How old are you?

[progdirjim]

It's been interesting seeing the posts from some of the old farts (like me) and the younger members. So I'm curious - how old is everyone? I'm a ripe old 39...

(And for you youngsters who think most of your age group doesn't like good music, remember, I lived through DISCO. At least punk, grunge, and even rap has an attitude...) (although you still won't see any of it on AM)

[Avian]

30 (although I feel older).

I didn't get into prog until the Golden Age was long over.

I lived through disco, but I was a kid!

[Jazs]

I am 20. Most people in my peer group do not know what prog is. Its kinda fun having this esoteric taste in music. Though I think that the pendelum might be swinging back in the proggrish direction because...

1) More popular bands are getting experimentive, prog market is growing
2) Bubble Gum Pop is leaving a sickly taste in many peoples mouth. I think that there will be a backlash.

Here's hoping!

_jazs

[Lost Dreams]

I'm 36 as for a couple weeks ago. :D

I can't complain either. I've got a great fiancee and our 9 year old son keep us on our toes. He has no appreciation for music yet, but give us time. heh

[ThomasJedenfelt]

Okay, I'm eh.. 37? Well, at least my body was born in 1963. And my mind would be like -19 3/4. And my soul? +70 I'd say.

So, how old am I? Mathematically, the avarage is 42,25.

Thomas :)


PS
Maybe I should mention that I don't think there's a soul.

[Yesspaz]

I'm 22. I was listening to Journey (pre-Raised on Radio), Yes, Pink Floyd, Boston, and Led Zeppeling during the grunge years, basically because that's all the Jackson, MS stations played. No modern rock here, STILL!!! Ug! Man, I wish we had one then and now. A lot of grunge is good, although I own none of it. Alice in Chains is artsy, though. I digress.

I like lots of other stuff besides prog, but it tends to be the artsier of the genres. I call most of my non prog artists prog/alt, or prog/celt, or prog/metal, or prog/emo (Anybody else out there psyched about the new Appleseed Cast albums!)

(anyone else ever heard of Appleseed Cast?)







(anyone?)

[BigTwin]

Too old to say...but you can guess! Spaz, I have a daughter that lives in Birmingham (full-time) and she's 9 years older than you! Also, I did weekends at the first "underground" radio station in Oklahoma City, circa 1968, so I know the older stuff backwards and forwards...if I don't have it, either on cd or lp...it never existed! Hell, start a thread called "Guess BigTwin's Age"...I'll bet I'm the oldest one in the whole group!

[X-Ternal]

I'm 21 and have been listening to prog rock all my life, have to thank my dad for that one day :o)

[Corbulo]

42 is the answer.
Now what is the question?

It seems that the avg is around 40, with me and BigTwin swinging the it to the high side.
BT, I was 9 in '68... I'll leave it at that.

Corbulo
(gray hair and all(thank God for Grecian Formula!))

[Genesis74]

I turn 15 in August.

I guess I'm a mere yearling compared to the majority of prog fans. I got turned on to prog rock by my dad, and have more in common musically with him than with most of my friends.

I do have friends, though, that like some prog stuff. Not too many.

[dinosaur]

They say wisdom comes with age and at 45, I'm thinking I should get wise anytime now...
BigTwin is wise not to give his age. I'm betting on 52.

[Corbulo]

He actually posted it in a different Discussion here, I'll not advertise though. But I'm not so sure his calendars are exactly correct. He was an engineer at 15?
:)

Must be nice and quiet though, BT, with the kids gone, mine just turned 6! sigh.
But then that's what my MiniDisc and headphones are for.

Corbulo

[BigTwin]

Actually, I was doing a wknd air shift at 17 (see previous post). I backed my way into engineering at 20. I was going to school and doing all sorts of other goofy shit in between.

[Powerslave]

I'm 24 years old.

Started to listen to classic rock (whatever the hell that is) when I was in high school. The only decent radio station in my area (for non-oldies and non-country listeners) was a small station in Neilsville, WI, The Rock WCCN 107.5 FM. A kick-ass station, indeed. I still listen when I go back home. When I would work during the summer, we took breaks at 10 AM, the same time WCCN would have "The Floyd Fix," a listener-requested double-shot of Floyd every weekday! They also played Yes Genesis, ELP, Rush, and other mainstream prog quite frequently, in addition to the usual classic rock fare (Aerosmith, Boston, Hendrix, Beatles, etc.). So I was just getting into it and bought most of Pink Floyd's discography (I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for buying The Final Cut), I owned all of Rush's albums, had some ELP and some PG-era Genesis, that sort of thing. Then I saw a boxed set in a record store called Supernatural Fairy Tales. This set is a must-have for progressive music newcomers! From this, I discovered Yes, Gentle Giant, Roxy Music, Traffic, The Nice, Van Der Graff Generator, Magma, and a host of other progressive bands from the late 60's to mid 70's. Over the next few years, I devoted myself to collecting more Genesis and Yes.

