Also see: http://www.progfest.com/
Progfest 2000
Two Days Of The Best in Progressive Rock!
September 1st & 2nd
La Mirada Civic Theater for the Performing Arts (Los Angeles)
14900 La Mirada Blvd. La Mirada, CA 90638
Featuring...
Friday September 1, 2000 (Doors open at 4pm)
Transatlantic (from USA, England, Sweden)
Kenso (from Japan)
Codice (from Mexico)
Saturday September 2, 2000 (Doors open at 12 Noon)
Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (from Italy)
Supersister (from Netherlands)
Mona Lisa ((from France)
Tempus Fugit (from Brazil)
Special Appearance!
By Armando Gallo at the festival! Book signing for his new edition!
Genesis: I Know What I Like
Progressive Rock Record/CD Convention September 3rd
Free admission. September 3rd from 10am - 4pm. At the Sequoia Club
7530 Orangethorpe Ave. in Buena Park. Dealers inquire
Pre-Progfest 2000 Concert
August 31st with Spock?s Beard + Rocket Scientists
At The Troubador 9081 Santa Monica Blvd. Doors open at 7:30pm,
show starts at 8pm. Tickets $20 before the show, $25 at the door.
Tickets: Tickets go on sale April 1st
prices are $65 for a two-day pass or $35 per day Send check or money order to:
Greg Walker P.O.Box 2034 La Habra, CA 90632 Phone/Fax
(562) 947-1576
Alex Castro 1731 colby ave.
#109 Los Angeles, Ca 90025
For credit card orders: David Overstreet c/o BIS P.O.
Box 65131 Los Angeles, CA 90065 Phone
(323) 225-3210 Fax (323) 343-1925
Reviews:
From: upnsm0ke <>
> From: Julius J. SAROKA drj_saro@n... > was TF able to pull it off live?
i _loved_ TfaFW, but found the live album (and the studio follow-up)
lacking in focus and energy (and subtlety and virtuosity).
It was a good
set, considering Andre brought in a "stand-in" bassist & guitarist
apiece, since Bernard & Henrique had commitments which prevented them from
coming. The guitarist had a problem with his instrument and went offstage right
after the first track, so Andre had to do his solo piece a little early. Other
than a couple guitar-oriented problems, the set went pretty smooth.
From:
upnsm0ke <> Date: Sun Sep 3, 2000 1:31pm Subject: Re:
[e-Prog] ProgFest 2000
> From: Julius J. SAROKA drj_saro@n...
> > so, howsabout some more detailed reviews? > (i'm particularly
interested in Supersister)
I'm sure some great reviews will come in (Jeff?)....here are some thoughts on
the last two days:
(Friday, Sept. 1) CODICE: Very good, they did their 25-minute track (of course),
which is most of CD2 of _Alba Y Ocaso_, and other numbers from the same
release....the lead keyboardist really wailed; the bassist was great, too. One
of two bands with dual keyboardists, and the bassist and drummer each also went
down to the key rigs to give an assist. [What was that about a 'stealth
Mellotron,' Jeff? =D]
KENSO: INTENSE!!! I knew these guys were going to be good, but they were just
unbelievable!!!! Talk about chemistry...I understand some people were in the
lobby while they performed their jaw-droppingly intense fusionoid prog, and
that's too bad. I was really overwhelmed by these guys, each one absolutely
killed on his axe, be it bass, keys, drums or guitar; many a precisely-executed
high speed line was dealt to us. The lead keyboardist wailed, & the bassist
was the best one at the fest, along with the guy from Banco. Kenso's manager
sold out of all their CDs at the fest. I was pissed off at the fact Kenso came
all the way from Japan and didn't do the encore we rabidly wanted, and they
practically dropped the curtain as the guitarist was still speaking to us.
TRANSATLANTIC: I enjoyed "Firth of Fifth." =) Roine wasn't having a
good time, and at least live, his style of playing didn't seem to mesh within
the context of the music. Plus, he was plagued by low-end feedback the whole
time. I kept reflecting upon Kenso most of their set! But they didn't get the
curtain dropped on 'em. >:-l
(Saturday, Sept. 1) TEMPUS FUGIT: Liked 'em. "The Goblin's Trail" is a
beautiful cut, and it came off really well. Some nice Wakeman-esque leads from
Andre Mello, who reproduced his vocals live, without a hitch. Good shredding
courtsey of the guitarist. Nice guys, too.
