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By Mike Flavin  It’s hard to know where to start in a description of the seventh edition of the Rites of Spring Festival (RoSfest). There isn’t really one or two phrases, sentences, or images that would do it justice; rather, the event can really only be described as something greater than the sum of its parts. And what an amazing collection of parts we were treated to this year!
This biggest news this year was the relocation of the festival from the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA to the Majestic Theater in the historic city of Gettysburg, PA. In conversations with attendees, overall impressions of the move appeared to be overwhelmingly positive. Gettysburg has much more to offer visitors in the way of amenities, and the theater more than lived up to its name. The Majestic is smaller than the Keswick, which was advantageous in that the bands were playing to a fuller house, and the sound and sightlines were far more intimate. It is also well-staffed by an experienced crew of mostly delightful seniors, and seemed to lack the occasionally intimidating presence of the Keswick security crew. I was surprised to see only one person tending the bar Friday night, but this was corrected in short order, and the lifeblood of RoSfest flowed unhindered for the remainder of the weekend.
Musically, the 2010 edition was one of the strongest ever. A terrific collection of old and new, domestic and foreign, hard-edged and delicate, all served up with expert sound and lighting combined to offer something for almost every prog fan.
Day 1 - Friday, April 30th
Mystery
Opening RoSfest with an impressive set was Montreal-based sextet Mystery. Although they have been in existence since the late 80s the group has recently gained some recognition by lead singer Benoit David’s recent appearances fronting rock legends Yes. Other than Benoit’s vocal range and his occasional similarity in tone to Jon Anderson, Mystery’s sound has little resemblance to Yes. Instead, their heavier guitar approach and thick bass & drum sound push them almost into melodic metal territory. Benoit showed that he is most definitely not a clone, but a tremendously talented vocalist who takes the compositions of guitarist Michel St-Pierre and brings them to life with melody and power. I ran out to buy their latest CD One Among The Living at the conclusion of their set, and highly recommend it as well.
Pendragon
After kicking off the weekend with one of the promising new groups in prog, Friday’s headliner was a band that I first learned of in 1984 when I picked up their mini-LP Fly High, Fall Far. You would never know by listening to their set that this was a band that has been around for over 25 years! New drummer Scott Higham drove the band through a two hour set without once ever letting up on the throttle – the energy of the performance was a sharp contrast to their RoSfest set of 2007, which seemed to lag at times. Guitarist/vocalist/bandleader Nick Barrett was in tremendous form, with his remarkably expressive guitar soloing and uniquely accented vocals working together as one larger than life presence onstage. Keyboardist Clive Nolan and Bassist Peter Gee also appeared to be having the time of their lives onstage, riding waves of the band’s newfound enthusiasm. It was a magnificent and powerful set.
Days Before Tomorrow (After-Show Party)
Although not part of the ‘official’ RoSfest lineup, up and coming group Days Before Tomorrow played a terrific set of melodic prog/metal at the hotel after show party. Although I couldn’t catch their entire set, their musicianship and stage presence were most impressive. With the support of some music industry heavyweights, Days Before Tomorrow could be making some serious noise in the music business very soon. Day 2 - Saturday, May 1stAjalon
 Based out of Seattle, Washington, Ajalon opened RoSfest Saturday with a melodic and almost jazzy approach that drew on a wide range of musical influences. Indeed, almost every member of the band seemed to bring a different specialty to the table; from the jazzy fusion of bassist Randy George and keyboardist Jonathan Sindleman to the R&B and pop vocals of Jennifer Newberry, to the strong Steve Howe influence on guitarist Alan Genatossio, Ajalon has a wealth of talent to draw upon.
Like Friday’s opener Mystery, Ajalon has a strong Yes connection, with every member of the group being involved in long-time Yes tribute act Parallels. Ajalon has less of the Yes vibe in their original music, and brings a little jazz & funk into the sound.
The band broke from their original music to perform Yes’ masterpiece "Awakenings", but I’m not sure it was the right move for them to do, given the strength of their own material. Although all of the individual parts were played extremely well, the piece as a whole lacked punch. Vocalist Jennifer Newberry (a newcomer to the group, and apparently to prog rock in general) was most impressive as she took a song from totally outside the genre she normally performs and made it her own. We’re used to seeing real talent at RoSfest, but her performance of "Awakenings" was exceptional.
