by Blake | Mar 27, 2017 | Prog Report
Legendary Swedish progressive-symphonic band Änglagård will return to North America for a brief 3 dates tour next month of May, the first one happening at Salle Jean-Paul-Tardif – Quebec, Canada (May 5th), then headlining the prestigious progressive rock festival RoSfest under the beautiful vintage-looking ceilings of The Majestic Theater at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (May 7th) and then wrapping it up at the Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago, Illinois (May 9th).
For those three performances the Vikings have planned an incredibly special presentation that will delight old and new Änglagård fans alike, as the band will be playing their landmark, genre-defining album, 1993’s “Hybris”, in its entirety, in addition to other Änglagård set-list fan favorites. The RoSfest show will also have an extra exciting detail: it will be professionally filmed for an upcoming Blu-Ray/DVD box which will likely accompany the release of their awaited fourth album, a project the band is working on since the last months of 2016.
Änglagård’s first ever official live video saw the light of day last February in the form of a Blu-Ray/DVD set. Captured at Musikkflekken, Sandvika, Norway on February 21, 2015, the show marked the band’s return to Norway stages after 23 years of absence. The release has garnered very positive reviews around the progressive rock circles:
“…Änglagård gave their fans their money and times worth with a colossal two-hour set. Tracks played include crowd pleasing Jordrök from their notorious album Hybris and the beautiful Sorgmantel. Their folky sound was accentuated by Anna Holmgren, who carries a real sense of magic in her articulate sound. The crowd were absolutely lapping up every moment of the lengthy performance. This was an absolutely fantastic showcase of real, creative and exciting music from a band that can’t be ignored…” – Louder Then War (Leema Sadia)
“… I won’t say Änglagård has arrived, they did that in 1993. But whatever anticipation I have for a new studio album has definitely increased because their potential has never been higher at any point in their career. Meanwhile, the band has finally delivered a live release on par with their studio work… ” – Mike McLatchey (Avant Music News)
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Source:: Prog Report
by Blake | Mar 27, 2017 | Prog Report
Concert: Haken w/The Algorithm and Next To None
Venue: Manchester Academy 3
Date: 03/24/17
Review by Marcus Chavasse
Haken have just embarked on a 10th anniversary tour of Europe with Next to None and The Algorithm. I had the fortune to see them twice as they made their way through the UK showcasing their entire career.
Pennsylvania’s Next to None are the first band to take to the stage in this intimate room in Manchester’s Student Union. They energetically power through four songs from their debut album ‘A Light in the Dark’ in their 30-minute set. As a band just starting out and playing their first shows in Europe, their youth is evident but it’s hard to deny that the band is full of creativity, strong musicianship and tight playing – we’ll probably be seeing a lot more of them in years to come.
Next up is The Algorithm from France, a genre-defying duo blending dance music and prog-metal to great effect. Their set is over before it’s begun in a blistering onslaught of electronic grooves and super heavy breakdowns, always taking unexpected twists and turns. Their inventiveness keeps the audience captivated and on their toes throughout a 45-minute set and they leave the stage to rapturous applause, safe in the knowledge that they’ve gained a few more fans tonight.
Now on to the main event – UK prog-metal standard-bearers Haken. They start early to cram as much music into their set as possible, but due to UK curfew laws they have to trim their set slightly (rest assured mainland Europe, you’ll be getting the full shebang!) That said, they still manage to get through a mighty amount of music. They open with “Initiate” from last year’s ‘Affinity’, closely followed by “In Memorium” from ‘The Mountain’ – two powerful songs which showcase what Haken are all about: unparalleled musicianship and strong songwriting. Fan favorite “1985” comes next, with the audience singing along in fine form to even the most complex of riffs and cheesiest of guitar solos. As the band said: “Manchester…you put the ‘rowdy’ in ‘crowdy’!” Staying in ‘Affinity’ territory the band then play slow-burner “Red Giant”, an interesting but very welcome choice which really allows Ross Jennings’ skills as a vocalist to show – he, and indeed the entire band, are on absolutely top form tonight.
