LTE reunion mega-boxed set announced

http://ytsejamrecords.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=32

"The LTE Box Set is the ultimate souvenir of Liquid Tension Experiment's 10th Anniversary Reunion Tour.

Included in this deluxe package is both the NYC and LA shows in their entirety (on both CD and DVD), as well as the Liquid Trio Experiment 2 CD and two items that are exclusive to this set and will not be available separately: Live In LA on BluRay disc and a bonus CD of all of the improv jams from the other LTE 2008 shows.

THIS DELUXE BOX SET IS LIMITED EDITION AND ONLY AVAILABLE ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS!!!
THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE PRESSING DONE AND ONCE THEY ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE FOREVER!!!
DON'T REGRET MISSING OUT ON THIS GREAT COLLECTOR'S ITEM!"

Box Set Includes:

• LTE Live In NYC (2 CD)
• LTE Live In NYC (1 DVD)
• LTE Live In LA (2 CD)
• LTE Live In LA (1 DVD)
• LTE Live In LA (1 Blu-ray) Available only in the boxset
• LTE Bonus Disc (1 CD) Available only in the boxset
• Liquid Trio Experiment - When the Water Breaks: Live In Chicago (1 CD)
• 24 Page Booklet

NEARfest 2008 in review

NF 2008 was in some ways one of the more challenging ones for me from both a physical and emotional level. Through most of the weekend, my body seemed to be conspiring against me. Despite this, some of the most memorable musical things happened.

Koenjihyakkei was a solid Saturday opener. I had some issues with the vocal/sax interplay, both of which seemed to stay in very similar ranges, making it difficult at times to discern which was which. But they also had "the" drummer of the festival for me in Tatsuya Yoshida, and his performance was the benchmark by which I compared all others.

Sorry, Mike Portnoy.

Discipline. Not fair of me to say anything. They exceeded my expectations a thousand fold, and I wept for the first time during the festival as they played "Into the Dream." It was a transcendent set for me, one I hope will eventually see some kind of official release. I should add that the rest of the guys in the band are brilliant as well...I've known Matthew Parmenter for a few years, but Mathew Kennedy, Jon Preston Bouda and Pual Dzendel were all a joy to chat with too.

Peter Hammill was superb. It was one of the diverging performances of the weekend, as his particular brand of existential despair and doom is not for everyone. But he played 'In the Black Room,' and 'A Better Time,' and 'Still Life.' A perfect English gentleman to talk to as well. Brilliant man.

Liquid Tension Experiment was good. I know they wowed a lot of people who expected nothing from their set. I did about 90 minutes of their set, and had enough. It's just not for me anymore. But kudos for incorporating a full fledged and rearranged rendition of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" into their performance (Banco would echo this Sunday night, opening their encore with a soprano sax or clarinet solo that interpolated bits of the theme).

Morglbl on the other hand is LTE with Gallic humour. Cristopher Godin is a ham, and his stage presence was wonderful. Floral print tie and all. Great player, oozing character, and the bassist held his own! Very goofy, fun, party prog on the metal edge. Liked them a lot. I'll buy their albums I think. A perfect Sunday opener, and I think they got called out for two encores (and deservedly so), a first.

Radio Massacre International...I dig electronic music, but watching it can be tedious. It was somewhat here...and I was tired. And starting to hurt badly. Cyndee Lee Rule's violin additions helped, as did the occasional use of drums. But the set seemed disjointed.

Echolyn was also a lot of fun. they played several songs I'd never heard played before, like 'Winterthru,' 'The Great Men,' 'Entry 11-19-93' (or whatever the date in the title was). Very energetic set. No new material, but it was a blast. Again, I missed part, as before the encores I started to hurt so bad I was nauseous and crying (thankfully over the course of the rest of the evening I'd spend some time with the guys, which was brilliant as always. They are total class acts...).

Medication and food later, we had...

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso.

After their set, I walked around goofy saying "I just saw Banco." I'd walk up to someone and say "That was Banco." It was transcendent, and again, I wept. They were everything I heard on their albums and more. Far far more.

But for me, this year meant something more. This year I think I realised how important the people around me all weekend were. My friends helped me get through a very rough patch with kindness and concern and selflessness. That totally made it for me. Some of the past festivals' performances may have been individually superior, but I may remember NEARfest 2008 most fondly in the end.

NEARfest 2008 photos

Day 1 if you still think of Friday night as preshow, otherwise day two of NF pix are up and available to view here:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v478/prjt2501/nearfest_2008/1_koenji/
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v478/prjt2501/nearfest_2008/2_discipline/
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v478/prjt2501/nearfest_2008/3_hammill/
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v478/prjt2501/nearfest_2008/4_lte/

I'll post day 2(3) tomorrow.

Bay Area Rock Fest 2008: LTE, Enchant, more

Bay Area Rock Promotions is pleased to announce the 2nd annual Bay Area Rock Festival at the Independent in San Francisco on June 27th and 28th 2008. Liquid Tension Experiment and Jeff Scott Soto will headline the premier west coast festival for progressive and melodic music.

In 1998 and 1999, Liquid Tension Experiment released two instrumental albums that set the prog world on fire. The project featured Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, virtuoso keyboardist Jordan Rudess and bass legend Tony Levin. After the success of the two albums and the project's undeniable chemistry, Rudess was asked to join Dream Theater full-time and the project was put on the shelf for an indefinite hiatus until now! The quartet has reunited to revisit the magical music they created 10 years ago and tap back into their chemistry for a whole new musical experiment. They are closing out their limited tour on Saturday night as the headliner of the festival.

Jeff Scott Soto headlines the first night of the festival, bringing his talented mix of rock, metal and funk back to San Francisco after recently fronting Journey. Joining him onstage for a special guest appearance will be Dave Meniketti and Phil Kennemore from Y&T, as well as Eric Martin.

Returning to the festival for a 2nd year are Bay Area bands Enchant and Zero Hour. Zero Hour is debuting their new album "The Dark Deceiver" available on Sensory Records. Making their North American debut Saturday night is Netherlands prog metal sensation Sun Caged. The Rocket Scientists with special guest Lana Lane will be appearing on Friday night. Additional bands will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the festival will be on sale Sunday May 4th at Tickets.com. 2 day discounted festival passes will be available as well as single day tickets. Only 500 tickets will be made available. For more details visit www.bayarearockfest.com or www.independentsf.com

10th Anniversary Liquid Tension Experiment dates announced

In 1998 and 1999, Liquid Tension Experiment released two instrumental albums that set the prog world on fire. The project featured Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy & John Petrucci on drums & guitar (respectively), virtuoso keyboardist Jordan Rudess and bass legend Tony Levin.

After the success of the two albums and the project's undeniable chemistry, Rudess was asked to join Dream Theater full-time and the project was put on the shelf for an indefinite hiatis.... until now!

Back together for a select number of US dates, the quartet is reuniting to revisit the magical music they created 10 years ago and tap back into their chemistry for a whole new musical experiment!

Sat June 21st - Bethlehem, PA - NEARfest
www.nearfest.com

Mon June 23rd - New York City - BB King's
Tickets On Sale Saturday March 15 12pm EST
http://www.bbkingblues.com/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=4390

Wed June 25th - Chicago, IL - Vic Theater
Ticketing info coming soon

Fri June 27th - Downey, CA - Downey Theater
Tickets On Sale Saturday March 15 8am PST - All seats reserved, first come first served
Tickets available ONLY at http://www.calprog.com (PayPal or major credit card)

Sat June 28th - San Francisco, CA - Bay Area Rock Fest
www.bayarearockfest.com