MONA LISA: Wow. I'd never seen a band like
these guys before. They started their set by coming in from the back and
throwing confetti all over everyone as they cut throught the aisles. These guys
were all about performance (costume changes, onstage antics & silliness
between the band members) and had energy to spare. The guitarist put on an
overcoat and walked around to the other band members, "flashing"
them....the singer whacked audience members with an imitation spiked
ball-and-chain, etc. They really rocked, too, despite the undermixed keyboards.
At one point they decided to "share some culture" with the audience
and walked down, with wine and cheese they'd brought from France! I suspect they
sold a LOT of CDs after their performance.
SUPERSISTER: I'd never heard these guys
before. I understand they'd been broken up for twenty-odd years before
re-forming, and had all of two albums to draw upon for their performance. Yet
they got two hours to perform, including an encore (Kenso?). Either way, I liked
their set, it was somewhere in the grey area between jazz and prog, and the
keyboardist had major chops. Their sound got a little sparse at times (there was
this one mellow, dreamy section of a long number where I was, er, getting a
little too relaxed!), since the keyboardist stuck to smooth organ and Rhodes
tones, and the flautist was usually impossible to hear over the other
instruments. Still, these guys were very tight for a band that hadn't performed
in a long time.
BANCO: Amazing! Nobody could have left
unconvinced this is one of the greatest Italian prog bands ever. I focused on
the bassist and keyboardist most of the time, but honestly, it was hard not to
focus on everyone, with all of the refined talent that was onstage. It was very
cool to see an ensemble-type band, as well (seven guys!); we got treated to some
fantastic six-part harmony vocals. These guys were just stellar; the two-hour
set went by way too fast for me. I was sure they'd do another encore, but when
David Overstreet came out, I knew that was it. ProgFest2K ended with a huge
bang! =)
From: Jeff
Marx <> Date: Sun Sep 3, 2000 8:52pm Subject: Re:
[e-Prog] ProgFest 2000
It was a great Progfest, everything nice
and relaxed, the La Mirada Civic Theater was a great venue with good sight lines
and sound. I'll just add a few comments onto E-Man's.
upnsm0ke wrote:
> (Friday, Sept. 1) > CODICE: Very
good, they did their 25-minute track (of course), which is most > of CD2 of
_Alba Y Ocaso_, and other numbers from the same release....the > lead
keyboardist really wailed
Codice started the Fest out in fine form,
the section from the Iconos Suite was best, as the instrumental intensity was a
thing to see and hear. Two keyboardists, but Marco Corona was *the* man to watch
as he went at it on digital synths and minimoog. He also did a great guitar solo
or two, quite a player!
> KENSO: INTENSE!!! I knew these guys
were going to be good, but they were > just unbelievable!!!! Talk about
chemistry...
If Codice got the place smokin', then Kenso
set the place on fire. They were certainly a fierce and fiery fivesome...all of
them top-notch at lead, harmony, or rhythm playing...which they all basically
took part in. Each piece was brimming with jaw-dropping riffs, solos and breaks,
with dual keyboardists and lead guitar. Bass and drums were just as intense, and
at time the major focus of the action. First time in America for these guys, I
hope they come back real soon.
> TRANSATLANTIC: I enjoyed "Firth
of Fifth." =) Roine wasn't having a good > time, and at least live, his
style of playing didn't seem to mesh within the > context of the music.
The Genesis medley from "Watcher of
the Skies" into "Fifth of Firth" was best, "Strawberry
Fields Forever" was fine as well. Their own stuff....nice, but nothing as
intense as the Beard show the night before. The long piece dragged on and on,
and Roine was clearly not having a good time. Neal Morse was his usual amazing
self on keys, guitars, and vocals...Portnoy and Trewavas were great as usual. I
loved Morse with Spock's Beard the night before, but this TA just doesn't gel
for me. I'm sure Transatlantic sells tickets and they obviously sell tons of
CDs, but as a supergroup so touted by the organizers, they don't fit the bill.
> (Saturday, Sept. 1) > TEMPUS FUGIT:
Liked 'em. "The Goblin's Trail" is a beautiful cut, and it > came
off really well. Some nice Wakeman-esque leads from Andre Mello, who >
reproduced his vocals live, without a hitch. Good shredding courtsey of the >
guitarist. Nice guys, too.
One of my favorite groups in the world, I
was really looking forward to this show. A great choice to open Day 2. If the
guitarist had been a little lower into the mix, Mello's superb backing synth and
piano work would have been more audible. And that's what would have improved
this show a bit more IMHO.
> MONA LISA: Wow. I'd never seen a band
like these guys before. They started > their set by coming in from the back
and throwing confetti all over everyone > as they cut throught the aisles.
