Power of Prog Festival           June 27 – 29, 2008

By Mike Flavin

The Kirkland Art Center is a converted church on the village green of Clinton, New York approximately 10 miles from Utica. The building is primarily used for more traditional arts such as painting and photography, dance classes & recitals, and folk music shows, but for this weekend it was the home of prog in central New York. Although not ideally suited for a festival of this nature (load-in and load-out appeared to be done through the same front door that the audience used), it features a fairly large elevated stage and decent acoustics often found in small halls.

The event was held in conjunction with the inaugural Progressive Rock Hall of Fame award ceremony, and in keeping with the theme of celebrating progressive rock and the musicians who create it, there was a fairly wide spectrum of performers ranging from solo acoustic artists to progressive metal.

Up first was the local cover group The Watch (not to be confused with the Italian group who headlined ROSfest two years ago). Although it might seem unusual to kick off prog fest with a cover band, they were not out of place in the theme of paying tribute to the classics of prog and their hard rocking versions of Rush’ “YYZ” and Yes’ “South Side of The Sky” were quite impressive. Even more impressive was the fact that they were performing the songs without keyboards. Guitarist Doug Lazarek covered all of the keyboard sounds with foot-triggered sound effects and sampler pedals, and basically had all four limbs in constant motion throughout the set. Singer Karen Murphy, a veteran of numerous cover bands, delivered the songs with a powerful and professional voice and the rhythm section of bassist Rick Owens and drummer Dennis Spost were a solid foundation. It was great to see a cover band that decides to challenge themselves musically when it might be easier (and more lucrative) to sleepwalk through the latest top-40 monstrosities every weekend. A very enjoyable set to kick-off the weekend.

Second of the four Friday night bands was Souljourners, a four-piece out of southern California. They played with a bit of Dream Theater vibe but darker and heavier, and not as many notes – which is a good thing. They are extremely tight, polished and professional. Besides playing most of their recent release Mind Control, they also featured an extended, metalled-out arrangement of Kansas’ “Carry on Wayward Son” as their contribution to the Prog Rock Hall of Fame theme. The band is fronted by guitarist/vocalist Michael Couts with equal time given to keyboardist Paul Ellingson, drummer/vocalist Jackson Heskett, and bassist David (Scoop) Brockenborough. To my ears and eyes this hard working young (all in their early 20s) group is (or should be) headed for greatness. They were outstanding.

Up next was another group from the central New York, Veil of Maya. I don’t have a lot of info on the group, but they are a three piece guitar/bass/drum group doing a jam band style of instrumental pieces combined with extended improvs. What was entertaining about them was how seamlessly they switched between the two modes, often for only a few measures at a time. It’s hard to tell if they may have been put off slightly by the small turnout, but I think they would be a very entertaining group with a larger audience to play off of.

The final group of the night was Fluttreffect, a group out of Boston. I was familiar with their music via their MySpace page, but never had the chance to see them live. I had a feeling I was going to experience something unique, and they totally exceeded all of my expectations. Opening their set was the duo of Valerie Thompson on electric cello and Vessela Stoyanova on MIDI marimba. The duo performs regularly under the name ‘Goli’ and plays what they describe on their website as “chamber music for the modern era”. Part classical, part world music, part edgy rock, the effect was mesmerizing. After being joined by guitarist Troy Kidwell and drummer Jason Marchionna (the rockers), the full band kicked into a terrific high-energy set. I was caught off guard by how hard this group made up of cello, marimba, guitar, and drums could kick when they locked into a groove. This was one of their first shows as a four-piece, and if this performance and the new material are any indication, the future looks bright for Fluttreffect. They are an amazingly talented group with an original sound. Any prog fan with an ear for something new, exciting, and different should check this group out.

Day 2

Day two started off strongly with Storms Approach, another New England (Haverhill, MA) based group. Playing a symphonic style of prog metal, and featuring the soprano vocals of Anne Collins, their sound draws comparisons to groups like Within Temptation or Echoes of Eternity but they also seems to draw influence from bands like Trevor Rabin-era Yes in addition to the prog metal scene. The heavy backbeat of drummer Chris Munroe in particular reminded me of Yes’ Alan White. One of the highlights of their set for me was the guitar work of eight-string virtuoso Eric Clemenzi. His ability to switch effortlessly from flowing legato lines to two-handed tapping to single note shredding was nothing short of amazing. Rounding out the band are guitarist Scott Randall and bassist Steve Belleville, both providing understated but solid supportive playing. With their debut album released in August 2007, this is another band that shows a lot of promise.

Cleveland, Ohio’s Ego could probably be described as the rawest band of the weekend, not in terms of ability, but of style. With the aggressive guitar of Mike Risko, the keyboards of Dan Schostek (covering bass parts on keys), and drummer Dylan Tokar, their sound was definitely uncompromising and in your face. They stormed through a set of originals mixed with some of the heaviest, crunchiest Pink Floyd covers I’ve heard in quite awhile. 14-year-old Dylan was especially impressive, showing no lack of confidence as he sat in the driver’s seat and steered the band through the complicated material. They all seemed to be having a great time playing their prog loud & rough, and they were great fun to watch.

