Free The Red Masque show in Philly 14 December

FREE All Ages Concert Dec. 14 (Sunday)

12.14.08 | The Rotunda at the University of Pennsylvania, 4014 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104; 215-573-3234. 8 PM. All Ages. Free admission but donations for the bands are accepted at the door. Band order: Offshore Drilling, The Red Masque, Radio Eris.

About the Bands:

The Red Masque

The Red Masque is an original avant rock band from the Philadelphia area. Part art, part alchemy, the group's experimental songwriting style is both angular and eerie, accented by free-form space rock improvisations, intricate acoustics, dark atmospherics and chunky riffs. Unconventional and eccentric in musical form, the sophisticatedly sinister The Red Masque fuses together such disparate musical references as horror movie soundtracks, rock-in-opposition, progressive rock, experimental, zeuhl, heavy rock, gothic, psychedelia, space rock, and kraut rock.

"From Pennsylvania hails a quartet without limitations to their purposes and without shame regarding norms and dogma within new rock."
- Tarkus Magazine

"In the Nu-progressive rock underground, few bands are as respected and feared as Philadelphia's The Red Masque. Without irony or kitsch, the whirlwind that is Masque ... stalks the darkness of Hammer Horror ambience and cursedly complex musicianship (think Gong meets Bauhaus) with only feedbacking noise, sound-collage clustering and the howl of vocalist Lynnette Shelley to light its way." - Philadelphia City Paper

Founded in February 2001 by bassist/keyboardist Brandon Ross and vocalist Lynnette Shelley, the Red Masque went through several lineup changes over the years, but its intent and integrity has always remained the same. The band's goal was, and is, to create original music that pushes the envelope of the listener's expectations. With such influences as Magma, King Crimson, Hawkwind, Gong, Pink Floyd, Bauhaus, Art Bears, and Van Der Graaf Generator, The Red Masque's compositions are as intense as they are unique.

One of the group's first concerts was at the Prelude to the North East Art Rock Festival (NEARFest) in 2001. Other notable shows include the 2005 Rogue Independent Music Festival in Atlanta, the 2001 World Con Science Fiction Convention, the New Jersey proghouse series, Orion Studios in Baltimore; the Philadelphia Landing Pad Space Rock Festival; and The Gate to Moonbase Alpha concert series at the Rotunda in Philadelphia. The Red Masque also organized and performed in the 2002 and 2003 Philadelphia Underground Music and Culture Festival. The
Red Masque have also opened up for notable performers and musicians such as Chris Cutler (Henry Cow, Art Bears), The Muffins, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and Present. They have also performed on stage with such well-regarded drummers and percussionists as David Kerman (5UUs, Present, Thinking Plague) and Paul Sears (The Muffins, Thee Maximalists).

Steadily growing an audience within the underground progressive and psychedelic music communities for their uncompromising and intense style of music, The Red Masque have released to date one EP ("Death of the Red Masque" in 2001), and three albums ("Victoria and the Haruspex" in 2002, "Feathers for Flesh" in 2004, and "Fossil Eyes" in 2008), as well as one single (2003). "Feathers for Flesh" was released through the Big Balloon Music label out of Washington state and garnered critical reviews in the press, including Wire Magazine,
Harmonie Magazine, Progresiste Magazine, iO Pages, Colussus Magazine, Tarkus Magazine, Progression Magazine, Expose Magazine, the Philadelphia City Paper, Metro Philadelphia, and various online newsletters, blogs, and review sites. Interviews in various progressive music media also followed, including Progression Magazine and Expose Magazine.

The band is currently signed with RER USA / Ad Hoc Records and released their highly anticipated third album, "Fossil Eyes" in August 2008. "Fossil Eyes" is widely considered the band's most daring release to date is garnering critical reviews in the media and radio
airplay amongst the more independent radio stations.

The Red Masque is:
:: Brandon Lord Ross: bass guitar, moog, echo theremin
:: Lynnette Shelley: vocals, lyrics, noises & percussion
:: Brian "Vonorn" Van Korn: drums, keyboards, theremin

with David Pym, guitar

www.theredmasque.com
www.myspace.com/myredmasque

Radio Eris

"Radio Eris craft discordant loveliness from poetry and sound. Founded by shamanic poetess Lora Bloom and studio visionary Matt Stevenson, their live shows are cathartic and overpowering, a vibrant wall of sound incorporating dance, improvisation and spontaneous anarchy into a heady mix. " Adam Fieled, Philadelphia Independent.