Recently I met a guy at work who had similar tastes in music and he introduced me to Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, Transatlantic and other prog metal and new prog.

Now I listen to AM regularly and am discovering new (to me) bands like Porcupine Tree, Gryphon, Ozric Tentacles and Citizen Cain. I absolutely love the station! Keep it up.

Powerslave

[DKspring98]

Lets just say while in college when everyone I new was listening to Dr Dre, Eminem, Mad Lion and all the other Hip Hop and Rap music, I was the only one blasting Genesis, Brand X, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Yes from my room...needless to say I stuck out like a sore thumb! :mad:

[Powerslave]

Hehe, DK, that reminds me of this time in college, not long after I had bought "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway." I was cranking disc 2 after a rough day at school (the album's good for any mood though), and my friend showed up while "it" was cranked as loud as I dared. He bursts through the door and says to me, both thumbs pointing to the carpet, "Two thumbs down in your choice of cranking music!" "Whatever," I replied (he only likes death metal anyway). Genesis is meant to be played loud, so you catch every single note and nuance of the music.

Just sharing,
Powerslave

[albergo]

I'm 45. When I was in 10th grade, I heard Your Move on the radio, never having heard of Yes or anything by them. I've been soaking myself in this music ever since. A couple of years later, in college, I saw the Topographic tour in December 73, and Relayer in late 74. The Topographic show was very soon after the album came out, and it was the first time I'd heard that music. I was 10th row center. Smoke, lights, wierd shapes all around the stage, really loud, Topographic just blasting out of nowhere into my ears. Imagine that!! At that concert they played all of Close to the Edge, and all of Topographic.

So, from that you might understand why I really think this station rocks, that's all I can say. There is so much music here that I've listened to over the years and now am rediscovering all over again. Thanks.

[gotamellotron?]

44. It all started for me with Starship Trooper on TYA so many, many years ago. I saw Yes perform the entire TFTO in 1973 in New Haven CT...then saw them perform Ritual last summer here in Boston...lotta water under the bridge...anyway what a great station ... great to hear the new mixed with the old.

[BigTwin]

Apparently, I'm still the oldest at 49....so do I also get the title "Music Consultant Emeritus"? :p

[JerseyMagician]

I have my brother to blame for forcing me to listen to prog music in the late 60`s. Being 10 years old at the time, my musical tastes were shaped a little different then other 10 year old`s. Which reminds me........I have to thank my brother.

[progdirjim]

BT, MCE?

You bet'yer ass!

For the record, Big Twin is the first person outside my family to turn me onto a "new" prog band in 20 years - thanks for the Rare Bird!
(I turned my little brother onto Yes, Genesis, ELP, Rush, Tull, Floyd, etc; but he's repaid the favor as well as can be imagined - there's some music on AM that wouldn't be there without Ed...)

[Chrille]

Hey I think I'm the youngest so far :p
I'm going to be 20 in a couple months though.

I got into progressive rock by listening to 80's Genesis as a kid and when I got older I explored their older stuff and from there it grew to King Crimson, Yes, Marillion, Rush etc. etc. :)

[TagoMago]

I am 20

[kunzang]

I'm 36.

I started listening to rock in '77 -- by osmosis, both of my older brothers were listening to Yes, Zappa, Styx, Kansas, Rush, Jethro Tull, ELP, King Crimson and many others I can't remember. Even here in little old Huntsville, Alabama we used to get many of these bands (don't think Frank made it through though).

I subsequently got into various aspects of punk and many other types of music. Three minute angry songs have their place (I especially love putting on L7 after a new-agey woman friend comes over and spreads a little too much love-n-light).

But that type of music can get old.

Glad to have found this place.

-Kunzang

[KeithieW]

During a partucularly quiet moment I decided to run through some old posts and found this one that might be fun to start up again.

The last post in this thread was a couple of years ago and the only people who posted who are still posting are Avian, Jim, Spaz and (now and again) Powerslave.

We have LOADS of new people now. Has the average age shifted any in that time?

For the record I'm 48 (49 in a few months) and I get the feeling that a majority of listeners will be in their 40s. I could be very wrong of course.

Prog godesses are allowed to lie if they want :D

[jnighting]

I'm 49 and holding.......at least for a few more months. Been listening to prog since I was around 15......there used to be a great station at Syracuse University that played Prog all of the time. That is where I first heard King Crimson, Tull, Yes and the like. Ah, the good old days when you could hear what I term, "real music" on the radio. Trying in vain to get my two teenage daughters in to it but I think they are to wrapped in Rap. My only hope is my four year old and she seems to be liking it.:rolleyes: :)

[zvinki]

I'll be 44 next week. I also expect the majority of us to be in our 40's. I am also trying to pass on this love of real musicians playing real music to the next generations with moderate success. Although my kids absolutely love Spock's Beards The Great Nothing, DT's Sixth Degree of Inner Turbulence, and much of Rush they still prefer nu-metal and the stuff that goes for punk now (Sum 41 etc.).