These guys were all about performance > (costume changes, onstage antics
& silliness between the band members)
Theatrical Prog? Great genre! :) Not only
were the performance aspects a sheer delight, but the music was deft and deeply
atmospheric, backing whatever activity was going on. The band coming into the
audience with wine and cheese was a trip :) Wonderful keyboard and guitar
work...very high marks all around. One of the top three sets this year, IMHO of
course.
> SUPERSISTER: I'd never heard these
guys before. I understand they'd been > broken up for twenty-odd years before
re-forming, and had all of two albums > to draw upon for their performance.
Yet they got two hours to perform, > including an encore (Kenso?). Either
way, I liked their set, it was > somewhere in the grey area between jazz and
prog, and the keyboardist had > major chops.
Flute, Drums, Bass, Keyboards. The
instrumentation approach was refreshing, my aging ears were happy for a break
from e-guitars. They rocked hard, with some wonderfully nasty fuzzed keyboards
and distortion-filled bass. Their eclectic humor was a joy, the interplay
between them was colorful, and the playing quite ear-catching. The keyboardist
had a great array of organ patches, and he knew how to use them. I think they
felt deeply touched by the great reception and feedback from the audience. A
joyous set!
> BANCO: Amazing! Nobody could have left
unconvinced this is one of the > greatest Italian prog bands ever.
30 years of playing, and this was Banco's
first trip to the states. It was absolutely breathtaking. The instrumental array
has changed, but the speed and dexterity from keyboardist Vittorio Nocenzi, and
the awesome majesty, prescence, and voice of Francesco Di Giacomo were still
there. As was Rudolfo Maltese, so the bridge from the beginning remained. The
dual guitars, sax/flute, keyboards, bass, drums format gave them a very deep,
dense sound. It felt like holy ground in there during the whole set....except
when the sax/flute was missing from the mix the first 15 minutes. A bunch of
screaming and obscenities from some folks in the crowd directed towards the
sound guy/gal was a pretty neanderthal and fairly grotesque, but hey....they got
it fixed, and all was well in this idyllic gathering.
My Top Three; others mileage may vary. BANCO... KENSO...
MONA LISA
From: <>
Date: Mon Sep 4, 2000 3:13am Subject: Re: [e-Prog] ProgFest 2000
<>
broken up for twenty-odd years before re-forming >>
I agree the venue was great. VERY close to
my house, but also in a much nicer neighborhood than downtown LA. I thought the
size was just about perfect, comfortable, and the sound was great. I really
liked that the band members came out afterwards and mixed with the crowd. I
really wished I had known this was going to happen -- I could have brought an
album or two to sign.
I went to see Supersister, so I only went
to Saturday's show. I'm from the old school, so I had never heard of TF, but
enjoyed these guys quite a bit -- especially the singer/keys player. Mona Lisa
was better than I expected -- they got my vote for "most fun"
act....that's not to say the music wasn't great, it was just harder to take them
too seriously.
I became a Supersister fan back in about
'76 (just after they broke up). I had all their albums by the end of the
70's...some were hard to get back then. I followed RJ Stips (the keyboard player
and leader) as he went on to other things. They mentioned his solo album (Nevergreen)
and his group (The Nits) he was in during the 80's in the program. There are
about 15 Nits releases, and I must say that I only have a few. They didn't
mention another solo effort from '79 called Transister -- one album, but quite
nice (similar in that there was no guitar). He also produced the group Gruppo
Sportivo which was a great fun band from the 80's. I spoke with RJ and the bass
player (Ron Van Eck) after the show. They were VERY nice folks and just a dream
come true for me to talk to. I was amazed they had only played together 6 or 7
times before the show...and played together for the first time in 25 years just
a few months ago (seemed like lots of other problems prevented them from
practicing more). Also, other than Stips, the others didn't stay in music. I'm
not sure if he didn't fully understand my question or if I didn't fully
understand his answer, but Ron indicated he hadn't played bass much since about
1980! The second half of their show was better than the first half, but a lot of
that had to do (IMO) with the sound quality getting better. I could barely hear
RJ's fuzz organ in the beginning....eventually they got the mix corrected. I
thought it was great they played for 2 hours.
I'm also a pretty big Banco fan, so I'm
glad they were there the same day as Supersister. I agree with the comments so
far....much like a religious experience for folks like me that can sing along
with many of the songs from my favorite Italian groups....but I don't speak a
word of the language! During some of the quieter, more beautiful, passages, I
just closed my eyes and felt like I had gone to heaven. I've got to put Supersister and Banco down
for my 2 favorites, but I knew it would be that way before I went there.