Eris is a lost goddess in Greek Mythology: the goddess of discord, known for only one story: the throwing of a golden apple that began the Trojan War. Philadelphia psychedelic band Radio Eris channel this discordian spirit in their music, bringing her back to life in their
own image as a powerful symbiotic force, a source of transcendence. The Radio Eris mythos is a series of fortunate accidents leading to a magical bond, something a little more than just a band.

Began as an ambient poetry project between Matt Stevenson and Lora Bloom, two flawed but driven artists who knew little about music but nevertheless possessed the holy fire, Radio Eris has matured to become a band with a powerful energy and unusual sound. Radio Eris can be
ambient and ethereal, as loud and harsh and any noise punk band, or psychedelic and offbeat like a reincarnated 60s space rock band. They utilize improvisation along with non-ordinary song structures to accommodate free-verse poetry and often incorporate lighting, costumes, dance, performance art and other theatrical elements into their live shows, creating a surreal atmosphere.

Radio Eris consists of five elements: Matt Stevenson, genius mastermind and sound engineer, plays both keyboards and bass in the band, plus provides the sound direction; vocalist Lora Bloom illustrates her strange poems with inhuman wails, odd vocal experiments and breathy chants; legendary lead guitarist Dan "Redbeard" Baker pumps energy and passion, "sets the stage aflame with piercing garage-style blue notes" (A. Fieled); drummer Lisa Sunshine a
guiding light of driving momentum, yet ready at a moment's notice to collapse into formless ambience; and Kenny the Extremist, sound terrorist and mad experimenter, hides behind his massive machine of keyboards, effects, purcussion and theremin.

In accord with the DIY spirit, Radio Eris has recorded and self -released 4 full albums: "Loralaii", "Beautiful Losers", "Strength" and most recently, "Monkey Island" (at their new gallery/studio/living space Eris Temple). They have also released a track on an Orange
Entropy Compilation, and recorded the critically acclaimed "Apesma" on the Captain Beefhart tribute album "Mama Kangaroos" from Genus records.

Radio Eris has performed everywhere from warehouses (Killtime, Highwire Gallery, C.O.D.E.) to coffee houses, bars (The Fire, The Khyber, J.C.Dobbs) to basements, and from after-hours strip clubs to afternoon arts festivals. They have participated in West Philadelphia's legendary Clark Park Festival and are regular performers in the Landing Pad, Doug McMahon's annual space rock festival hosted in the University of Pennsylvania's spacious Rotunda. The also often appear in A.D. Amorosi's Monday Night Club at The Balcony and have performed at events hosted by October Gallery, Pink Hanger Presents, Orange Entropy and Genus Records. Most recently they played a European tour and festival.

www.radioeris.com
www.myspace.com/radio5eris

Offshore Drilling

"Offshore Drilling is a drummer and a guitarist fighting and dancing like old friends on a good gin drunk."

Experimental/Noise band Offshore Drilling is a new project by guitarist Brandon Morsberger (of the Philadelphia band Drums Like Machine Guns) and drummer Gray Hender. Offshore Drilling consists of melody and noise clashing, and exchanges of soft then brutal passages.

http://www.myspace.com/offshoredrillingband

15 years...

4 December 1993...

http://www.zappa.com/flash/dec4/index.html

I think many of us miss you more now than ever...I wonder what he'd be creating today...

Some thoughts on boxed sets...

A few days ago I posted a review of the new Ayreon boxed set, Timeline. It got me to thinking about boxed sets in general. A bunch of progressive rock bands have released (in some cases, several) boxed sets, with varying degrees of success.

What do I mean by success?

That can be measured in so many ways. Certainly commercial sales is one way, but come on…this is prog. More importantly are artistic degrees of success and content. A label can repackage an artist’s catalogue, but if the artist him (or her) self is involved, the results are often superior. Related to that would be the contents of the set…is it a simple collection of previously released material, or is it filled up with interesting stuff that we may never have heard before?

The following is a smattering of boxed sets that I’ve found to offer very good value for one reason or another.


