The Enid News

Major bits of Enid news...rather than try to summarise, I'm providing RJG's words for you to absorb and process. There's a lot going on...I hope dearly it comes to fruition:

JOURNEYS END - But Not The End Of The Story

This may be the last major concept album from The Enid, but not the "last album". After this comes "Virtuoso", and "Fand Grosse". Along side that, the ongoing "Redux Project" - A five year plan and a legacy. My bid for immortality!

Journey's End is the certainly our most optimistic and thought provoking album. Allegorical in nature, it deals with our place in the cosmos, the nature of eternity and the final question - the journey into the shadows - the inevitable path we must all tread.

Although Journey's End contains many of the creative ingredients of the "FarOut" project which I finally abandoned in 2006, it is not that album by another name. It has a very different concept and is much more sanguine than FarOut would have been had it ever seen the light of day.

As the album nears it's compositional end, I too am gradually nearing mine. There is no escape from the slow silent killer we call diabetes. For me it is now or never.

VIRTUOSO - A Bridge Too Far?

For the last two years I have made a serious effort to regain my piano technique - as it used to be in 1969 when, if the plans of my parents had been adhered to, I would have attempted to be in the final of The Leeds International Piano Competition.

One of the ways I have been doing this, is by creating exciting virtuoso arrangements for solo piano of certain pieces by The Enid - most notably "Childe Roland". Now the rest of the band and I are experimenting with "all live" - unplugged chamber versions of some of our most enduring pieces across the decades.

FAND GROSSE - THE DEFINITIVE VERSION FOR TWO BANDS

Plans are afoot to team up with Secret Green and do monster performances of Fand in a special extended arrangement for both bands. More news as things progress.

REDUX PROJECT - The Definitive Enid

Over the next five years The Enid will endeavour to record all of our past studio albums in enhanced arrangements and available in 5.1 surround sound. These will become the "director's cut" - the definitive Enid.

DOWNLOADING THE ENID - Coming Soon

Soon you will be able to download The Enid's Music. There will be no charge for this service. Instead we ask for donations to "The Enidi" based what you feel is deserved and ability to pay.

http://www.theenid.com/

RIP Paul Kopecky 1971-2009

http://www.legacy.com/JournalTimes/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=128873113

Paul James Kopecky, 37, passed away unexpectedly due to complications of juvenile diabetes at All Saints on Monday, June 22, 2009. Paul was born in Racine on October 22, 1971, the son of Joseph and Shirley (nee: Andreason) Kopecky, Jr. He was a graduate of Park High School, and was a lifetime Racine resident. Paul was employed at JC's Mufflers & Brakes of Racine, where he was an extraordinary mechanic, manager, and leader. He was also a very talented musician, and loved playing with his brothers, Joe and Bill, in their band 'KOPECKY.' Together they had released 5 CDs, and performed at music festivals worldwide and played with many national recording artists.

CD/DVD REVIEW: Therion, The Miskolc Experience (2009, Nuclear Blast Records)

Ever since seeing a video for their song “Birth of Venus Illegitama,” I’ve had a soft spot for the band Therion…so much so that over time I have purchased just about every release in their catalogue. From traditional death metal through their more recent symphonic metal releases, there has been a constant thread of progression…not only in style but in the actual compositions, many of which are filled with interesting changes and arrangements. I’m not sure that I’d necessarily label the band progressive metal, but there’s enough prog in them to whet my appetite.

Sadly, the release of Gothic Kaballah really disappointed me for some reason, and I fell a little behind with them. I skipped that release after hearing it, as well as their live follow up release Live Gothic. So when I saw The Miskolc Experience boxed set sitting on a vendor table, I was a bit taken aback, as I’d not known it was coming out.

