Below are the bands that have been announced to date for NEARfest 2008. Use the icon to read a brief biography of each band, check out the personnel that will be performing, and listen to exclusive MP3s approved by the bands. Go to the Schedule page to view the sequence and set lengths for the weekend.
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Country: ITALY Style: SYMPHONIC |
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Veteran Italian symphonic prog maestros, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, led by the keyboard wizardry of Vittorio Nocenzi and the majestic vocals of the inimitable Francesco DiGiacomo, held court for over two hours at NEARfest 2001, earning three encores for their deeply emotionally stirring performance of songs from masterpiece albums such as "Darwin", "Banco del Mutuo Soccorso", and "Io Sono Natio Libero". The intervening years have done nothing but increase the legend of Banco's first NEARfest appearance, with a strong sentiment within the prog scene that the band should return to help celebrate the tenth anniversary of NEARfest.
Francesco DiGiacomo, vocals
Vittorio Nocenzi, keyboards Rodolfo Maltese, guitars Maurizio Mariani, bass Maurizio Masi, drums Alessandro Papotto, winds Filippo Marcheggiani, guitars
R.I.P. (Requiescant in Pace) (6:41)
from Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (1972) L Evoluzione (13:59) from Darwin! (1972) |
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Country: USA Style: PROG METAL |
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Liquid Tension Experiment is the supergroup consisting of Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, and Tony Levin are reconvening and preparing to tear the roof off of Zoellner Arts Center next June. Portnoy and Petrucci are founding members of progressive metal’s 5-headed monster, Dream Theater, and have won accolades from fans and critics alike for their prowess on the drum kit and guitar, respectively. Rudess is was previously known for his blazing keyboard work with the Dixie Dregs and the Rudess/Morgenstein Project and joined Dream Theater officially after the second Liquid Tension Experiment album sessions. Tony Levin needs no introduction – Stick and bass maestro, two-time NEARfest alum, and play with everyone from King Crimson to Peter Gabriel to Yes to Sarah McLachlan. Liquid Tension Experiment’s two studio albums, Liquid Tension Experiment (1998) and Liquid Tension Experiment 2 (1999), are filled to the brim with everything from blazing, chops-laden sonic attacks (“Paradigm Shift”) to melodic anthems (“When the Water Breaks”) to humorous jams (“Chris and Kevin’s Excellent Adventure”). The improvisational nature in the writing sessions permitted the band to stretch out to many different influences, including an abundance of rock, metal, and prog plus some doses of funk, blues and even ragtime.
Mike Portnoy, drums
John Petrucci, guitar Jordan Rudess, keyboards Tony Levin, Chapman Stick, bass |
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Country: ENGLAND Style: SYMPHONIC |
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Over his nearly forty year career, Peter Hammill has recorded numerous solo albums featuring his unique and emotive vocal style and thoughtfully penetrating lyrics probing all aspects of the human condition. Whether performing solo or with his famed group Van Der Graaf Generator, Hammill presents an emotional depth and range that is unparalleled in contemporary music. With hundreds of songs in his repertoire, no two shows are ever alike and it has been ten years since Hammill has graced a stateside stage.
Peter Hammill, vocals, guitar, piano
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Country: UNITED STATES Style: ROCK/SYMPH |
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echolyn combines superb musicianship and songwriting with dynamic arrangements and dense multipart vocal harmonies making them a favorite across the vast progressive rock fanbase. Formed in 1991, the band self-released two studio albums and one EP before being picked up by a major label for 1995's "as the world." The band split in the fall of 1995 only to reform in 2000, returning with the excellent "Cowboy Poems Free" and a blazing (in more ways than one) performance at the NEARfest 2000 preshow in Allentown, PA. In 2002, the band was invited to play NEARfest-proper and debuted their masterpiece, the 49-minute "mei", to an audience of 1,850 people in Trenton, NJ. Since then, the band released the highly-acclaimed "The End is Beautiful" (2005), toured Europe for the first time, and was featured at the 2006 edition of FMPM in Quebec. In 2007, echolyn plans to continue writing a new studio album which will be ready for release by the time NEARfest X is upon us.