The set also featured a guest guitar solo from Magic Pie’s Kim Stenberg on "Redemption". Cool as a cucumber, he strolled onto the stage with guns blazing, and just as coolly strolled off once he had taken care of the business at hand. As guest guitar soloists go, he’s a pretty good choice.
Overall, Ajalon had a very fine performance, although I would have liked to hear more of the band’s own material.
Manning 
Making their American debut on the heels of their acclaimed album Number Ten, Manning hit the stage for what should have been a sleepy afternoon set like a house afire. The band kicked off with a few numbers from Manning’s impressive ten albums in ten-years catalog, and then opened the floodgates with the rowdy, jam-friendly “Ships” and continued for an amazingly diverse ninety minutes. With one of (if not the) largest ensembles at RoSfest, and many of the players being multi-instrumentalists, the skilled group was able to easily bring the multi-layered tonal palette of the albums to the stage.
Guy Manning proved to be an able and amiable frontman for the band, often conducting from his center-stage position behind a pair of shades and underneath a hat. Eventually the disguise was discarded, and the band responded as though it was their cue to loosen up as well.
The set was very nicely paced between the rollicking jam numbers and a number of nice ballads, with one of my favorites from Number Ten, “The House on The Hill” receiving a very nice feature. Guy’s between song banter also kept the set moving during instrument changes, while also letting us in on the stories behind some of the songs.
For the second act of the day, it was a very impressive set by a group that was ready to play, but still loose enough to have a lot of fun onstage. As an aside, I should mention that Guy Manning and band also appeared at the Saturday night VIP party for an impromptu semi-unplugged set. Even later in the evening, guitarist Chris Catling was still ready to play, providing lead guitar for the loose version of “Free Bird” (with yours truly picking up the bass!) that closed out the evening. Indeed, Manning is a group of musician’s musicians.
 Gazpacho
After the gleeful energy that was Manning, Norway’s Gazpacho took the stage with an entirely different approach. Rather than bounding around the stage, their set was full of slow-burn intensity provided by dense sweeping instrumentals, dramatic vocals, and dark lyrics. Jan-Erik Ohme’s vocal style bears a strong resemblance to Steve Hogarth of Marillion but his performance is much more shy and self-deprecating, almost uncomfortable at first. He (intentionally or perhaps not) delivered the funniest onstage banter of RoSfest when he informed the audience “not all of our songs are about death.. but this next one is”.
It’s clear as their set goes on that the listener is being drawn into a very intimate an personal place, a place that is eventually filled with pounding drums, thick guitars, and slashing electric mandolin and violin. This young band has a unique voice and I can only describe Gazpacho’s American debut as an amazing and original set.
Renaissance 
Renaissance are true legends of the music world. With the incredible range of classically trained vocalist Annie Haslam and a sweeping orchestral sound, for many fans they are the very definition of symphonic prog. Their Saturday night headlining slot showcased everything fans have come to know and appreciate about the group over their 40-year history. Brisk run-throughs of classic material from albums Ashes Are Burning and Scheherazade and Other Stories were followed by brand new numbers written by Haslam, guitarist Michael Dunford, and bassist David Keys. The band was in fine form, with keyboardists Rave Tesar and Tom Brislin in particular drawing ovations. Annie Haslam’s voice was in generally fine form until about midway through the set, when something (possibly dust, according to her explanation onstage) caused a recurring scratchiness and made it difficult for her to hit her spectacular high range. It was an unfortunate occurrence, but only a moderate distraction from an otherwise terrific set.
For their encore, we were treated to a wonderful extended version of their classic epic “Ashes are Burning “. Fantastic! Renaissance may be a legendary band from prog’s late 70s golden age, but they sounded anything but stale at RoSfest.
Day 3 - Sunday, May 2ndDeeExpus 
If there was ever a band that hit the ground running, it would be DeeExpus. Three gigs after the release of their debut album Half Way Home, they were off to Poland to record a live concert DVD, and then received an invite for RoSfest’s Sunday morning Church of Prog slot. There was a serious buzz about this group’s potential, and they certainly lived up to it in Gettysburg.
Giving a nod to the local history, Abe Lincoln introduced the band with the tale of five musicians who traveled from afar on iron horse and steel bird, after which the services began with some serious ass-kicking! DeeExpus are quite a bit heavier than most bands at Rosfest, but nobody in the audience seemed to mind; before the first number had ended, the energy level pouring from the stage was being returned to the band by the now wide-awake proggers.