I knew about what it contained, of course…I remember reading about their performance at the International Opera Festival in Miskolc Hungary in 2007. I remember hoping beyond hope that such a performance would be documented, with the associated worry that it’d not be professionally filed or recorded…or even worse, that it would be and the recordings would not pass muster. In the interim, an audience recording slipped into my hands, and disappointed me with its lack of audio fidelity. Sadly, I passed each day with the memories of what must have been a memorable performance slipping away, the disappointment in not only being unable to attend due to distance and cost but in knowing in my heart of hearts that I’d not ever get to hear or see the performance fading away…until I saw the boxed set.

So what is on The Miskolc Experience?

Well, the boxed set contains 2 CDs and 1 DVD. The performance and material concert-wise is the same on both types of media. The first 40% or so of the concert is Therion with orchestra, choir and soloists, performing a selection of classical and opera pieces subtly rearranged. Opening with a soloist and orchestra only arrangement of Therion’s “Clavicula Nox,” from the 1998 album Vovin, we quickly shift through Dvorak, Mozart, Verdi, Saint-Saens, and Wagner. The section from Dvorak’s 9th symphony, From the New World, is appropriate, and almost headbang-worthy in itself. “Dies Irae,” from Mozart’s Requiem mass, is another wonderfully appropriate selection. Much of the Requiem I think could be nicely transposed for metal band, and the “Dies Irae” is perhaps the obvious choice for such an arrangement.

And as for Wagner, well…can one deny that in its own way Wagner’s operas were perhaps the metal of their day? Bombastic, pounding, screaming vocals and intense musical workouts of passion and fire. Thankfully Therion and their conductor Markus Stollenwerk have veered away for the most part from adapting material from the Ring saga…it’d be expected to hear material from Die Walküre, yet the only selection from the operatic epic comes from Siegfried. Instead we have a healthy selection of pieces from an earlier opera, Rienzi. As I am incredibly unfamiliar with this work (it’s rarely performed due to length and style), these pieces were enlightening.

Throughout the classical performances, the band and orchestra are joined by a huge choir and 4 wonderful soloists. Lori Lewis and Judit Milnar are expressive sopranos (Lewis had been touring with Therion on their tour for Gothic Kaballah and also sings for the band Aesma Daeva), while Andras Molnar and Gergely Boncser are both powerful tenors with fairly dynamic range (I’d probably come closer to describing them as baritones or bari-tenors than straight tenor vocalists).

CD 2 sees band, orchestra/choir and vocalists (including long time Therion singer Mats Levin) in full on metal mode, playing through a ‘brief’ set of Therion classics. Material is taken from throughout the band’s more symphonic releases, with special emphasis on Vovin, Deggial, and Sirius B/Lemuria. The two disparate musical entities merge pretty well across these 9 tracks; I know it’s become a bit of a cliché in the music industry for bands to do orchestral recordings, but in most cases it becomes more of a rock band playing with some orchestral backing to sweeten the pot. There’s been a bit more care taken here; Therion’s music often seems to call for just this kind of experiment, and it works out well, with the band sitting back when not needed, giving the orchestra and choir space to sing, coming in when appropriate. The same can be said in reverse, really; just as in a traditional orchestra, there are times when a certain instrument is not needed, and thus it remains silent. In this way, Therion actually seems more a part of the orchestra than separate from it, and the music and arrangements benefit.

As mentioned. The Miskolc Experience also includes a DVD of the performance. Video quality is good, albeit a bit dark for my tastes, and it lacks a bit of definition in my eyes. Sound quality is excellent however, and meets that of the CDs. The mix is only in stereo; quality is good as mentioned, but I might have enjoyed hearing this material with a surround mix. Bonus features are interesting if a bit light; part of a performance from Bucharest featuring the music of Therion performed entirely by orchestra is included (16 minutes), while a 20 minute documentary goes into the actual production of the show, from setting up the stage through the beginning and end of the show. Rehearsals are shown, and one gets a feel from these and brief interviews with the band how the concert came about. I watched the documentary before starting in on the main programme (I have this problem with wanting to watch special features before the actual meat of the content), and in some ways it ended up casting a pall over the concert for me. I had this image in my mind of this concert happening in a grande opera hall, yet it seems to have been held in a gymnasium (in many of the concert shots you can see the scoreboard above the band). It doesn’t detract from the songs or performance at all, but…I can’t help but think that such music should be experienced in a more appropriate setting.

