Nearfest->Saturday : Magenta

And what about England, where Prog got its start? There was Magenta, who hovered in the borderland between symphonic and accessible neo-prog. Chris Fry called to mind shades of Howe and Gilmore, at home with electric or acoustic guitars. Christina Booth had the most beautiful lead vocals all weekend--I couldn’t help but think of Annie Haslam, who it was said was somewhere on the premises. Rob Reed scorched the keys with fat, analog leads accompanied with organ sustains and flourishes of piano.

This was my wife’s favorite act of the show, so much so that she bought one of their CDs. Derivative, some say. Perhaps. But, maybe, they are just what is needed to draw fresh blood into the fanbase.

Nearfest->Saturday : Bob Drake

Bob Drake is part of the State's progressive prog movement(that is to say avant prog), descendents of Europe's Rock In Opposition legacy. He's been part of many groups I dig, such as Thinking Plague. He was joined by David Campbell on bass and drum master Dave Kerman.

To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Bob Drake’s solo efforts. While he played guitar and briefly a purposely out-of-tune violin, I believe this was mostly a tongue-in-cheek experiment. Drake’s voice at times is a high alto, and often (like in 5uu’s) reminds me of what might have happened if Chris Cutler invited Jon Anderson to join Henry Cow instead of Dagmar Krause(like that would've happened!). Unfortunately, Drake's vocals seemed to have been mixed below the music and were very muddled.

Dave Kerman (whom I’ve seen drum many a time with both Present and Thinking Plague) stole the show. He had what looked to be a basic beginner’s drum kit, at least, to my untrained eyes. But he put IZZ’s two drummers to shame! But what else can you expect from someone called on to fill Daniel Dennis’s role as he did while touring with Present? When he drummed, it was amazing. To be frank, it was the only thing musically I enjoyed about the set.

Yes, Dave Kerman will fool you, with rinky-dink drums and coming out in a bathrobe and a pillow, sleeping on his kit through half the set. But when he turned his lamp on, it was time for business! Underneath the veneer of humor and the act of not taking oneself too seriously, is a fierce musician. A lesser drummer couldn’t get away with it.

Nearfest->Saturday : Nebelnest

France was again represented, this time by Nebelnest: Greg Tejedor on bass, Mike Anselmi on drums, Matthiue Sassier on guitar, and Oliver Tejedor on keys.

I’ve seen them once before, back at Progday ’99. My impression of them hasn’t changed since then. Instrumental space-rock with a bit of an edge. After a while, each piece starts to sound like the previous one. At least, to my ears. Perhaps, more discerning ears in tune to their vibe would disagree--feel free to do so.

Nearfest->Saturday : IZZ

From the States, IZZ had moments of sparkle and brilliance. Anmarie Byrnes and Laura Meade provided dual vocals, along with brothers Galbano: Tom (keyboards) and John(bass). However, I found the vocals somewhat muddled at times. Perhaps, it was a faulty mix, or perhaps it was where I was seated (way up in the balcony and all the way back, row EE, seat 11).

I was excited at the prospect of the band sporting two drummers, Greg Dimiceli on an acoustic set and Brian Coralian on a half acoustic, half electronic kit. Still, while they each gave a fine performance, I didn’t feel this mesh of two drummers added that much.

What did impress me was that Tom Galbano, rather than having rack upon rack of keyboards(not that there’s anything wrong with it), only had one. Instead of proving to be a handicap, he showed how amazingly versatile he could be with just one set of keys, getting the most use from his instrument. When, at one point, brother John joined him on keys--well, let's just say Chopsticks it wasn’t!

I’d say they started Saturday on the right foot.

Nearfest Preshow->Fusion Friday : Alan Holdsworth

Of course, England's Alan Holdsworth, from his time in UK, to his work with Bill Bruford, and his prolific solo output, is a legendary guitarist. And anyone who is a drummer or a drummer aficionado, or just into fusion, knows who Chad Wackerman is.

As expected, Holdsworth plays lots of sustains and cloudy chords while Wackerman and Jimmy Johnson provide some tight drums and bass.

Despite the caliber of musicianship though, the compositions started to sound a bit too similar toward the end. Then again, it was kind of late, with few breaks between acts. Still, it was good to see legends in person.

Nearfest Preshow->Fusion Friday : Secret Oyster

If there's something rotten in Denmark, it certainly isn't these guys. Secret Oyster’s performance was my favorite of the night. On keys, Daniel Fridell blew me away. Karsten Vogel played various saxophones and even doubled on keys at one point. The second to last piece ended with a smoking solo from Vogel. Besides the sax, my wife thought Claus Bohling’s guitar stood out.

I liked Assi Roar’s bass solo in the last act, punctuated with licks from Bohling.

Nearfest Preshow->Fusion Friday : One Shot

Hailing from France, One Shot's music ranged from soft fusion to honing a Crimson-like edge, but was surprisingly unlike Magma since three of the quartet are from Planet Kobia.

On guitar, James Macgaw sounded like a mix of Holdworth, Hackett, and Fripp. My wife thought drummer Daniel Jeand’heaur and keyboardist Emmanuel Borghi (playing seated with a two-keyboard rack) stood out. That's not to say, Philippe Buissonnet, on bass, was a slouch! By no means!

There were technical difficulties during the second piece, which they corrected before the third. No worries. Seeing how a band and their crew overcome and correct adversity only adds spice to the performance.

Those in the know were excited about their third piece, which was definitely their best.

The Wheel Of Time (Dream cast)

I've just finished the last volume in the Wheel of Time series, excluding the prequel (once I find where I misplaced A New Spring I'll remedy that). So, now I'll play my picks for the dream cast (if it ever became a movie).

Essential casting:
Character: Mat Cauthon
Actor: Dominic Monaghan
Why? Hands down, he was born to play the role. And though Mat and Perrin of the Two Rivers call up the mind of the duo of Merry (a role Dominic played) and Pippin of the Shire, Mat and Perrin turn out nothing like the two. Perhaps it is my imagination, but I've often wondered if screenwriters hinted at it. For instance, in the movie version of LOTR, Dominic's Merry is mischievous, quite like Mat. In Lost, Dominic plays Charlie, who at times like Mat plays the "bad boy with a good heart". Like Mat, Charlie comes near death as he is hung from a tree, and is revived from the brink.

Character: Moiraine
Actor: Kate Mulgrew
Why? Yeah, Voyager was an okay show at best. But Kate played a cool and collected leader. She did the best with the material she had. She has this air about her that screams Aes Sedai--only under a veneer of calm and sophistication.

Non-essential casting (actors that seem good for the roll):
Thom -- Ian McKellan (hardly an original idea)
Faile -- Lucy Liu
Morgase -- Meryl Streep
Elayne Trakand -- Bryce Dallas Howard
Aviendha -- Kirsten Dunst
Min Farshaw -- Sabrina Lloyd (remember her from Sliders?)
Egwene al’Vere -- Liv Tyler

Of course, I haven't thought out Rand and Perrin, much less Nynaeve or Lan or--obviously this is a fantasy cast in progress.