Now it’s time to take a ride through 2010’s ‘Aquarius’ in the form of a medley. The band selected highlights from almost every song on the album about a mermaid born to human parents who then cast her out, not realizing she may hold the key to saving the world – isn’t prog great? This monster of a journey is full of soaring choruses, and seemingly effortless instrumental sections abound, reminding us why Haken are so deserving of all the praise they get; if a band can produce music like this on their debut album, they truly are something special. To end the monster medley, “Drowning in the Flood” segues into the heart-wrenching final chorus of “Celestial Elixir” – tears are shed and evenings are made. This highlight of the night ends in a full-crowd chorus of woahs and suddenly, with barely a breath in which to recover, the opening riff of “Cockroach King” is being chugged from the iconic headless guitars of Charlie Griffiths and Richard Henshall. Watching them play, one wonders how on earth such music is written, let alone played note-perfect every night. “Cockroach King” is a joyous romp through full-band acapella sections and complex proggery, and has the crowd overjoyed and singing along to every word.
“The Architect” and “The Endless Knot” end the main set. These songs showcase a band at the top of their game. Diego Tejeida in particular shines on “The Architect” with his inspired use of iPad technology and the Seaboard to create epic soundscapes and play novel solos; “The Endless Knot” has drummer Ray Hearne playing as if his life depends on it and his innovative drum parts and integration of electronic sounds make for a high point of the whole show. The heaviest, most complex riffs of the night leave the audience drained, stunned and more than satisfied.
But that’s not all. They still have one last trick up their collective sleeves: a 20-minute long trick that goes by the name of “Visions”. It’s almost too much to handle, but Haken’s (arguably) best track leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. You simply can’t argue with this music. Haken combine skill, incredible songwriting, humor and humility to create an incredibly memorable night of the finest music this genre has to offer. Don’t miss out.
Setlist
Affinity.exe
Initiate
In Memorium
1985
Red Giant
Aquarius Medley
Cockroach King
The Architect
The Endless Knot
———————–
Visions
(In Nottingham they also played the suite of songs from ‘Visions’ The Mind’s Eye/Portals/Shapeshifter, a brief foray into the world of 6-string guitars for Richard Henshall. This piece of music has everything that Haken have to offer and was a shame not to see it in Manchester due to the early curfew.)
The post Concert Review: Haken in Manchester, UK 3-24-17 appeared first on The Prog Report.
Source:: Prog Report
by Blake | Mar 25, 2017 | Prog Report
It had still been fairly recent since Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater in 2011 when he got involved in a new side project that would add to his ever-expanding Prog world. Of course, Neal Morse was immediately along, with guitar legend Steve Morse and the brilliant bassist Dave LaRue. The group would go outside the known prog and shred world and approach alt-pop singer Case McPherson, from the band Alpha Rev, and invite him to join the group, since the goal was to do a band that had as much pop as it did prog influence. The band would become Flying Colors and they would release their self-titled debut on March 26, 2012.
Casey McPherson tells the story of getting contacted and joining the band.
“I wasn’t really sure if this guy Bill [Evans] was that called me. He calls me and says ‘you know we were thinking about getting the guy from Muse but we thought maybe about trying you out because Portnoy mentioned that he liked you and that you’d be the perfect guy for the job’. Last time I saw Mike was When we were making records both at a studio up in New York he was finishing there. I guess that was maybe his last record with Dream Theater and I was finishing my record that was on Hollywood Records at the time and so you know, he and I kept up a little bit but he had Bill reach out to me and he said ‘man I want to send you a song idea that Neal and Steve had kind of come up with and see what you think and see if there’s something that interests you’. So he sends me a 15 minute long song. Well, I’m just like Holy S***, this is amazing! I mean because I’m used to dealing with three minute songs and when I get to four or five minutes people look at me and they’re like oh man what are you doing this way too long. So I was like, this is going to be great, I’ve got a creative outlet. I was on a label and there were some problems legally whether I should do it or not. But I just went for it. And it all worked out.”
Songs like “Kayla”, “The Storm” and “Infinite Fire” are instant classics. The band would release the follow-up ‘Second Nature’ in 2014 and are currently working on their 3rd album.
The post Flying Colors debut album released 5 years ago appeared first on The Prog Report.
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by Blake | Mar 25, 2017 | Prog Report
Following their triumphant performances on Cruise to the Edge, Spock’s Beard have made the announcement on Facebook that Nick D’Virgilio, original drummer and one-time singer for the band, will play drums for the group on their next album. Prior to the cruise, pervious drummer Jimmy Keegan left the group where D’Virgilio filled in for their performances on the ship this past Feb. He now returns back behind the kit where he sat from 1995-2010. D’Virgilio also plays with Big Big Train and The Fringe.