Everything (the 2 CDs and the DVD, each packed in a separate digipak) is enclosed in a nice hard box with cool and Therion-esque cover art…a wasteland with violin, horn and woodwind partially buried amidst piles of earth and skulls. A booklet enclosed with the DVD features extensive notes from band founder member Christoffer Johnsson, discussing some of his philosophies behind the performance; why he wanted to do it, how the pieces were selected, et cetera. The credits list is longer than almost any album in my collection (though it may nit rival the number of musicians who have played with Magma over the years ;-) ), and the booklet is completed with several photos from the event.

Therion may be developing a bit of a reputation of market saturation (2 studio albums followed by a 4 DVD/2 CD set, followed by a 2 CD studio release and another 2 CD/1 DVD live set), but The Miskolc Experience is something entirely different, documenting one incredibly special evening in Hungary that will likely never be repeated. If you like your rock to mix in a healthy dose of the classical…or wish your classical let you bang your head a little more, then this release is definitely for you.

(NB: unless things change drastically, this will be the final Therion release to feature the ‘classic’ core band featuring Johan and Kristian Neimann, both of whom have left Therion for their own projects. I do believe Mats Levin has moved on as well.)


Part 1 - Classical Adventures: (44 min.)
01. Clavicula Nox
02. Dvorak: Excerpt from Symphony no. 9
03. Verdi: Vedi! le fosche notturne spotigle from Il Trovatore
04. Mozart: "Dies Irae" from Reqiuem
05. Saint-Saens: Excerpt from Symphony No. 3
06. Wagner: "Notung! Notung! Niedliches Schwert!" from The Ring
07. Wagner: Excerpt from the Overture from Rienzi
08. Wagner: Second part of "Der Tag ist da" from Rienzi
09. Wagner: First part of "Herbei! Herbei!" from Rienzi

Part 2 - Therion Songs: (66 min.)
01. Blood Of Kingu
02. Sirius B
03. Lemuria
04. Eternal Return
05. Draconian Trilogy
06. Schwartsalbenheim
07. Via Nocturna
08. The Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah
09. Grand Finale

Bonus Features (DVD only):
01. Documentary (20 min.)
02. Therion Goes Classic – Bucharest (16 min.)


Musicians:
Christoffer Johnsson: guitars
Kristian Niemann: bass guitar
Johan Neimann: guitars
Pieter Karlsson: drums

Soloists:
Lori Lewis (toured with Therion)
Mats Levin (toured with Therion)
Judit Molnar
Andras Molnar
Gergely Boncser

List: Officially released NEARfest shows

As inspired by tehcrazydiamond, here's what I believe is a fairly exhaustive, but probably missing a few, list of NEARfest performances which have seen official release. Performers with a NFR in parenthesis have seen their show released on NEARfest Records, otherwise the info in said parenthesis will generally list title and/or label the performance was released on.


NEARfest 1999
Mastermind (StellarVox)
Spock's Beard (part of Live at Nearfest and the Whiskey, Radiant)
Nathan Mahl (NFR)

NEARfest 2000
DFA (MoonJune Records)
Thinking Plague (NFR)
Nexus (Prog Media)

NEARfest 2001
Under the Sun (ProgRock Records)
Birdsongs of the Mezozoic (NFR)
Djam Karet (NFR)

NEARfest 2002
Caravan (CRP)
Nektar (CRP)
Steve Hackett (NFR/Camino)
Miriodor (Cuneiform, as part of Parade release)
La Torre dell'Alchemista (Marakash)

NEARfest 2003
Glass Hammer (NFR/Sound Resources)
NOTE: Magma did not allow filming or recording of their set.

