Nearfest 08 -> Sunday : Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

This is what it's all about! Symphonic prog at its best. The British might have invented Prog, but the Italians perfected it. Banco's Io Sono Nato Libero is one of the best compositions of all the ages. Even without Francesco Di Giacomo's operatic voice, Di Terra proved to be a strong album as well.

Unlike many other groups the same age, Banco is just as good today as they were thirty years ago. Francesco's vocals are still as powerful as they ever were. As is Vittorio Nocenzi's skills at the keys. The biggest surprise was wind player Alessandro Papotto perfectly quoting Rhapsody in Blue and then utterly slaying his instrument--musically speaking.

There were chops galore. And heart lifting melodies. By the end, I wanted to go down and give Francesco a bear hug.

Nearfest 08 -> Sunday : echolyn

echolyn's Suffocating The Bloom is one of my favorite albums of all times, one of the best albums of nineties Prog. Brett Kull's unique guitar tones--Chris Buzby's colorful keys--Paul Ramsey's jawdropping drumming--Tom Hyatt's fantastic bass--all exemplified Americanized Prog at its best. Counterpoint galore! And let's not leave out Ray Weston's dynamic vocal range, and how well it harmonizes with Brett's voice.

Their commercial follow up, As The World, pales in comparison, but it does have its moments of glory. Unfortunately, after their breakup and reunion, I was never able to get into their later music. Perhaps a little too close to 'modern/alt' rock for my taste.
At Nearfest, I don't think they were able to measure up to their studio sound. However, it could've been where I sat--up in the balcony again, in the last row. Sometimes the vocals were muddled below the mix and Ray and Brett did not seem to harmonize.
Still, Entry 11.19.03 was pretty good. The line " The mail was late again today" always gets to me.

Nearfest 08 -> Sunday : Radio Massacre International

I thought I'd like Radio Massacre International. A mix of rock and electronic music sounded intriguing. I do love Jean Michael Jarre, Kitaro, and when I'm in the mood ambient. But perhaps, I wasn't in the mood that day. I love sonic exploration, but sometimes I need a composition to latch onto. They started off guitar/bass/drums--so far, so good. Then the drummer and bassist both left to fiddle with their sequencers. And for the most part, that's what the set consisted of--sequencers and guitar meanderings. Even when they had a couple guests, it did not seem to add much. The poor violinist seemed rather lost at times.

I nodded off for a minute here and there. But, at least, I awoke refreshed…

Nearfest 08 -> Sunday : Mörglbl

Chris Godin showed himself a grandmaster of guitar, a mix of Steve Vai meets Alan Holdsworth meets Jan Akkerman. Six string bassist Ivan Rougny and drummer Aurelien Ouzoulias were up to par as well. While my attention drifted during some songs, their piece Tapas Nocturne was one of the best of the weekend.

Their musicianship is topnotch, but it is their humor and congeniality that won my heart. Mörglbl shatters all those stupid stereotypes about rude Frenchmen. Ties and bare feet--that sums them up perfectly.

Nearfest 08 -> Saturday : Liquid Tension Experiment

Though I have their first album, I wasn't aware that Liquid Tension Experiment were considered prog metal. Seeing them live, there's no doubt. I'm not a big fan of prog metal in general, but they are an exception. Hands down, Tony Levin was the best bass player at Nearfest--no surprise there. And, of course, if you're a drummer, Mike Portnoy needed no introduction. John Petrucci played heavy licks with technical finesse, but also revealed a softer side. Jordan Rudess only played on ONE keyboard that swiveled 360, but he was outstanding.

My attention did start to drift after a while. If they used the heavier elements sparingly, their compositions and improv would stand out more. The music would have more power. However, at the end, it was their take on Rhapsody In Blue that won me over. If George Gershwin was rolling in his grave--he was rocking'n'rolling. Move over Gershwin and give Bernstein the news...

Nearfest 08 -> Saturday : Peter Hammill

Of course, Peter Hammill has been very influential on music in general, and his group Van Der Graaf Generator is a prog giant. So it was an honor to finally see him live.

He sang and played "unplugged", just him and his piano, and on occasion his guitar. As in VDGG, he has his trademark dynamics punctuated with distinctive pauses. Seeing him distilled from VDGG was interesting for a while, but then I began to crave the more rounded experience that his group brings. Perhaps, one day...

Nearfest 08 -> Saturday : Discipline

I first saw Discipline at my first prog fest, Progday 95. Since then, I've seen them throughout the years and their brand of neo-prog gradually grew on me. At times, Matthew Parmenter channel's Peter Hammill/Fish. Jon Bouda reminds me of Steve Rothery--only more technically proficient. Mathew Kennedy and Paul Dzendzel provide solid and interesting bass and drums. Their album Unfolded Like Staircase represents the best of American neo-prog.

They played, among other pieces, Crutches, Into the Dream, and of course, Cantov IV--all their best works. In fact, I still have Crutches going around and around in my head.