Not all was fun & games however; lead singer Tony Wright’s remarkably smooth voice was finally done in by a case of tonsillitis a few numbers into the set, and had to rely on some help from his guitarist brother Stevie to get through the set. There was also the deeply touching personal moment as Tony spoke of his and Stevie’s father who recently passed away and was visibly overcome with emotion, mixed with the frustration that he couldn’t sing a dedication to him as well as he would have liked. “I wanted it to be special” he remarked, but he didn’t have to worry; by that point he wasn’t the singer of a band trying to impress an audience, but person sharing a moment with 1,000 of his closest friends.
Rarely does a band connect with an audience the way DeeExpus did on that Sunday morning. It was an incredible set, full of emotion and heart and some blistering sounds.
Oblivion Sun
In another change of pace from the blistering opening set of DeeExpus, Oblivion Sun played with the relaxed confidence that comes from being expert musicians who have paid their dues. Oblivion Sun was formed in 2006 by former members of the 70s band Happy The Man, guitarist Stan Whitaker and keyboard/sax player Frank Wyatt. Their primary instrumental sound is a terrific blend of classic prog, fusion, and even a little bit of the jam band sound. Not having heard the group before RoSfest, I was totally impressed by their musicianship and in particular their improvisational skills within the compositions. Stan Whitaker in particular is a terrific guitarist with a fluid style and coaxes a beautiful full tone from his PRS hollowbody. I will definitely be listening to more Oblivion Sun in the future.
Von Hertzen Brothers 
Von Hertzen Brothers (VHB) are an anomaly in prog, in that they are wildly successful (in their native Finland). Where most prog bands toil in relative obscurity when compared to the rest of the music business, VHB have had #1 chart hits and a Finnish Grammy award for Best Rock Album of 2006 (and another nomination for 2008). They are a really big deal, and expectations were high for this group of brothers.
VHB’s music is difficult describe, they bring so many influences to their sound. From the classic hard rock of Deep Purple to the street music of Rio de Janeiro, to the modal sounds of India, they cover it all with their powerful vocal harmonies and rough & tumble vintage guitar sounds.
It’s hard to list favorites, but some of the highlights for me were the furious flamenco guitar riff of “Spanish 411”, and “Freedom Fighter” with the vocals and drums leading and almost spaghetti-western theme.
Although I really enjoyed VHB’s performance, they were poorly served by a harsh mix that pushed the guitars up over the vocals and left the drums in the background and keyboards almost nonexistent. Otherwise, it was an exciting set and VHB CDs were immediately purchased.
 Magic Pie
It’s hard to know where to start with RoSfest headliners Magic Pie, hailing from Norway. Having won over so many fans in the course of their two previous appearances, they could almost be the house band. Part of their appeal is that not only are they a great band of supremely talented musicians; they are a kind of the ‘best kept secret’ of the Rosfest attendees. Here’s a band that can play rings around just about any other group on the planet, and they’re all ours!
I had mixed feelings about their headlining set this year. For me it didn’t quite measure up to the surprising set that turned Sunday morning into the Church of Prog, or to the glorious homecoming of their 2007 appearance in which they stole the show from the headliners, but was a solid set nonetheless. Part of the issue for me is that the majority of the new material in their set was very dark and almost gloomy, in contrast to the uplifting, lively material of their previous shows. It seemed as though the band didn’t really connect with the audience until material from their first two albums Motions of Desire and Circus of Life made its way into the set, and once the connection was made, the power was switched on!
Magic Pie is indeed a very special band. In spite of some member changes, they still have the ability to connect with an audience in a way that very few bands can. Although the element of surprise may have been absent, the stunning musicianship and stagecraft were not. Magic Pie has all the potential to be playing stadiums, but for now I’m happy they’re still our little secret.
How do you sum up a weekend like the very first RoSfest in Gettysburg, PA? I started attending in 2006, and as I sat in the audience that weekend I couldn’t help thinking that I had stumbled on to something really special happening down the road from my house (I lived a few miles from the Colonial Theater at the time). Since that time the festival has grown in both size and overall quality, but this year’s version was arguably a quantum advance over previous years. The Majestic Theater is a wonderful venue, technical glitches were nonexistent, and without exception the bands delivered inspiring performances. In addition, not only is RoSfest a top shelf musical event, anyone who’s ever attended can attest to the fact that it’s one of the best parties of the year. It’s hard to imagine how the Rites of Spring Festival could possibly improve, but I definitely plan on finding out in 2011! Next year's festival dates have been announced as May 20 - 22, 2011. |