NEARfest 2004
Hidria Spacefolk (NFR)
Strawbs (Witchwood Records)

NEARfest 2005
Kenso (Pathograph DVD)
Le Orme (Ice Records/Sonny Boy Management, DVD/CD)
IQ (Phantom, DVD)
Steve Roach (NFR)
NEARfest 2005 DVD (NFR)
Frogg Cafe (on Safenzee Diaries, 10T)
Proto-Kaw (3 tracks on DVD packed in special edition of The Wait of Glory, IOMA)

NEARfest 2006

NEARfest 2007
Izz (Doone)
Pure Reason Revolution (NFR, plus 2 songs on DVD in special edition of Vincit Amor Omnia, Superball)
NOTE: Hawkwind and Magma did not allow filming or recording of their sets.

Rumoured for possible future release (NB: these are just rumours based on best available information, and as such should be taken with as many grains of salt as you'd like):
Yezda Urfa (Marc Miller has been mixing, and in November 2008 mentioned he was close to a final mix)
Banco 2008
Camel 2003 (possible DVD)
Riverside 2006 (possible DVD, original rumour was that it would be packaged in Special Edition of their most recent album)
FM 2006

Please also note: NEARfest is far from the only festival to have some excellent performances released officially. ProgDay, 3RP, and ROSfest, among others, have seen some excellent live releases come from their festival performers and performances.

CD REVIEW: Trettioåriga Kriget, War Years (Mellotronen, 2008)

I’m not sure, but I think I may have caused a few people to think I was tripping on some pretty heavy lysergics during NEARfest.

You see, a lot of people ask me about the bands that are playing, especially if they are unfamiliar with them. So when people come up to me and asked “Bill, tell me…what is this band Trettioåriga Kriget like, really,” (only they’d never really say that, since they were probably stammering over the first word, and in the end possibly getting so frustrated that they’d end up saying in exasperation “That older Swedish band that’s gonna play) I’d reply with the following:

“Well, at their hardest, they’re like what Rush would sound like if they were really a prog band.”

Said questioner would walk off all smiles and excited…only to catch up with me after their performance and say, incredulity on their faces “That didn’t sound like Rush at all.” To which I’d have to reply “No, I said they sound like what Rush would sound like if they were really a prog band…not that they sound like rush.” And I stand behind this to this point…a good mix of heavy and light, lyrics that satirise the state of humanity, and then satirise the people doing the satirising…I think there’s a good degree of connection there. Yes, it’s fair to say that TK is far more symphonic than a band like Rush could ever be; it’d also be fair to say that they are jazzier as well. And perhaps Geddy Lee sounded better in the higher vocal registers than TK’s falsetto singer, but that’s splitting hairs.

People who continue to offer disbelief at my analogy would do well to pick up War Years, the recently released 2 CD live set from the band, available on Mellotronen Records (the same label who has handled all of the band’s reissues and new releases to date). Across the 2 discs in this package, one gets a very good primer on what made this band such a mainstay of many old school progger’s LP and CD collections over the years.

The first disc comprises recordings of the band during their first lifetime, from 1971-1980. Here we have a band hungry for success and acclaim, and pouring it all out on stage. There’s plenty of highlights here…the lengthy guitar and bass excursions on “En kväll hos X,” the dramatic “Krigssång,” and the heaviness and almost punky attitude of “Mot alla odds” or “Dåliga nerver” are just a few of them. The band is full of energy and fire, and it comes across clearly despite the occasionally advanced age of the source material. For those of you who didn’t believe me at NEARfest, this is the disc to hear. You may still not think they’re prog (I maintain that they are), but you can’t deny that they have and had energy and rocked out.

Disc two is made up primarily of material recorded at their first ever (I think) US show, from Progday in 2004. This is perhaps closer in tone to the stuff heard on stage at Lehigh University this past weekend. After an introduction track, we’re greeted with one of my favourite TK tunes ever, “Lång historia.” Driving bass and drums, excellent guitar work, tight composition…this is why I dig Kriget as much as I do. Most of the band’s Progday set is included here (including a smoking take on "Om Kriget kommer"), along with a liberal sprinkling of material recorded in Nacka, Sweden in 2007. The voices may have aged somewhat, but the passion behind those voices hasn’t dimmed a bit. I think it might have been nice had the band included a bit more of what was then their most recent album, but that’s an artistic decision that I can’t really speak for other than to express this desire.