This is what the band had to say, “Spock’s Beard is super excited to announce that the amazing Nick D’Virgilio has agreed to play on our next album! Nick of course is well known to SB fans as our former drummer/lead singer/all around awesome dude as well as for working with artists such as Genesis, Mike Keneally, Peter Gabriel and Big Big Train among others. Nick was with us when we first started and we are over the moon to have him back with us for this album! We know you’ll be as excited as we are to hear what we will be able to create with him back pounding the skins. We’ve been writing new material and plan to start recording in earnest in late May, so stay tuned!”
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Source:: Prog Report
by Blake | Mar 24, 2017 | Prog Report
KANSAS will be expanding their highly successful Leftoverture 40th Anniversary Tour to more parts of the United States in the fall of 2017! Since last September the band has been performing the hit album in its entirety, the first time since it was released 40 years ago. The tour showcases more than two hours of classic KANSAS music including hit songs, deep cuts, and new songs from their new album, The Prelude Implicit.
Based on incredible demand, dates have been confirmed for a final U.S. leg of the Leftoverture 40th Anniversary Tour across cities such as San Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; Houston, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Topeka, KS; Champaign, IL; Wichita, KS; Knoxville, TN; Toledo, OH; Jacksonville, FL; and many more.
“We are having so much fun doing these Leftoverture 40th Anniversary shows, we just want to keep doing them,” comments KANSAS guitarist and original member Richard Williams. “We had no idea when we started doing these, last fall, that they would be so popular. When we first started discussing this concept, we were just hoping to be able to do ten of these type shows. We would not have predicted we would end up doing nearly 70 of them. I can’t think of a better way to wrap up 2017, before taking a break from the road at the beginning of 2018, to record a new studio album.”
Tickets for most new tour dates can be purchased starting on March 31. More information is available at www.kansasband.com. Additional presale and VIP package information will be available at the band’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/kansasband.
2017 LEFTOVERTURE 40th ANNIVERSARY TOUR DATES:
March 24 Salina, KS The Stiefel Theatre – SOLD OUT
March 25 Tulsa, OK The Brady Theater
March 31 Des Moines, IA Hoyt Sherman Place – SOLD OUT
April 1 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Theater
April 7 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace
April 9 Charleston, WV The Clay Center
April 18 Denver, CO The Paramount
April 20 Salt Lake City, UT Delta Hall at Eccles Theatre
April 22 Las Vegas, NV The Smith Center – Reynolds Hall
April 23 Chandler, AZ Chandler Center for the Arts
April 26 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
April 28 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
April 29 Seattle, WA Moore Theater
July 16 Loreley, Germany Night of the Prog Festival
NEWLY ADDED 2017 LEFTOVERTURE 40th ANNIVERSARY TOUR DATES:
August 25 Shreveport, LA Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
August 26 Baton Rouge, LA Baton Rouge River Center Theatre
September 8 Santa Rosa, CA Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
September 9 Stockton, CA Bob Hope Theatre
September 12 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
September 13 Thousand Oaks, CA Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
September 15 Bakersfield, CA Fox Theater
September 19 San Diego, CA Poway Center for the Arts
September 21 Wichita Falls, TX Memorial Auditorium Wichita Falls
September 22 Amarillo, TX Amarillo Civic Center
September 29 Corpus Christi, TX Selena Auditorium
September 30 Houston, TX Cullen Performance Hall
October 6 Topeka, KS Topeka Performing Arts Center
October 7 Sioux City, IA Orpheum Theatre
October 13 Champaign, IL The Virginia Theatre*
October 14 Evansville, IN Victory Theatre**
October 20 Dodge City, KS United Wireless Center
October 21 Wichita, KS Hartman Arena
October 27 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Civic Auditorium
October 28 Huntsville, AL Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
November 3 Saginaw, MI Dow Events Center Theater
November 4 Toledo, OH Stranahan Theater
November 10 Waukegan, IL Genesee Theatre
November 11 Appleton, WI Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
November 17 Madison, WI Capitol Theater
November 18 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
November 24 Buffalo, NY University at Buffalo Center for the Arts
November 25 Akron, OH The Goodyear Theater
December 1 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Performing Arts Center
December 2 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
December 8 Pembroke Pines, FL Pembroke Pines City Center
December 9 The Villages, FL Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center
*Public On Sale is April 7 at 10AM local time
**Public On Sale is April 14 at 10AM local time
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Source:: Prog Report