King Crimson – Epitaph, The Great Deceiver. Sure, they released one of the better career retrospective boxed sets in Frame by Frame. But save for the fourth disc of live material and a few curious edits (re-recording vocals and bass on "Cadence and Cascade" and "Bolero" respectively, among others), FxF doesn’t offer a huge amount to the hardcore Crimhead. Better to look at Epitaph, a 4-CD set of material from the first incarnation of the band (including some awesome BBC session stuff), or The Great Deceiver, 4 discs of concert material from 1973-1974. Both are well nigh essential…the first really allowed people to re-evaluate the first band and what they were capable of, while the second showed the 1973-1974 band for what they were…perhaps the first progressive metal band, and one who could jam as well. Awesome stuff all the way around.

Genesis – Archive 1968-1975. Full Lamb Lies Down concert? Check. Another disc of live material from the Selling England period, along with some hard to find B-sides? Sure, why not? An entire disc of material from the Genesis to Revelations era? Well…interesting, to be certain. It’s a shame the band didn’t visit this idea for the second boxed set (1976-1992)…if they had, I’d recommend both. Add in some excellent liner notes and recollections from all parties involved, and I am more than willing to overlook the re-recorded bits (yes, it was hard to mic Gabriel when he was in the Slipperman costume, but…). Now, all we need to find is a previously unknown high quality professionally filmed Lamb show and release it on DVD…that sound you hear is the sound of 500,000 devoted Genesis fans combusting spontaneously in thought…

Magma – Trilogie au Triannon. It’s tempting to say you need no more Magma than this. This is the essence…the first trilogy from Christian Vander and his Kobaian band mates. MDK, Wurdah Itah, Theusz Hamtaakh…Orff-ian, minimalistic, orchestral, intense. You get lyrics! You can sing along! It sounds like I making fun of this, but…I’m not. Magma is one of my favourite bands ever, and this boxed set is one of the best ways to discover what this underrated band has to offer. Not many groups can claim to have created a whole genre of music…Magma did just that. Essential. Essential in extremis.

Frank Zappa – The MOFO Project/Object. Zappa’s had a bunch of things that could be considered a boxed set. Lather is one, one might consider the YCDTOSA series as one, especially if you have the road case to put the volumes in. But that one was released in 6 individual releases, while Lather is more a repackaging than anything else. MOFO is…more. Yes, you have the original Freak Out! Album, but it’s a mix no one has heard in almost ever. Plus loads of studio sessions, outtakes, interviews…it gives the listener a great look into Zappa in 1966, the Mothers of Invention at their early onset, and it smokes to boot. I am not too keen on the packaging (the plastic seems to stick a little bit), but it’s an impressive looking thing, to be sure. And the music matches it.

Echolyn – A Little Nonsense. Yes, I wish the debut release were in print by itself. Same with …and every blossom, or When the Sweet Turns Sour. But we get all of them here, along with some remakes of older songs, some outtakes, and so on. 3 discs, a bugger of a package (yes, it looks all nice, but the discs can be a beast to get out carefully), and a nice booklet that offers up some historical background to the music in hand. If you’ve got everything else the band released and are missing these, get the box. It’s less expensive by far than trying to dredge up an original pressing of the debut, which at one point was selling for $200 or more.

Renaissance – Da Capo. A bit slight at only 2 CDs, this set is, however, what the old Sire released Tales of 1001 Nights dreamed it could be. More inclusive by far, it covers the old Keith Relf era of the band up through unreleased material from the Time Line/Camera Camera era band. The booklet is informative, there’s some great photos of the band from throughout the life of the group, and over all, it’s the best package a Renaissance fan has right now. It serves as a great intro to the band for those unfamiliar with their glorious classically influenced progressive rock. And really…you can never have too much Annie Haslam.

Emerson Lake and Palmer – Where do I go here? I don’t have the most recently released boxed set, so I am limited to looking at The Return of the Manticore and the 3 Bootleg Boxes. The original 4 CD boxed set really only offered up one disc of interest to hardcore fans…the first, with some reworkings of songs from each band member’s past (i.e., a Crimson cover, a Nice cover, an Arthur Brown cover), as well as a reworking of Pictures at an Exhibition. There’s a few previously unreleased live tracks tossed in to spice things up, but overall, this is pretty much a career retrospective and not much more. The bootleg boxes are illuminating, and occasionally offer up some great sounding live recordings (the pair from 1992 and 1993 specifically), but in the end they are for absolute die hard fans only, the ones who can handle listening to a recording that is muffled or imperfect in order to hear the band taking risks.