Sound Quality: Throughout the release, sound quality is very good to excellent. Some of the earliest tapes feel a bit hot to me, and there may be a bit of slight crackle around the edges (“Confusions,” filled with overdriven harmonica, seems to suffer the worst of all), but the recordings never become unlistenable. Obviously the 2004 and 2007 recordings feature modern digital clarity, but even here there’s a bit of warmth and roundness in the mix. The material is mastered at a good level…not too loud, not so soft that one must crank up the stereo to get a listenable volume. Finally, the band is mixed quite well, with space for each instrumentalist to be heard.

War Years is packaged in a tri-fold digipak, which sounds nice in theory. Sadly, the first disc is not placed in a tray; instead, it’s slipped into the booklet and held in a pocket on the first fold. I anxiously anticipate that the disc will end up getting scratched over time. I’d have happily paid a little extra for a second plastic tray to mount the Past disc in. Otherwise, the liner notes offer some historical perspective over the band’s history, giving a nice little potted Trettioåriga Kriget biography. Some great historical photos feature as well, placing everything into perspective.

I recommend War Years pretty highly; I think people who were borderline about the band this past weekend may find themselves pushed closer to fandom after a listen or two. Longtime fans will of course love it, and I think people who were disappointed with the performance may find themselves appreciating it a bit more after listening.


CD 1 – PAST:
Introduction Tippen
Confusions - Live 1971
Perspektiv - Live 1974
Handlingens skugga - Live 1974
Krigssång - Live 1977
False start - Live 1976
Krigssång II - Live 1976
En kväll hos X - Live 1977
Den stora kliniken - Live 1977
Mot alla odds - Live 1979
Dåliga nerver - Live 1979
Blues - Live 1981
Som förut - Live 1981
Errolito - Live 1980

CD 2 – PRESENT:
Introduction
Lång historia - Live 2004
Mina löjen - Live 2004
Om Kriget kommer - Live 2004
Andra sidan - Live 2004
Jag och jag och jag - Live 2007
Moln på marken - Live 2004
I början och slutet - Live 2007
Krigssång - Live 2004
Gnistor - Live 2004
Ur djupen - Live 2004
Dagspress - Live 2004
Kaledoniska orogenesen - Live 2007


Musicians:
Stefan Fredin: bass, rhythm guitar, vocals
Dag Lundquist: drums, violin, percussion, vocals
Christer Åkerberg: electric and acoustic guitars
Robert Zima: vocals, guitar
Mats Lindberg: keyboards, saxophone
Olle Thörnvall: lyrics, harmonica on CD 1, track 2

Find out more at:
http://www.trettioarigakriget.com/

NEARfest day two: a review in brief...

If waking up Saturday was rough, you don’t want to know how waking up Sunday was. Still, I made the decision this time to have a couple glasses of water first thing, and we stopped off at the Dunkin Donuts before heading down to the venue. That water, and the bottle of OJ, really made the difference, and I had no problems at all Sunday. The place was pretty empty, and the vending rooms were slow. We were excited to see the first two bands, and thus we made sure to get up to the theatre in time for the Sunday opener…

QUANTUM FANTAY, from Belgium. So much energy. So much personality. So much more space rock. These guys got a huge response from the sleepy NF crowd…so much so that they sold out of CDs and other merch. They bounded around the stage, wailed on guitar and bass, thrashed the drums, and coaxed swirly synth sounds from their instruments. I wish I had picked up their CD/DVD set, but there’s always mail order. Sunday opener slots have seen some of the most exciting surprising sets at NF…Hidria Spacefolk, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Guapo, and now these guys. Big things lie ahead for them I think.