Brett Kull, guitars, lead and backing vocals
Christopher Buzby, keyboards, backing vocals Paul Ramsey, drums and percussion, backing vocals Raymond Weston, bass, lead and backing vocals Thomas Hyatt, bass, backing vocals |
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Country: SCOTLAND Style: NEO-PROG/SYMPH |
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For 27 years, Scottish vocalist Fish has been an icon of progressive rock. He became widely known in the early 1980s as the lead singer for British then-neo-prog upstarts Marillion. With Fish at the helm (1981-1987), the band released four classic albums: "Script for a Jester's Tear," "Fugazi," "Misplaced Childhood" and "Clutching at Straws." Beginning with 1990's "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors," Onkel Fish (as he is affectionately known by his fans in The Company fanclub) went on to carve out a very successful solo career continuing through to the present with his latest offering, "13th Star." The new album sees Fish return to form with plenty of prog rock and experimental elements, poignant lyrics, and powerful vocals, which are exemplified in songs like "Arc of the Curve" and "Circle Line."
Fish, lead vocals
Frank Usher, guitar Chris Johnson, guitar Steve Vantsis, bass guitar Foss Paterson, keyboards Gavin John Griffiths, drums and percussion
(MP3 downloads to be posted soon)
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Country: ENGLAND Style: ELECTRONIC |
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As one of the premier electronic bands performing today, England’s Radio Massacre International has a long history of playing "in the moment" and is capable of just about anything. After 15 years and more than 25 albums, the band is continues to look over the horizon to broaden their craft. Their latest release, "Rain Falls in Grey" (Cuneiform) is "a prog album for those who get itchy at the thought of electronic music." A tribute to former Pink Floyd leader Syd Barrett, the album shows them adapting to a rock band format using the spirit of Syd to channel one of the best albums in their catalog. Having first performed in the USA at ProgWest in 2002, the buzz resulted in three performances at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia. Their rendition of "Rain Falls in Grey," performed in November 2007 while at Orion Studios, left the audience stunned; unaware that such power could exist within electronic music. RMI uses an arsenal of analog equipment, ranging from Moogs to Mellotrons to sequencers to Fender Rhodes, to create their sonic blanket of sound.
Steve Dinsdale, keyboards, drums, percussion
Gary Houghton, guitars, synthesizers Duncan Goddard, keyboards, Mellotron, P3 sequencer
Bettr-r Day-s (11:45)
from Rain Falls in Grey (2007) The Emissaries Reveal Themselves (9:09) from Emissaries (2005) |
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Country: UNITED STATES Style: NEO-SYMPHONIC |
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Rising from the vital Detroit music scene in the late 1980s, Discipline bore a darkly addictive brand of symphonic rock. Their 1992 debut CD Push and Profit dealt with a range of darker subjects, including abuse, disenfranchisement, loss and death. Following a tour with Anekdoten, the band was introduced to the works of Van der Graaf Generator; this musical discovery would greatly influence the band’s 1997 release "Unfolded Like Staircase," with four epic tracks coming in at just over one hour. With dense literary lyrics, violin and saxophone, the album was hailed as a highlight of American progressive rock. The band toured extensively, including a "residency" at ProgDay, before disbanding in the late 1990s. Matthew Parmenter began solo and session work, while Mathew Kennedy would go on to work with Parmenter’s nephew Ryan in Eyestrings. A series of live releases filled the gap leading to Parmenter's 2005 solo release astray. That same year, Strung Out Records re-released Discipline's "Live 1995" video on DVD, filled with nearly two hours of extras. NEARfest X will be Parmenter's second appearance at NEARfest, following his highly regarded 2005 solo spotlight, and marks the grand return to the stage of the "classic" quartet Discipline lineup!