Also from Ohio, Rob Metz showcased melodic guitar instrumentals in a style similar to Joe Satriani. Backed by drummer Jay Tucker and bassist Jared Lees, the power trio format gave Rob & Co. plenty of room to stretch out on material from his two albums Legions of Dreams from 2006 and his most recent, Axis Shift. Rob is a talented and tasteful player, with an especially nice touch with the whammy and his myriad footpedal effects. Jared Lees delivered an excellent bass solo full of Jaco style harmonics & funky thumb slapping, while Jay Tucker not only provided the drums, he also appeared to be in charge of the sequencers that were taking the place of keyboards. The melodic and tonal sense Rob brings to his instrumentals keeps them from sounding like the typical blues jams that are so common with guitar/bass/drum groups.

Covering a last minute cancellation, Souljourners were up again for an encore performance, and what a performance it was! Everything I enjoyed about them the previous night was amplified by a factor of ten, and they sunk their teeth into the slightly rearranged setlist with a ferocity that made me think someone had been beating them on the shins before they hit the stage. Another amazing set.

Headlining the day was a true legend of prog, John Ford of the Strawbs. In stark contrast to the day’s headbanging, he performed an acoustic unplugged set of material from his extensive solo catalog and Strawbs material, plus songs from his newest release Big Hit in India. Ably supported by his son John Ford, Jr. (whose backing vocals meshed perfectly with those of John, Sr.) on guitar, bassist Tom Carey, and keyboardist CB Wilson, John totally delighted those in attendance with his songs and humorous between song storytelling. Notable highlights were a rousing rendition of “Nice Legs, Shame About the Face” (the underground hit by John’s pseudo-punk outfit The Monks) and the quirky fun title track from the new album. The voices and instruments were arranged to perfection, and the set was truly an example of an ‘unplugged’ performance done right.

Day Three

Opening up day three was a solo acoustic set by Arizona singer/songwriter Laurie Larson. In addition to being one of the founders and organizers of the Progressive Rock Hall of Fame, she is also a talented performer in her own right. Her music is atmospheric and haunting at times, but not so serious that she couldn’t have a little fun accompanying herself on violin while the guitar played through an audio looping pedal. Only slightly hampered by some feedback, it was a pretty impressive feat that I had never seen before.

Blessed with a voice that moves effortlessly from low & sultry to an angelic high range, it was a perfect musical wakeup for Sunday morning.

Next up in what turned out to be an acoustic themed day was Chicago’s Tim Lowly. Playing a small-bodied Martin acoustic and accompanied by a four-piece ensemble of violin, electric bass, percussion, and various wind & tuned percussion, his delicate playing and low key vocal delivery created the feeling of a musical experience so fragile, a good gust of wind would shake it apart. Performing a number of songs from his 2008 release Chasing Brother Angel, this unique group created an atmosphere in the small hall that I found totally mesmerizing.

Moving the festival’s transition from acoustic to electric was Albany, NY’s Acoustic Trauma. One of the wildest and most energetic groups of the weekend, the three piece semi-acoustic group’s performance can only described as what might happen if Dave Matthews teamed up with Iron Maiden’s bass and drum section. Vocalist Paul Nunzio Maceli led the band on mandolin, violin, and acoustic guitars while frenetic bassist Kevin Lord punctuated the sound with his roaring wah wah pedaled low end and drummer Christopher Plyem negotiated the truce in the middle of the stage. These guys put out so much energy; I was out of breath at the end of their set!

Sunday afternoon also featured the inaugural Progressive Rock Hall of fame awards ceremony. Developed out of an inspiration by Laurie Larson in conjunction with producer Jim Roberts and festival organizer (and Melodic Revolutions Records president) Nick Katona, the Progressive Rock Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring the great musicians involved in progressive rock who are almost always ignored by the mainstream music media. The award ceremony featured speeches by John Ford, Jim Roberts, and Greg Bendian (drummer extraordinaire of The Musical Box and Mahavishnu Project) honoring 2008 inductees Yes, Kansas, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, & U.K, along with musical tributes by The Watch (Yes’ “South Side of the Sky”) and Souljourners (Kansas’ “Carry on Wayward Son”), and an incredible drum solo performance by Greg Bendian.

Following the dinner break, California’s Rocket Scientists took the stage for what turned out to be the final performance of the weekend. Led by keyboardist Erik Norlander, the core group of singer/guitarist Mark McCrite and bassist Don Schiff were augmented by guitarist Jimmy Williams, drummer Jay Schellen, and as special guest, vocalist Lana Lane. The band was in top form, playing quite a few numbers from the Looking Backward set in addition to Lana’s latest, Red Planet Boulevard. Rocket Scientists are not only amazingly talented, but they are also total professionals who put on the complete performance for the small crowd in attendance.

Unfortunately, after the Rocket Scientists set, a storm swept through and cut power to most of the village. Although the Kirkland Art Center was still operational, the power was cutting in & out and it was decided to cancel the set by New York symphonic prog band Cathedral so as to avoid damage to either the band or the equipment.

It’s a shame that the turnout for the Power of Prog Festival was far less than anticipated, as it was a smoothly run weekend with a lot of musical highlights in a very nice small town. The acoustic themed day was a terrific idea, as it not only gave the prog fan something new and different to enjoy (the true meaning of ‘progressive’), it also gave the groups a chance to perform for a different audience than might normally be at one of their shows. The Power of Prog is a small festival now, but good things often come in small packages. Here’s hoping for Power of Prog II.