BEARDFISH followed. I was really looking forward to them, and so was Sharon. Neither of us were disappointed. I love their vintage sound, with loads of great keyboard textures, excellent guitar, and above all, killer songwriting. They didn’t worry about the crowd, playing the ‘controversial’ “Roulette” and “The Gooberville Ballroom Dancer” as early as possible. Nothing like a healthy dose of bikers named Jesus and motherf*^&ers, eh? They played some stuff off the forthcoming album, whose release I now worry about with things getting as dicey as they are (SPV bankrupt, Beardfish and PoS pulled off the Prog Nation tour). I am glad I got to see them, and I hope to whoever is listening that they can be brought back over soon.

Lunch was bison burgers from the vendors outside. They were good. I was tired. The sun was out. We’d been hanging out with Ray and Tom from echolyn a bit, as one does at these festivals. We’d also been hanging out with the guys from Quantum Fantay a bit, and Rikard and the others from Beardfish, who as I said above were awesome. Time was growing short, so we headed in for the third band on day two…

TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET from Sweden. They’re a classic band…for a while, one of the few 1970’s Swedish bands you could find releases from. At their heaviest they are what Rush would sound like if they were a prog band. And yes, they played a healthy dose of the heavier stuff…and a lot of their quieter, more restrained pieces. I like them, and I liked their performance. I think they were the wrong band at the wrong time, really…they were too relaxed for a set late in the afternoon on the second day of the festival. I think DFA’s energy would have worked better here. And I know that people had a major issue with the falsetto vocals. Still, I liked them, and they deserved to be here.

Dinner break arrived, and I packed enough away to make sure I’d get through the final band. I had high hopes yet again, and I had a feeling they’d be met.

PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI did more than meet them. They exceeded them a thousand times over. One always worries when a classic band says they are gonna play a lot of newer material. Well, the songs from Stati di Imaginazione more than belonged in the set…they were every bit as vital as the classic material. And what a selection of classic material…’Dove…Quando,” “Impressioni di Settembre," “Out at the Roundabout.” I was waiting for “E’Festa,” and I was blown away…it take s a lot to get 1000 people at NEARfest out of their chairs, yet PFM achieved this. They got audience participation. I saw 1000 people dancing and jumping. I felt the walls shake. I heard them screaming on request. It was thrilling, and one of the best performances I have ever seen at NEARfest.

But this year’s NEARfest was about far more than the music. It was about meeting up with people I see once a year. It was about repaying the people who so graciously and generously allowed us into the inside, letting us become part of this breathing, living entity. It was about seeing the festival in a whole new light. If NEARfest 2009 was anything, it was a rebirth in so many different ways. I came out better than I went in. In the end, NEARfest 2009 will perhaps be the most memorable one for me.

Progday announces BRAVE

ProgDay 2009 will get off to a rousing start as the outstanding melodic progressive metal band BRAVE take the stage. Celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, their performances with bands like FATES WARNING, ASIA, LACUNA COIL, SPOCK'S BEARD, OPETH and SYMPHONY X have earned them a reputation for atmospheric, powerful and soulful music. With the heartfelt, passionate vocals of MICHELLE LOOSE, lyrical metal guitars, and a violin that is sometimes songbird-like and other times symphonic, they have created a unique, rich sound that sets them apart from the expected.

"The first thing to hit you is the melancholy voice of lead singer Michelle Loose, with a delivery that makes me think of the old group Renaissance fronted by the multi-octave vocals of Annie Haslam. Now take those vocals, put in a duel heavy metal guitar attack and then to top it off, add a violin similar to the group Kansas. There you have Brave...This band is really Beauty and the Beast. With the gorgeous vocals of Michelle Loose swirling all around you, the beast of a band behind her, hits you like a ton of bricks. The combination is something to behold." - Scott Ward, SEA OF TRANQUILITY