I have a hard time with Yes. All I really have is the old YesYears set. I do not have In a Word, nor do I have The Word is Live. So I can’t recommend either of those. And YesYears…out of print, out of date (only covers up to Union), and some curious selections in tracks. Not a lot of unreleased goodies either…and very unessential now that Rhino has repackaged and re-released all the original studio albums with a plethora of bonus tracks and stuff.


I'll probably revisit this subject in a few days as well, once I've had a chance to mull over a few other boxed sets and artists...watch this space!

Rush Snakes & Arrows DVD previews

Courtesy of the people at Rounder Records, I've got some streaming previews from the forthcoming Snakes & Arrows live DVD from Rush. Sadly, I have yet to figure out how to get streaming video like this to work here (gotta read the manual!), but for the moment, I think if you click the following links, it should work just fine:

Limelight
Far Cry
The Spirit of Radio

The DVD is due for release on...well, 2 days ago, really :-)

REVIEW: Karmakanic - Who's the Boss in the Factory

There seems to be a cottage industry of Flower Kings related bands.

This can be seen as both right and wrong. For example, is Kaipa a Flower Kings related band, or is it the other way around, especially as Kaipa predates the Flower Kings by several decades? Is The Tangent a Flower Kings related band, or a Parallel or 90 Degrees related band? Transatlantic? And so on…it just keeps going.

The lines remain somewhat blurred with Karmakanic. Bassist Jonas Reingold’s band, Karmakanic explores a jazzier side of progressive rock. Reingold’s a hell of a bassist, and in a genre filled with a plethroa of great names, that’s saying a lot. He has chops to spare, but he can play with remarkable subtlety and grace. Fretted or fretless, it really doesn’t matter…put a bass in his hands and magic will shortly follow. Karmakanic’s latest release is Who’s The Boss in the Factory, a 5 track (with the closing track indexed with two track numbers) showcase for his excellent playing and solid compositional skills. Joining him on this release are Zoltan Csörsz on drums, Lalle Larsson on keys, Krister Jonsson on guitars, and Göran Edman on vocals. Also guesting are a few familiar names…Andy Tillison of The Tangent (here we go again), Tomas Bodin (the Flower Kings, natch) and Theo Travis (Gong/Tangent/et.al.).

Where Reingold’s playing on Flower Kings releases may lean ever so slightly toward the jazzier side of things, his work with Karmakanic seems a bit more punchy and powerful. This isn’t a complaint about his presence in TFK at all…but as Karmakanic is his project, it’s only understandable that he’d be a bit more to the fore. Having said this, the album opens with a song that honestly could have possibly been lifted from nearly any Flower King’s release, the 19-plus minute epic “Send a Message From the Heart.” Filled with positive lyrical messages and some wonderfully deft instrumental interplay, it’s an audacious choice as opener. For anyone thinking that Karmakanic is just another TFK-related band, “Send a Message From the Heart” will do little to disavow them of that notion…unless they take the time to listen deeper into the song. There are some great jazzy interludes and instrumental excursions…great keyboard playing, light and airy bass/percussion playing at an almost telepathic level, and so on. In general the arrangement, while perhaps more complex at one level, is also far more stripped back…less orchestrated, less symphonic.

Things change up on “Let In Hollywood.” A series of chopped acoustic guitar chords lead into some cool singing from Göran Edman and a nice groove from Csörsz. This is a powerful, bass-driven song, with cynical lyrics deriding the pre-packaged entertainment that so many people swallow whole. I love the lyrical bit that goes “I can’t hear a single, this song is 7/8”…I can catch myself singing this from time to time, so the hook did its job. The synth work is excellent, and as for Reingold’s playing…it’s almost as if he were channeling the spirit of John Entwhistle through Chris Squire’s fingers…and saying that is almost a swipe at Reingold, for his instrumental voice is entirely his own. I just can’t think of any better way to describe the power he pushes through his instrument on this track.