By the way J, my older kid tells me that RAP stands for Retards Attempting Poetry. :D

[jnighting]

I agree with the RAP definition Z. I will definitely tell my kids that one.......but will add, attempting poetry badly. :) I am taking my teens to their first "real" concert in a few weeks. Journey is going to be here as well as Yes and I want them to see what real musicians that don't sample other peoples music and can really sing, sound like. I am hoping for the best.:rolleyes: :)

[Rick and Roll]

Originally posted by zvinki
Although my kids absolutely love Spock's Beards The Great Nothing,


Requested once per day?
:D

I am 40. I think I remember how old the goddesses are..............

[moses]

Despite rumors to the contrary, I was NOT born in 3671 BC.

I'm 32 years young, at least for a few more months.

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

40, going on 70 some days, 12 others, depending on mood, weather, and other such factors. I, too, am attempting to corrupt the younger generation away from deth mettle and other such musical atrocities. The youngest likes some of the shorter tunes, but doesn't have the attention span yet to appreciate the classics (anything from Tales, The Great Nothing, Grendel, etc...you know what I'm talking about). The eldest is too wrapped up in some pseudo goth phase, where the lyrics go something like "My tear dropped upon your grave, and I smiled as the flower wilted" or other such dreck.

I have the most hope for the middle one, though. Evidently, when I'm at work, she sits at home with the AM stream cranked. She even digs through my library (I'm getting her hooked on Marillion, and she shows a strong liking for neo and classical prog groups like IQ, Transatlantic, etc). I'm so proud of her....

Roger -Dot- Lee

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by Yesspaz
I'm 22. I was listening to Journey (pre-Raised on Radio), Yes, Pink Floyd, Boston, and Led Zeppeling during the grunge years, basically because that's all the Jackson, MS stations played. No modern rock here, STILL!!! Ug! Man, I wish we had one then and now. A lot of grunge is good, although I own none of it. Alice in Chains is artsy, though. I digress.

I like lots of other stuff besides prog, but it tends to be the artsier of the genres. I call most of my non prog artists prog/alt, or prog/celt, or prog/metal, or prog/emo (Anybody else out there psyched about the new Appleseed Cast albums!)

(anyone else ever heard of Appleseed Cast?)







(anyone?)

WOW this is old. I'm 25, everyone here has heard of The Appleseed Cast, and Jackson does have a modern rock station now. Last time I was home I was ecstatic to hear Switchfoot's "Meant to Live" on radio. Wow. OLD thread.

[zvinki]

I am more likely to request something from GYBE!!!! :D

Then again I have heard some good stuff from Snow and am thinking of putting in a request now and then.

[Bob Lentil]

I'm 23. I think I remember reading this thread the first time around before I registered on the board. I'm fairly certain I'd heard of The Appleseed Cast at the time, because my roommate was playing them over and over and over. . .

[progdirjim]

Originally posted by progdirjim
It's been interesting seeing the posts from some of the old farts (like me) and the younger members. So I'm curious - how old is everyone? I'm a ripe old 39...

(And for you youngsters who think most of your age group doesn't like good music, remember, I lived through DISCO. At least punk, grunge, and even rap has an attitude...) (although you still won't see any of it on AM)

hah! I'm still 39. Seriously, though, the math is easy enough - I'm 42 and still going strong...

[kevishev]

Someone earlier said they thought they were the oldest at 49. Well, you've got company. I am 49.

My prog roots go back to hearing the massive St. John's Cathedral pipe organ being played when I was a child back in the early 60's.

Kev

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by Bob Lentil
I'm fairly certain I'd heard of The Appleseed Cast at the time, because my roommate was playing them over and over and over. . .
Which album? Only LLO is on AM.

[MrMagoo]

Gonna move the curve up a bit with my entry at 47. Grew up on on classical, folk & big band. Post-Woodstock music tastes aquired during high school, quickly morphed into prog & fusion immediately after. Still listen to: prog, fusion, classical, classic (60/70's) rock, folk and cross-over of any of the above.

[teermin8r]

I'm 44 according to my birth certificate, but my wife thinks I'm still 16. :D

[Wojtek]

I am 20 what means musical loneliness among peers. It is sometimes very frustrating. I love you Moonies, but this is only PC and when I shut it down it is sometimes quite painful not to have people to share the hobby with, to talk live with.
But on the other hand the music is a great interlocutor :)

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Very interesting. We've got a smattering of the enlightened youth, and everyone else seems to be a child of the 60s (or earlier in some cases).