Matthew Parmenter, vocals, keyboards, guitar
Jon Preston Bouda, guitar, Mathew Kennedy, bass Paul Dzendzel, drums
Canto IV (Limbo) (13:47)
from Unfolded Like Staircase (1997) Faces of the Petty (4:47) from Push & Profit (1993) |
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Country: JAPAN Style: ZEUHL |
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Headed by vocalist/composer/drummer Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins, Samla Mammas Manna),and possessing a three-woman/two-man band lineup, the Japanese ensemble Koenji Hyakkei has been described as a mutant cross between Area, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Deus Ex Machina, Kenso and Magma. The band have recently released their fourth album "Angherr Shisspa", their first domestic release in the USA (on Skin Graft Records). It has been compared to Stereolab, Yes, Queen, Melt-Banana and "something so far off-Broadway it's on the moon". Koenji Hyakkei explodes with glittery keyboard lines, speedy bass/drum workouts, emotive reed respites, and operatic female vocals that take the listener from sheer exuberance to absolute apocalypse. All of this music is performed with superhuman technique in extremely catchy, complex arrangements, with an insane amount of passion and energy. Is it prog-punk? Is it zeuhl-fusion? Be sure not to miss Koenji Hyakkei’s opening set of unclassifiable, energetic music at NEARfest X!
Yoshida Tatsuya, drums, vocals
Sakamoto Kengo, bass, voice Komori Keiko, reeds Nami Sagara, vocals Yabuki Taku, keyboards |
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Country: FRANCE Style: FUSION/METAL |
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Mörglbl is a blazing fusion trio from France featuring Christophe Godin on guitar and Ivan Rougny on bass. The band gained worldwide acclaim for their intriguing amalgam of jazz and metal fused together with a strong dose of Zappa-esque humor on their first two albums, "Ze Mörglbl Trio" (1998) and "Bienvenue a Mörglbl Land" (1999). The band was formed in 1996 when Godin decided to put together an instrumental fusion rock band. After meeting Jean Pierre Frelezeau (drums) and Ivan Rougny (bass), they decided to work together on the project. After disbanding in 2000, Godin one CD with metal band GNO and became a worldwide in demand clinician. Ivan toured with fusion guitarist Cyril Achard and Yngwie Malmsteen's drummer Mike Terrana, as well as rai star Cheb Bilal. In 2004, Godin started his first solo project, named Metal Kartoon, and asked Jean Pierre and Ivan to be part of the band. He also released one cd and toured Europe with jazz guitar legend Pierrejean Gaucher (“2G” Nocturne). The band continued to work together eventually releasing the stellar "Grötesk" on Free Electric Sound in 2007. The new album has much cross-genre appeal, and fans of shred and fusion Gods like Allan Holdsworth, Steve Vai or Freak Kitchen's Mattias IA Eklundh will find much to sink their teeth into.
Christophe Godin, guitar
Ivan Rougny, bass Aurélien Ouzoulias, drums |
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Country: UNITED STATES Style: ELECTRONIC |
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Synthesizer pioneer Larry Fast will open NEARfest performing as his one-man electronic project, Synergy. Classic Synergy albums such as "Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra," "Cords," and "Games" are landmarks in electronic music and remain a benchmark for the genre today. This will mark the first live Synergy performance by the New Jersey native in since 2002's Alfa Centauri festival in Holland, and much longer for the United States, as Synergy live performances have historically been very rare. Larry is no stranger to NEARfest. He gave his "Prog 101" lecture in 1999, was part of the full Nektar reunion in 2002, and performed with the Tony Levin Band in 2006. During the years in between, Larry could be spotted in the crowd enjoying the show and mingling with fans. In honor of our 10th anniversary, have been able to talk Larry into dusting off his synthesizers, laptops and other various electronic devices to bring Synergy to the stage.
Larry Fast, synthesizers, sequencers, computers
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