The title track is the second ‘true’ epic on the album, at 13:04. The opening is quiet and piano based, with a touch of acoustic guitar to sweeten the mix. Vocally darker as well, the introductory moments are far more sombre and almost malevolent than anything else on the album. The track builds gently, evolving into a slightly more orchestrated take on the Karmakanic sound, with string stabs and moments that verge on progressive metal.

I also want to make note of the 2-part album closer, “Eternally.” Written in memory of Reingold’s parents, both of whom passed way late in 2007. The opening movement is a gentle piano piece that may sound out of place on an album such as this, but which is played with such delicacy and beauty that it simply must be heard. I hesitate to use the word gorgeous, but…the piece is gorgeous. No doubt about it. The second part drips with raw emotion, with grand string arrangements and passionate, from the depths of the soul singing. Reingold plays a fretless on this track, judging by the sound, and his playing is subdued, restrained, yet the intensity of emotion of his playing can be heard and felt in every quavering note. It may sound odd, but for such a sad song, the piece is uplifting and affirming at the same time…it never falls into a pit of despair and wallowing pity.

I greatly enjoyed Who’s the Boss in the Factory, and can’t say enough good things about it. The album has it all…impressive playing, great vocals, and writing and arranging that keeps songs fresh and interesting throughout. Don’t look at this as another Flower Kings related band and album…Karmakanic deserves far better than that.


Send a Message from the Heart (19:29)
Let in Hollywood (4:53)
Who's the Boss in the Factory (13:04)
Two Blocks From the Edge (9:51)
Eternally Pt. 1 (1:51)
Eternally Pt. 2 (6:22)

Jonas Reingold on bass
Zoltan Csörsz on drums
Lalle Larsson on keys
Krister Jonsson on guitars
Göran Edman on vocals

Symphony X 2009 Asian Tour dates

13 February, 2009 Bejing, China MG Live House
15 February, 2009 Shanghai, China Wanping Theater
17 February, 2009 Kowloon, Hong Kong HITEC Auditorium
20 February, 2009 Bangkok, Thailand AUA Auditorium
22 February, 2009 Taipei, Taiwan Sword Lake Youth Activity Center

As a semi-reminder, I will be writing up a piece on the new Paradise Lost special edition release. I've been living with the album the past few days, and...well, I don't have any other SymX albums to compare it to, so I can't say how it rests among previous releases like V or Divine Wings of Tragedy or anything else, but...I like it quite a bit. I'm not much into progressive metalthese days, having pretty much overdosed on it, but I'd say SymX may have a bit more in common with the European power metal bands in many ways.

And yes, Russell Allen is probably THE voice in prog metal as far as I am concerned.

Anyway, expect a more in depth review in the next day or so, once I get Karmakanic's review up on the blog (later today, I'd wager).

The Rebel Wheel news

Direct from David Campbell:

Right now we are hard at work preparing for our next album for 10T Records. The album is titled "We Are In The Time Of Evil Clocks" and features the same line-up that we had at the Nuance fest (and the Rosfest after-hours party) with:

Angie Macivor on saxes, keys and vocals
David Campbell on guitars, keys and vocals
Gary Lauzon on bass and keyboards
Aaron Clark on drums and keyboards

We are also proud to feature guest artists
Rick Barkhouse on keys (http://www.widowswalk.ca)
and Guy Leblanc on keys (http://www.nathanmahl.ca)

The rehearsals are well underway and all the material is written and arranged. We intend to hit the studio in early January.

We just started a blog about it, so if anyone is interested please stop by:

http://therebelwheel.blogspot.com/

NEARfest announces Cabezas de Cera for 2009

Well folks, it's been a long time coming, but here we are with an announcement of avant proportions. NEARfest '09 is proud to present Mexico's Cabezas de Cera as the opening act for NEARfest '09. Along its path, Cabezas de Cera (CDC, Candle-Wax Heads) has gone through various phases: as a trio (1995 - 1997) with Cristóbal Pliego on the bass and brothers Mauricio and Francisco Sotelo on the electric guitar and the drums respectively. In 1998 CDC became a quartet with Ramsés Luna; in this way, CDC close their first cycle. Finally, in 2000 CDC consolidates as a band formed by Mauricio Sotelo on the strings, Ramsés Luna on the winds, Francisco Sotelo on drums and Edgar Arrellín as the sound designer.