What happened to everything in between? Is prog somehow distasteful for anyone born after, say, 1967 or so? Is it illegal for anyone in their 30s to listen to The Music Of The Gods?

Makes one wonder.

Roger -Dot- Lee or go "hmm..."

[Bob Lentil]

Originally posted by Yesspaz
Which album? Only LLO is on AM.

Mare Vitalis, which I liked alot before I was subjected to too many repeated listenings. I think I'm probably ready to hear it again though, a very solid album.

[podakayne]

i could recall the date of my entry on this planet but it seems to escape me now....but i am in very, very good company with a number of you. you'll know for sure my next bday when i totally trip out.

as stated by the young whippersnapper RickandRoll
I am 40. I think I remember how old the goddesses are..............

i chatted with my 32yr old nephew just last nite and told him i was listening to PK's Run....he typed back "ain't nothin lika little Wall every now and again...you know i'm hip". i was totally shocked...and pleased my "unusual" musical taste had rubbed off on one of my prize jewels. and my son may have a larger musical repetoire then many of his friends also...no hope for the diva...totally popped out...but who knows.

my musical taste have always been broad and seeking...the moon satisfies a taste i've never lost.

a well preserved visitor
:cool:

[podakayne]

that was probably me :rolleyes:

(makes great background music for reading Foundation and Empire!)

it's a Perfectly constructed piece of music!

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Originally posted by podakayne
that was probably me :rolleyes:

(makes great background music for reading Foundation and Empire!)

it's a Perfectly constructed piece of music!

Say on. I've said it before, and I'll likely say it again (I tend to repeat myself. Repeatedly.):

The Great Nothing is a WONDERFULLY engineered piece of music. Constructed from the cornerstone to the spire like the greatest of skyscrapers.

It's the Brooklyn Bridge of music. Yeah, there are some that are longer, but will they stand the test of time?

Roger -Dot- Lee, seeking far and wide for metaphores.

[ivan_2068]

40 since last Monday and not ready to leave my 20's in the past.

Iván

[mossy]

Just a bunch of old farts!

Rick, you remember too much. :)

Now, as for "age"... the back of my hand skin was deemed "un-elastic" today by some rude sod. I told him I simply needed to upgrade the moisturizer. AND I live in the desert after all. :rolleyes:

As for proggy stuff...always been a Genesis fan from the beginning. Steve Hackett etc. But I must say, the Moon has brought a whole other world to me. Not to mention all the moonies.... xxx

As for sprog..he's a musician with a sense of the unusual. We share music... I quietly love it. Draw attn. to it and the moment is spoilt.

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Originally posted by mossy
Just a bunch of old farts!


To thine own self be true. Be it unrepentant geek, or old fart in training. I am what I am and have come to the conclusion that not only am I what I am, but I kinda enjoy being that what I am. Prog rock neophyte building his repertoir of songs that rock my world on a daily basis. This would not be happoening were Avian not in possession of the foresight to see the need for REAL progressive rock, not "All Zappa All The Time" or "More Genesis than you can shake a Chapman Stick at"



As for sprog..he's a musician with a sense of the unusual. We share music... I quietly love it. Draw attn. to it and the moment is spoilt.

That used to drive my mother insane. Whenever I was aware that someone was listening to me practice, then I'd get all self-concious and shy, as if I didn't want them to hear me making mistakes, etc.

Yes, it was childish and immateur. I was 8-12 at the time.

Roger -Dot- Lee, reminiscence 'R' us!

PS: I still think that "The Great Nothing" is the best engineered song ever recorded. And from me, that's a compliment beyond measure.

(and remember what you paid for it. :P )

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by Roger Lee
I still think that "The Great Nothing" is the best engineered song ever recorded.
When you say "engineered," do you mean the songs structure? or do you mean the actual engineering in the studio, like production quality? If it's structure, I may have to drag "Close to the Edge" into the fray!:eek: !:eek: !:D !

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by Bob Lentil
Mare Vitalis, which I liked alot before I was subjected to too many repeated listenings. I think I'm probably ready to hear it again though, a very solid album.
I've played one track from Mare Vitalis on BrainRock. It was "Mare Mortis." Hmm, I think I'll play "Fishing the Sky" pretty soon. That's an amazing song.

[KeithieW]

No sprogs of my own to introduce to Prog (well none that I'm aware of. Although there was a long weekend in southend.......) but some of the regulars will remember that my nephew, who is 16, was sitting with me a while back listening to the Moon and watching the chat scroll past. Every now and then I'd here "God! What is THAT all about?" or "Are these people mad?". What could I say?

Tom (my nephew) and mossy's son have both tried to get me to listen to Opeth though and after much umming and Ahhing I relented and bought "Damnation" and was VERY happily surprised. Much more mellow than I thought. They both reckoned it was not really representative of their usual material and so this old fart won't be rushing (no pun intended) to get any more. :D

My own musical taste is very eclectic. Classical, Jazz, Folk, Rock, Prog anything really except cRAP and Country and Western.

