[atlantaprog] Long review from ProgPositivity: Thanks for a great Rogue-fest everyone! :-)

I didn't get to see every band at Roguefest.  I had the family with me and 6 
hours seemed to be their max attention span.  Stphen, my 6 year old had a good 
time!  He loved the *light* show, and really got into being able to *see* the 
musicians in action, switching instruments, playing multiple keyboards, using 
guitar foot-pedals.  He also really got into the way the drummers had the band 
logo on their bass drum head!

 

The joy of having a 6 year old is that you get to see the world *anew* all over 
again!  :-)

 

Here are some notes on the bands that I did get to see! I apologize if I left

anyone out!   

 

Great show and we look forward to attending again next year!  :-)

 

Mark Stephens

ProgPositivity:  all the fun - without the flame!

http://www.progpositivity.com

http://www.live365.com/stations/musicoptimist

 

DAY ONE:

 

Wheatstone Bridge absolutely rocked the house! I realize that an intense band 
like this wont be everyone's cup of tea - and that's cool - but I'm certainly 
putting them in *my* Positivity Listening Notes! What a great synergy of CSN&Y 
vocal harmonies, Rush-esque bass lines, with a dash of King Crimson and speed 
metal thrown in for

good measure. Both intricate and intense without becoming foreboding, I 
couldn't believe they were the *opener* for the event! More Wheatstone! More 
Wheatstone! :-)

 

Missed Hazard Factor driving back to the Hotel to wake up Angela?. my Sleeping 
Beauty!  :-)

 

Got back to the venue just in time for Farpoint!  :-)

 

Farpoint had an excellent folksy prog vibe with precise lead electric guitar, 
busy yet fully coordinated and integrated bass lines, jammin' drums, powerful 
vocals... Great performance! If you get the chance to see Farpoint, I'd say "go 
for it". Their music comes across very well in concert. Their new song "Crying 
in the Rain" rocks but it

was "The River" which left everyone mesmerized - glued to their chairs, then 
applauding for an encore!

 

It was great to be the *premiere* audience for Lord Only's new huge epic piece 
based on Dante's "Divine Comedy.  Wow! What an epic piece of work that was.  It 
spanned quite a range of emotions!

 

After that, my entire family was exhausted.  With Stephen already asleep and 
Angela fading fast on the couch outside the concert hall, I knew it was time to 
call it a day.

  

Sunday, after Church, Sleeping Beauty needed to take a nap!  LOL!   

 

That's OK, I think my 6 year old needed one too!  Alright... I admit it? I TOOK 
A NAP TOO!  LOL!   Hey, I tried watching Golf on the Hotel TV but it turned 
into a nap for me too!  LOL!

 

Late arrival Sunday afternoon.  We missed the first two acts and didn't get to 
see as much of Z-Axis as we would have liked.

 

The part we *did* see was a fantastic mixture of electronic, synthesized, and 
prog

rock jam band music! That description doesn't do them justice. Kind of 
Psychedelic with multi-media but on the melodic side of things?  My wife really 
dug Z-Axis, which left me pondering how much she would have enjoyed Timothy 
Pure the night before.  I think a lot!  A whole lot!  Oh well?

  

Angela wanted to eat at Gladys Knight's chicken restaurant so we rushed over 
there during Bell Jar's set.

 

Based on the first few songs, Bell Jar performed what I would describe as a 
vampire-ish, foreboding, kind of dark tribal prog rock that nevertheless 
emerged as strangely catchy with its tuneful choruses and intricate 
arrangements. I hope that doesn't sound negative as I am really saying this 
mainly because I have the distinct feeling that this was precisely the sound 
that Bell Jar was *striving* for - so it is a form of compliment even though it 
is really not what I'm into personally. I'd be interested in discovering if 
others heard their music similarly to the way I described it or quite 
differently from me. musicoptimist@xxxxxxxxx



 

Karma Lingo has incredibly gifted and tight vocal harmonies. They did a more 
precise rendering of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" than Queen has ever dared to 
attempt in concert. Wolves in the Fold - a commentary/admonition not to think 
"it can't happen here" was the emotional high point of their set. Very 
talented, very tight, professional band. I'd love to hear much more from them 
in the future!

 

Unbounded Sky was the biggest wonderful surprise of the festival for me! As 
they set up, I first noticed the Kurzweil... then the Moog...  then the Triton, 
then the Full Electric Piano... The Keyboard player is a virtual Rick Wakeman 
in the making my friends! His name is Bill Graham - but my wife keeps calling 
him keyboard genius guy! ;-)

 

This was a wonderful set of songs from three 16 year old prog rockers 
intermittently joined by an "over 21" guy to sing a chorus or two every now and 
then.  ;-)

 

Id say approximately 80% of the show was instrumental with just the three 
members

onstage.

 

Bill handled the bass parts *and* the lead keys and atmospheric key parts. Min 
Wang played mostly electric guitar, augmented by perfectly placed moments of 
acoustic guitar bliss - not unlike Yes has been known to do from time to time! 
Rob Duncan both played and banged the drums depending upon the mood and need of 
the song being peformed!

 

Admittedly, each band member had high points and shaky moments, but there were 
many more highs than lows! It was such an emotionally *true* performance. I got 
that feeling that *anything* could happen musically - and that made it all the 
more exciting when magical and wondrous things *did* happen.

 

 

Mark Stephens
Prog Rock Positivity - A different kind of prog rock music discussion list!  
No put-downs.  No criticism.
http://Launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ProgPositivity

Prog Rock Positivity Radio
Check out this week's show!
http://www.live365.com/stations/musicoptimist
                
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