Nearfest 08 -> Saturday : Koenji Hyakkei

A veteran of Salma Mammas Manna, Yoshida Tatsuya's drums were blazing. Yabuki Taku's keys were awesome. Samamoto Kengo was no Jannick Top, but he knew how to play the bass. Komori Keiko's reeds provided the finishing touch. In all, the musicianship was top notch.

It was terrible.

While Nami Sagara proved she could sing well within human ranges, albeit operatically, most of her vocals were too high pitched. This group wears their Magma influences on their sleeves, and that's just fine with me. However, they took all the worst vocal aspects from MDK--the screechy section--and stretched it out for two hours. It was cringe worthy. As much as the musicianship and composition was a big plus, the vocals were a far, far bigger minus.

Progressive Rock--My subjective take

In the late sixties to the mid seventies, it was vogue for all music to reach out, blur the lines, and fuse with other forms. Jazz leaned toward rock to form fusion. Funk was essentially progressive soul. Music in general seemed to be progressing toward a meta-genre and it seemed that perhaps the artificial distinctions between people and cultures would vanish as well. When it came to music, people were more open-minded back then, and had longer attention spans. Commerciality existed, but it was not the tyrannical force that it became later on.

Essentially, what became known as progressive rock began as a branch of rock music that aspired to incorporate elements of jazz and symphonic/chamber(aka classical) flavorings. Thus, in many cases, it featured songs in the form of long suites, with meters outside of the common 4/4, and complexities not typical of rock.

There were various "schools" of progressive rock, many that did not recognize each other, but became grafted together because of the eclectic tastes of listeners, and because of being more complex and/or experimental than the mainstream.

There was what we now call the "symphonic" branch: Yes, ELP, early Genesis, Gentle Giant, Gryphon, Happy the Man, very early King Crimson, the Moody Blues, early Jethro Tull, Van Der Graff Generator, Camel, PFM, Banco, ect…

There was a conglomeration of groups that originated from the Canterbury region of England that had a more jazzy sound: Soft Machine, Egg, Gilgamesh, National Health, Hatfield and the North, Caravan, ect…

And then there was a more experimental school, one that disliked the more assessable and popular "symphonic" groups. They incorporated such elements as avant-garde and 20th century chamber music. Henry Cow, Univers Zero and four others joined in a festival called Rock in Opposition. Eventually, RIO became common nomenclature referring to avant rock groups with similar leanings.

The lines though are blurred. Camel is from the Canterbury region and shares some of the same Canterbury roster, but leaned "symphonic". Henry Cow started as a Canterbury group, but branched into more and more experimental music, until it became the core of the international RIO movement. In many cases, it's impossible and futile to pinpoint where jazz-fusion ends and Progressive rock begins. In that time of open mindedness, it was not unheard of to like different groups such as Yes and Magma. Even though there were vast differences, both were distinct from more typical rock music, and thus the tastes of fans adopted both.

However, a terrible train wreck occurred on the road to meta-music: Punk, totalitarian commercialism, and racism. Punk was the anti-Prog, a regressive music where not knowing how to play became celebrated. Record companies began the downward spiral into the cookie-cutter abyss. For the most part, rap, like punk, was regressive, devolving from its party music origins, devoid of technique and musicality, focusing solely on a spoken word that too often glorified violence, greed, crime, guns, pride, and self-imposed segregation rather than the dream of uniting with one's fellowman based on common humanity.

Eventually, punk progressed into new wave, leaving its caveman trappings for the synthesized flavorings found in electronica. By this time, Progressive rock had essentially crystallized as a sound, and what remained of it had been driven underground. Some groups looked back to more symphonic times, to the golden age of Yes and Genesis, while lacking their technical virtuosity. Thus began a blend of new wave with progressive seasonings, groups such as Marillion and IQ, who began "neo-prog", the Second Wave of Progressive Rock.

In many ways, neo-prog was not truly Progressive Rock. It did not reach to the same heights or depths or textures or complexities, it did not fuse jazz or symphonic works. Neo-prog represented true Prog about as much as a bag of Doritos represents Mexican food--it was mainstream rock with progressive flavoring. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't good music. In fact, albums such as Script for a Jester's Tear and Misplaced Childhood were quite stellar. Many progressive rock fans adopted neo-prog into the genre and the tent and definition became larger.

In the nineties, while the mainstream was flirting with Grunge/Alternative(which was essentially a regressive revival of Punk), true Progressive rock experienced resurgence, a Third Wave. Groups such Anglagard, echolyn, and Spock's Beard brought Prog into the present. They went beyond mere neo-prog, but approached the technical complexities of Prog's Golden Age. At the same time, many RIO-like groups such as 5uu's, Thinking Plague, Tipographica achieved something similar for the avant wing as well. The internet, progfests, albums reissues and a plethora of smaller labels contributed to this music boom.

Will there be a Fourth Wave? Will more mainstream groups like the Mars Volta and Radiohead embrace Prog, making it acceptable once again? Will post-rock groups like Tortoise keep arising and reinvent the wheel, reverse engineering prog-like sounds? The common wisdom is that these things go in cycles. Sometimes music fatigue weigh on both fans and groups. There are commercial pressures and unforeseen developments. It's hard to say what the future will bring. But the one thing we know for now: The music is out there.