[RogorMortis]

I am amproaching one of those milestones, where people expect something out of the ordinary - parties ect. but I don't like being in the center of things and I'm always afraid no one will turn up anyway. Why celebrate one year closer to the grave?

Been a prog since 1971 -enjoy classical prog as well. AM has expanded my progscope immensly and thanks to everyone invovled.

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by Keith Waye
anything really except cRAP and Country and Western.
and GYBE! and Don Cab!!!:D

Actually, I'm with KW. I pretty much like anything except RAP and Country. Although, I'll be quick to admit that I do like the occasional diamond in the rough from Country. As for rap, I don't mind the vocal-delivery-style - it's the "music" I can't take.

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Originally posted by Yesspaz
When you say "engineered," do you mean the songs structure? or do you mean the actual engineering in the studio, like production quality? If it's structure, I may have to drag "Close to the Edge" into the fray!:eek: !:eek: !:D !
And rightfully so. Close to the Edge (and many other Yes tunes, including many off of Tales) are wonderfully engineered musically.

However.

I'd go best-of-three on this one. I think Spock's Beard has out-done Yes (even Close to the Edge). I'm not a big fan of the rest of their stuff (largely because I haven't gotten around to listening to their other stuff), but this one is the best built I've found.

Yes, even better than Close to the Edge.

Roger -Dot- Lee, who, being a Yes fan for MANY years, thinks that's saying something.

[dinosaur]

Check out my icon to the left...I can't remember how long these bones have been around.
I do remember listening to Greig's "Hall of the Mountain King" before the days of prog.
My 22 year-old nephew is a bass player in a metal band. I occasionally try to introduce him to names like Tony Levin, Trey Gunn, and especially Guy Sangue (Jean-Luc Ponty). So far, he's in lockstep with Myung of Dream Theater--and everyone else is irrelevant.
But I am persistent...
BTW, I'll soon be 49, going on 22.
(I do hope this doesn't start another DT bash/worship thread. I like DT, have seen them in concert, and Myung truly is awesome.)

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by dinosaur
and Myung truly is awesome.
Tru dat. The bridge on Jelly Jam's "Nature's Girl" - wow.

[roger]

well, I'm 42. got started listening to classical and (eek!) easy listening... discovered Starcastle from an ad in Cream or some such mag; went from there to Yes, and then Kansas, and Boston, and Journey were big. heavy into Wakeman, and Anderson. got into Vangelis(Heaven and Hell changed my life... it works wih the Foundation series, too!), and had a friend that played me some crazy stuff, like Magma. boy, talk about an education... learned to like jazz; Pat Metheny, Jean-Luc Ponty, Oregon, etc.
now I listen to most anything, except those two favorites, country and rap... :P really like Dave Matthews, Sting, but nothing makes me feel like those old albums...
now I just wish I had a budget to get all the groups I know I would love. thank goodness for the Moon... :D

[fonzy]

HI Im 32. My progroots comes from hearing Dark Side of the Moon when I was 13. And that was after hearing Space trucking from Deep Purple "In Concert" album.

[kirk]

"a tree doesn't die from age, a tree dies from
being inflexible"

- zen proverb

i have you all beat, but not so anyone could tell. :D

kirk/zenpool

[KeithieW]

Originally posted by kirk
"a tree doesn't die from age, a tree dies from
being inflexible"

- zen proverb

i have you all beat, but not so anyone could tell. :D

kirk/zenpool

If you have us all beat at the upper end.............great.

If it's the lower end............man you're not aging well :D

Nice photo kirk. Good to "see" you. Get that in the rogues gallery!!!!

[kirk]

hi keith-

let's get off this subject!:D

so, how do i post to the gallery?

k/z

[KeithieW]

Originally posted by kirk
hi keith-
let's get off this subject!:D
so, how do i post to the gallery?
k/z
Send the Photo to Avian and he will post it.

[Rick and Roll]

Kirk - are they "Acorn slipper socks"? Love those!

Roger - think there was a big gap from 1979 to 1990 where prog just was barren. that would explain the 30's dearth.

"The Great Nothing" is good - but I think it's just 6-7 minutes too long. Some songs can be that long, but others like that one and "Suite Hope Suite" by Salem Hill just drag and repeat a bit.

Dinosaur! There's a member I haven't seen for a while!

[kirk]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rick and Roll
[B]Kirk - are they "Acorn slipper socks"? Love those!

you'll have to tell me about those, i've never heard of them.
those are clark's of england "treks".

(you won't find them on "the softer side of sears"):D

[Rick and Roll]

slipper socks have their own soles...you have shoes on...my bad.

they are wool socks with feet.