CDC grounds its compositions on a diversity of styles and contemporary genres. However, it is in this creation of unique metal instruments, as well as their extraordinary execution and experimentation where CDC finds a rich balance between acoustic and electronic styles. A Cebezas De Cera concert is full of emotions and colors, which seems from time to time to evoke the endeavor of forging metals in an atmosphere of strength and fire. The compositions encompass experimental music, jazz, world music and Mexican popular music, but they find in rock and improvisation, the liberty to merge these sounds into a unique style. Pat Mastelotto of King Crimson fame states: "At a time when so many are sounding the same its a delight to
hear a band as unique as Cabezas de Cera".

With albums such as Un Segundo, MetalMúsica, Fractal Sónico and their latest Hécho en México, live, and countless festival performances under their collective belt, CDC is on the forefront of the current avant/world/jazz metal scene. If instruments such as The Charrófono, Jarana Prisma, Tricordio, Wind Midi, Chapman Stick, Handsonic and Alto Sax stir your musical soul, then prepare for a unique journey and join us as we welcome to the NEARfest '09 stage,
Cabezas de Cera.

Cabezas de Cera, "Nocturo Incandescente"
http://www.nearfest.com/mp3/nocturnoincandscente.mp3

Caravan: The Future?

This from the official Caravan news site...not a promising post, sadly:

I can confirm that Jan Schelhaas has moved to Scotland and now lives outside Perth. While this makes collaboration between Pye (Hastings) and Jan a tantalising prospect, it dampens the possibilities of Caravan regrouping, as the costs of meeting up to rehearse and tour are more or less prohibitive.

Pye also feels that a guitarist would be essential, and finding the right person would take a huge commitment of time and energy. Doug (Boyle) regretfully does not wish to play live (although he and Pye are on good terms, having met in London fairly recently). Added to that is the on going question about Richard's (Coughlin) ability to be able to cope with a series of dates.

The best prospect at present therefore is to look forward to releases by individual band members. Jan's very good album is out and Pye is beginning to reflect on who he would like to support him on his solo album, which he is working on. He is keen to involve members of the band...

LE ORME to headline FMPM 2009

Next September, one of Italy's greatest progressive rock bands performs for the first time in Montreal, as Le Orme headlines the fourth edition of the FMPM. Founded in 1966, Le Orme have released 18 albums, have headlined almost every significant music festival while maintaining a loyal fan base in Italy, and continue to produce acclaimed studio material forty years after their inception.

After releasing several beat and psych singles, the classic trio formation of Aldo Tagliapietra, Michi dei Rossi, and Toni Pagliuca was in place by 1970. This formation released four canonical Italian prog releases during this time, "Collage", "Uomo di Pezza", "Felona e Sorona", and finally "Contrappunti". Like many of the more popular Italian groups, Le Orme tried their hand with an English release, with "Felona & Sorona" coming out on Charisma with translated lyrics by Peter Hammill. Due to the instrumental configuration of keyboards, bass, and drums, and with a very classical sound, it is easy to compare this period to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, without the maudlin stabs at honky tonk and the like.

In the late 70s a fourth member joined on guitar, and releases such as "Florian" and "Piccola Rapsodia dell'Ape" take on a different flavour, with an emphasis on acoustic textures. In the 80s the group was down to the core trio but less active. A reunion took place in the late 90s with the release of "Il Fiume", and a well-received appearance in Quebec City (among others). The group was now a quartet, with Michele Bon and Francesco Sartori sharing Pagliuca's old keyboard duties.

Not content to rest on their laurels, this decade has seen the release of two conceptual studio works, "Elementi" and "l'Infinito". Unlike many progressive groups who have continued from the early 70s to today, Le Orme's current work is considered by many to be of the same quality as their classic period albums. Le Orme headlined NEARFest several years ago and a CD/DVD release called "Live in Pennsylvania" came out this year to commemorate that event. Le Orme is now back to a trio formation, with Michele Bon handling all keyboards along with stalwarts Tagliapietra and dei Rossi, and have maintained a busy gig schedule in Italy this year. They are currently at work on a new album.

In September, Montreal will be the place to be, as Le Orme joins a top caliber line-up including Magenta, DFA, Thieves' Kitchen, and Rouge Ciel. More information about the festival, including our official hotel, is available at http://www.fmpm.net.