ProgDay is the world's longest running progressive rock event. The 15th edition will take place on September 5th & 6th, 2009, at beautiful Storybook Farm near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. BRAVE (US) join LA MASCHERA DI CERA (Italy), OZRIC TENTACLES (UK), MÖRGLBL (France), QUI (Japan), FRENCH TV (USA), 3RDEGREE (USA) and DELUGE GRANDER (USA) for another great weekend of the best in progressive music! For more information and to hear music from all of this year's ProgDay bands, please visit us at www.progday.net.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ProgDay has changed it's domain name. We are now "Progday.net" instead of ".com." If you are one of ProgDay's supporters, please be sure to make the change to ".net" in all of your links and bookmarks.

ProgDay tickets on sale now

Tickets for ProgDay 2009 will go on sale WEDNSDAY JUNE 24, 2009. They may be purchased via credit card on the ProgDay web site or by personal check. Checks should be made out to ProgDay and sent to:

Jeff Wilson
521 Limestone Rd
Carlisle, Pa
17015-4348

For more information visit the "tickets" section of http://www.progday.net

Ticket Prices for 2009 will be the same as last year:

Weekend Patron Pass - $140*
Advanced Weekend Pass - $90 (through Aug 23)**
Weekend Pass At The Gate - $100
Single Day Pass At The Gate - $60

*Our patron program is provided as a way for prog fans to provide an extra donation to ProgDay. ProgDay patrons do receive privileged parking closer to the venue (Storybook Farm Venue Only). Patrons will also receive a free copy of this year's program. Patron passes are limited due to the size of our parking area.

**Advanced weekend passes are also limited due to the size of our back up bad weather venue, so get yours early.

Hotel Information:

Once again this year the official hotel for ProgDay will be:

Comfort Inn University
3508 Mount Moriah Road, Durham, NC 27707
(919) 490-4949

A special rate $80 will be available for ProgDay attendees. Please call the local hotel number (919) - 490-4949 to reserve your rooms. Additional information can be found under the "local information" section of the ProgDay web site: http://www.progday.net

CalProg tickets on sale 27 June

6th Annual CalProg Progressive Rock Festival
Date: Saturday October 10, 2009
Place: The Center Theater in Whittier, California

Line Up:
It Bites (UK)
Karmakanic (Sweden)
Touchstone (UK)
Agents of Mercy (Sweden)
Plus Tom Brislin (Jersey) Solo on the Patio

If you are not familiar with these bands, please take a moment to visit the CalProg web site to read about them and to listen to audio samples of their music. Even if you don't know the bands, you may be familiar with some of their members: John Mitchell, Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold, Nad Sylvan and Nick D'Virgilio to name a few. This year promises to be yet another incredible day of progressive music.

Tickets go on sale THIS SATURDAY morning (June 27) at 8AM. All seats are reserved. Prices: $100 (1st 8 rows) and $80 for the rest of the house.

New live VdGG releases!

This came out of left field...I didn't realise it was coming. Then again, I don't have Peter Hammill's news page bookmarked, only the lyrics page. Must remedy that. In any event, onward...

Now here's something exciting! The Trisector trio of Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and Peter Hammill performing an almost 2 hour concert with a great set-list in front of a tremendously enthusiastic crowd on April 14, 2007, all captured professionally.

"The Paradiso has been the scene of several epic shows in VdGG's past. This one's a gem of an addition to the collection. This was our first tour as a trio and by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were well into our stride, having played nine previous shows. There's a mixture of old, new and rediscovered material here. The emphasis, though, is on looking forward rather than backward."-Peter Hammill

1. Lemmings
2. A Place To Survive
3. Lifetime
4. (In The) Black Room
5. Every Bloody Emperor
6. All That Before
7. Gog
8. Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild
9. The Sleepwalkers
10. Man-Erg
11. Scorched Earth

This is available on both CD and DVD, with the DVD also featuring an interview with PH from 2009. Looks like a must have!

(thanks to Steve F. from Wayside/Cuneiform for posting this and bringing it to my attention!)