"treks", should make good xmas gift....

[kirk]

haha...interesting... an electronic playground,
stacks of keys, recording toys...
and a focus on....shoes...??

that's so refreshing compared to the
usual "what keys are you using kirk?" questions.

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Originally posted by kirk

that's so refreshing compared to the
usual "what keys are you using kirk?" questions.

Personally, I was thinking "Gads, I'd give certain non-essential body parts to be able to make use of a setup like that..."

Roger -Dot- Lee, never understood how someone could play more than one or two of those things at the same time

[Rick and Roll]

Originally posted by kirk
haha...interesting... an electronic playground,
stacks of keys, recording toys...
and a focus on....shoes...??

that's so refreshing compared to the
usual "what keys are you using kirk?" questions.

I'm not a technical guy....see it kill it eat it that kind of thing (I could sell that lyric to Adrian Belew). I couldn't tell what you had there anyway.

Also, I don't like to hound musicians with fawning questions about things like that. If anything, I like to ask about the places people live.

That way I can stalk easier....

:p

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Originally posted by Rick and Roll

That way I can stalk easier....
:p

*blink*

I'm in the one in New Mexico.

Roger -Dot- Lee, lookin' over his shoulder. :D

[kirk]

If anything, I like to ask about the places people live.

That way I can stalk easier....

hmmm.... i wonder why roine or neal never drop in?:D

y'know, it occurs to me that if i do everything right,
i may not be able to hang on fan sites LOL

i may provide some of the best stalking on the planet
from gig harbor wa.

[kirk]

roger- that's a rol. jp-8000 on top, a korg karma w/
orch. exp+mw software below, a rol.xp 60 w/ orch.exp,
a proteus 2000 rack unit. there's more offscreen,
including a 1956 black laquered hammond.
on screen is sonar producer 3.

i'd be glad to answer any tech questions.

ummm.... 10 1/2, rick .:D

i found this picture of downtown gig harbor-

[Rick and Roll]

Originally posted by kirk

ummm.... 10 1/2, rick .:D

i

10 wide for me. There we went into shoe sizes from ages. :eek:

[kirk]

well, you know what they say....big feet....big boots :D

[Steady Stan]

I'm 45. I was inadvertantly introduced to prog by my ex-stepfather, who was a late 50's singer-musician-music teacher (google "Vilas Craig" if you want) who had Close to the Edge on lp. When I played it, I didn't know what it was, but I knew I liked it. One year later, the Relayer tour was my 2nd concert (CSNY's first reunion tour was my first).

After that, I started scouring the used record bins at the local music stores. Discovered many bands that way. Listening to the Moon is a lot like going thru those bins (or a box of chocolates - sorry, Forrest), you never know what you're gonna get. Most of the time, they're tasty nuggets, sometimes chewy, sometimes nutty. But, every once in a while I want to spit one out. (Now I'm thinking, the caviar scene in "Big"... or Magma) :eek: :D

I still possess that glorious piece of vinyl that changed my life. The Moon continues to illuminate the musical path I prefer.

SS :cool:

[podakayne]

that my body pays attention to when i least expect it.

rick, mossy's right you remember too much...mossy get the moisterizers with dead sea salt in it...great stuff and smells heavenly....

Kirk, "you look marvelous" and probably don't have us all beat!

and hey Yspaz i side with roger on "the great nothing" for songs after the Golden Age of Prog...its perfectly structured...don't get me started on the masters...you know you cannot beat Close to the Edge, my altime top Yes song, second to Awaken...etc, etc, etc.

here's winkin at all the ageless beauties
(we know who you are)
;)

[kirk]

awww... bless pod!:cool:

i'll have to give "the great nothing" a try based on
roger's and your recommendations.

i'm just now "getting my feet wet" on the new prog
bands (thanks to the moon).
i have to say that so far, my opinion would have to be
that it's been a long while since so much prog
has been available, but... i don't hear the quality
or individually unique approach of the masters.
most i've listened to so far seem to be (being kind)
"direct descendants" of the classic bands.
i've listened to 5 glasshammer tunes repeatedly,
and still couldn't repeat a single line from any of them.
IMO- there's a big element missing, the
"accessability" factor.

p e a c e kirk/zenpool

[Rick and Roll]

here I go.

What makes the "masters" so great to me was the combination of the rock element in the music, and the fact of being first doen't hurt.

However, I find a lot of newer prog to be worthy of praise. I try not to be too comparative. No one can really measure to the old, but the listening is still fun.

I am of the opinion that "The Great Nothing" is a mediocre tune. I just think it's too long, and runs out of steam after 10-15 minutes. But I am in the minority - and that's OK. The Beard has plenty of other great songs for me.

I've seen Glass Hammer three times (once in 1994). I was impressed at first, but it wore off for me. I prefer music with a bit more soul.

