryl Stuermer
He once described himself as a permanent part-time member of Genesis - a role he has truly enjoyed for almost 30 years now. Daryl Stuermer has played bass and guitar on all Genesis Tours between 1978 and 1992. Besides that, h
2007-04-20: New Releases from MVD Entertainment
Check out new audio and video releases from MVD. They even have several prog selections to choose from.