I have just returned from Progday, the two-day progressive rock festival in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. I don't have the memory to give a detailed account or a complete review, so this is just an informal account of the weekend. I apologize in advance for stuff I've got mixed up!
Although not officially part of the festival, the music started Friday night at Local 506, with three bands: Dark Aether Project, Smokin' Granny, and French TV.
Friday Night: I don't know how many people were in the club, but most of them seemed to be crowded in and around the doorway between the bar area and the stage area.
I was late for the first band: Dark Aether Project, but I caught the last 15 minutes of their set. This was the only band of the night that had a singer. There were both instrumental and vocal passages in what I heard. I hope to see more of them in the future. http://www.darkaether.net
Next was Smokin' Granny - Well, as they say, "Those cats were really smokin'!" - bass, guitars, drums, sax & other winds. I liked this band, too. I think they quoted Jethro Tull's Locomotive Breath towards the end of their set. http://meta4ik.home.mindspring.com/smokingranny/
Although it was midnight before French TV got started, they put together an eye-opening performance. The guitarist would often switch to a violin and back to guitar on several songs. This was another cool set of music. I think they ended with a quote from one of the songs on Yes' Tales From Topographic Oceans - very nice! http://www.frenchtvonline.com/
Saturday: It's raining hard, and it doesn't look like it will stop any time soon. This was supposed to be an outdoor festival, but it has been moved to the backup indoor location: Riverside Highschool in Durham. It has a nice auditorium, with steeply sloped seating and a large stage. I found a seat just behind the sound board and stayed there the rest of the weekend.
The festival started with a wedding, suprisingly. An hour later, the music started with Thieves' Kitchen, from England. They played very long songs, where the singer would come onto the stage to sing a verse or two, then leave while the rest of the band played instrumental sections for a while. I might describe the music itself as theatrical. http://www.thieveskitchen.co.uk/
IZZ - There were a few electricity problems during their set. A circuit tripped, and power was lost to the main sound board for a while. They responded well though - their "unplugged" or semi-plugged version of "believe" was a highlight of the weekend. They had acoustic guitar, percussion and voice, all without amplification. And the electric guitar came in towards the end of the song, amplified with a small on-stage amplifier. http://www.geocities.com/izzeo/
The Muffins - Way over on the jazz side of the prog rock spectrum, if there is such a thing. http://www.themuffins.org/
Kraan - I had not heard of this band before, so their set was a pleasant surprise. They had the groove going. Also, they had an incredible bass solo. http://www.kraan.de/
Sunday: Avant Garden - Their name seems a little mis-leading to me - they're much more rock-oriented and less avant garde jazz oriented than say, The Muffins. Bass, drums, guitar, and one guy switching between sax and flute. Their music was very powerful, very fast, and a great eye-opener for Sunday morning. http://www.geocities.com/avantgardentheband/
Tempano - A band from Venezuela - I hadn't heard of this band either. I just enjoyed their music from start to end.
Djam Karet - This was the band that I really wanted to see, and I wasn't disappointed. This is an instrumental band that makes the most of guitars, bass, drums and keyboards. http://www.djamkaret.com/
Happy The Man - Another great headlining show. They played mostly instrumental tunes, but included a few "token" vocal songs. This band was very tight and very enjoyable. http://www.happytheman.com/
By now it had stopped raining, finally. I stayed overnight, and made the trip back home in about 13 hours on Monday, including lunch and dinner stops. My car may never recover though...
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