The drawback to these newer bands is that there is not a lot of money to be made. too many choices for the entertainment dollar. There are great artists...just tough to keep an audience. I cite the example of Echolyn, who after two very prog and absolutely excellent releases (plus an EP) embarked on a deal with Sony Records. They released what I feel is one of the ten best records of the past 15 years "As The World". It's stellar. However, the record company abandoned them, and the rest is history.

So they're out there. Bands like Djam Karet and Discipline and the Flower Kings are just as worthy to me as the forefathers. And there are newer bands that are are lot of fun - Izz, Strangefish, Salem Hill - and I'm sure there are many more that can be cited by those much more in the know than me.

And what I have found is that when I put on a classic, it sounds so much better!

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Originally posted by kirk
awww... bless pod!:cool:

i'll have to give "the great nothing" a try based on
roger's and your recommendations.


You won't be disappointed, I assure you. Very much in contrast to much of what passes as Music(TM) today is very light on what this particular song is very heavy on: plot. Story. It has something to say.

Can you find anything by Britney Spears that's much more than bump and grind pap?

I know I can't.

It's my personal opinion that Britney is most entertaining when the mute button is firmly engaged.

Strangely enough, all my daughters agree.


IMO- there's a big element missing, the
"accessability" factor.

p e a c e kirk/zenpool

I suppose this goes to what your definition of 'accessability' is. Is it LESS accessable than the unintelligible grunting that comes from a good deal of music in this day and age?

Is it MUSICALLY less accessable? What about such greats as "Frank Zappa"? More or less than that?

I guess my question is: what IS accessable?

(no, not "What is Prog.":p )

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by kirk
i'm just now "getting my feet wet" on the new prog
bands (thanks to the moon).
... i don't hear the quality
or individually unique approach of the masters.
most i've listened to so far seem to be "direct descendants" of the classic bands.
there's a big element missing, the
"accessability" factor.
I agree that a lot of modern prog bands are retreads of old prog bands. I tend not to like these bands very much. For me the thing that is missing in some of the prog today is not "accessability" but rather "originality." Everyone "sounds like Yes meets Genesis" or "influenced by Renaissance and ELP," etc. Now being influenced is okay; trying to imitate is not. That's why I tend to gravitate towards new bands that are trying to do music that is geniunely new. Rovo, GYBE!, Fontanelle, Don Cab, The Appleseed Cast, and many others, might owe a lot to prog, but they are fresh and not rehashed. To use a standard music review staple, they honor thier heroes without worshiping them.


In saying all that, let me assue you I love a LOT of modern prog; just not crazy about mimic bands.

[kirk]

i suppose it's an emotional content that i find missing,
as rick said, "soul". i think that's the reason we tend to
wear out on bands like dream theater so quickly.
there's much of the surface sheen of the original
prog masters w/o the sense of drama.
citing "awaken" as likely the epitome of the genre,
and (again IMO) possibly the ultimate that can be achieved
w/ the standard rock instruments-
the tune takes the listener to peaks and valleys,
highs and lows, almost to a trance-like state...
sonic drugs .
to be honest, i haven't found any new prog that i enjoy
as well as crimson's "power to believe", or even
some of the tunes on "the ladder"("nine voices" i.e.).
roger water's "amused to death" is another example.
the old practicioners are still kicking the new guys.

rick may have touched on it, but i'd say the difference
of the masters and today's prog is that none of the
masters set out to be prog.
i believe that in some ways, prog's painted itself into a corner.
i.e.- the mandantory hammond, moog sounds,
the drawing the tune out ad nauseum when the idea
could've been expressed in the first 4 minutes.
if the artist tries to venture out of the box, cut new ground,
the old "not prog" rears it's head.

sure, i'd take it over britney backstreet, but then again,
i'd take willie nelson, johnny cash over her also...
or terry jacks for that matter.:D

that's just my opinion, i could be wrong.

k/z

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by kirk
i'd say the difference
of the masters and today's prog is that none of the
masters set out to be prog.
Bravo! That is it.

I wrote a mini-essay a while back that touches these lines. Someone said that we are going having a bit of a prog revival soon - a new wave of prog. I countered that the prog revival already happened, and the prog people missed it. It was called Post Rock. They didn't set out to be prog, and so they weren't called prog. Think about it...

Ideology they are identical. In the 60s, a group of musicians were less than enthralled with the music scene and branched out to make music that was, as Jon Anderson put it on YesYears, "important." The exact same thing happened in the 90s. Musicians grew tired of punk, hard-core, and grunge. They started to experiment. Post Rock was born.

Just as prog has many subgenres, so does post. That's why artists as diverse as GYBE!, Fontanelle, Mogwai, Billy Mahonie, Stars of the Lid, Tortoise, Don Caballero, Sigur Ros, and Tarentel can all fall under the Post umbrella. Many of these artists play right along-side many well known Prog artists here on AM and fit right in. Many listeners (especially those not on the boards) probably assume that Sigur Ros is a prog band from Iceland, rather than a post band from Iceland. In other words, "what's the difference?" Both genres are based on expanding past rock's "normal" boundaries. There are differences, such as prog using classical and jazz as it's touchstone whereas post touches punk. Almost every time one reads a review of a post rock album, the reviewer references a prog band or prog in general. Basically, they are the same thing.

So I say the prog revival already happened, and it went right under most people's noses. It started in the 90s and continues today.

I like to think of it in these terms. We have two streams of prog today:

1. The prog bands who follow directly in the footsteps of the masters, such as The Flower Kings and Spock's Beard.
2. The prog bands who "progressed" out of the punk and core culture, yet still are aware of and versed in the masters, such as Tortoise and Fontanelle.

Yes, the two streams have much in common, but are not identical. I like to think of them as half-brothers: Same father (high musical ideals); different mothers (60s/classical/jazz vs. 90s/punk/core/70sProg).


(edited after Poda's comment below)

[Rick and Roll]

maybe if we restrain ourselves from labeling everything, we would enjoy it more.

Jon Anderson said "important"? That makes me ill. Self-descriptions like that really irk me. I heard this on the radio the other day about sports, but it applies here. If you nickname or label yourself, it's not really a nickname.

I agreed when I first read the comment "directly follow in the footsteps" but as I think about it, that's not really true. The Kings have a Yes sound in some of their songs - a lot really. And the Beard has a couple of overtly Giant tunes in their base. But really they have a distinctive sound all their own.

Maybe I'm not as sophisticated in my research or knowledge, but I think these labels are a bunch of hot air.

;)

[Yesspaz]

The labels are ultimately a lot of hot air, but we can't really get away from them. You talk to a guy on the street and he says "have you heard that new band Gumption?" You say "No, what do they sound like?" "Oh kind of like [insert genre or artist here], with a touch of [some other genre or artist]."

And true, I do enjoy music more when I'm not trying to figure out a band's genre. Take the band Turing Machine. I love their music. If someone asked me what they sounded like, I'd have to say "power-trio math-rock." That doesn't make the music sound better, but it gives the newbie a frame of reference. I think labels are a necessary evil.

By "directly follow in their footsteps" I mean that they are influenced by these people without really showing influence from elsewhere. They have Yes, ELP, etc. but rarely do you see bands that say "we're influenced by Yes, King Crimson, and The Ramones." With post-rock you get that. GYBE! owes a lot to Tangerine Dream, chamber music, and punk. Now THAT's progressive, whether it's "prog" or not.



As for the Anderson quote, to the best of my memory, it went like this: "There was a lot of free-form attitude in the late 60s, but in the 70s, to have a great memory of musical form, shape, structure, and so on, made me feel like I was part of something... important."

Rick, your reaction to Anderson's "important" remark is exactly why reviewers always call prog pretentious. But for me, I'll take the pretentiousness. If these musicians need to thing they are making important music in order to create it, so be it. I'll take pretentiousness over a "we just wanna rock" attitude that gives birth to the crap on the radio today."

[Rick and Roll]

well said Spaz (especially the Anderson quote...I did take that out of context it seems, thank you)....

however....I do just want to rock (now that's a repeat quote!:D )

[Yesspaz]

Did we just agree on something? :eek:

[roger]

Originally posted by Yesspaz
Did we just agree on something? :eek: yeah, I think you did. and the magnetic poles of the earth just switched... :D

[teermin8r]

There are really only 2 kinds of music. Music that I like and music that I don't. I am the worlds worst at saying this is this type of music and that is that. I only know if I like it or not.

[Rick and Roll]

I said Spaz's argument was well thought out.

I agree with the teerminator.

[Yesspaz]

Crap. I thought we were beginning to become friends or something. I guess we still only agree on King's X.

[Rick and Roll]

We disagree on later King's X:D

Hey I gave you that Godspeed boot and you gave me the Stavesacre....;)


hey - isn't the name of this thread "How Old Are You"?:p

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by Rick and Roll
We disagree on later King's X:D
I started to point out that we only agreed on the second, third, and fifth albums, but I left it to you to do...!
Originally posted by Rick and Roll
... and you gave me the Stavesacre....;)
And we disagreed on some of those songs! :D

[podakayne]

loved the discussion btw...however you mislabeled the musical sons of different mothers...if they have the same dad...they're half-brothers not step...a much better genetic bond than step-brothers...which emplies no real blood kinship...

just my 2cents
;)

[Yesspaz]

AH! Poda is correct. Prog rock and Post rock are half brothers. Excellent.

Yesspaz sheepishly admits that he started to write "fraternal twins" - twins but not identical, but realized that didn't make any sense.