[Rick and Roll]

really shouldn't be doing this now, but I figured the longer I wait the less relevant it will be and the less motivated I will be.

Before I review the bands, I want to tell you a bit about Progday. It is held in Chapel Hill, NC every year on the Labor Day weekend, on the grounds of beautiful Storybrook Farm. Presently, it is organized by Steve Sly who does a wonderful job. For more info, go their website.

The team that puts on the shows are top-rate. It's not densely attended, but there's no better time.You can hang out in nice weather hear great music. And the friends I've made there the last two years (and in 1998, the other year I was there) are really nice.

Band one on Saturday was Oblivion Sun.They are Frank Wyatt and Stan Whitaker of Happy The Man, Bill Plummer on keys, Dave DeMarco on bass, and the excellent Chris Mack on drums.

I've seen Happy the Man numerous times and at close range, so I was excited to hear what Stan and Frank were up to now. It was superb. "Re:Bootsy" (which was named as such because the one and only Bootsy Collins heard the track and loved it) knocked the socks off. And Stan's "The Ride" got everyone going. There were some first album HTM selections and lots of other good music. Frank and Stan played some frisbee later (I am out for hours between bands throwing when I'm not drinking...car bombs the drink of choice). A great set, and I'm glad I spent the night locally before the show, and not drive 5 hours down at 5 AM as I did for Woodenhead last year. I have a good picture of Frank with Mike Potter from Orion, but I'll need to get that and other neat pics together to upload.

Naikaku, from Japan, added the force to the festival. What a fucking powerhouse. As Kenso was at Nearfest, Naikaku was one of my favorite festival artists. The picture of the bassist and guitarist rolling around on the stage is hysterical. All of this while flutist Kazumi Suzuki sits and makes Oregami on the stage. Much heavier than I anticpated, yet a lot of fun. The band stuck around and are a great group of people, too.

Frogg Cafe was on right on time (as most of Progday is, very well run). Although I've seen the Froggers many times, I was a bit apprehensive about seeing them without Nick Lieto, one of the most talented men around. He is dynamite. However, the rest of the band is great, and have played together for a long time. Had a good chat with Andy Sussman (bass), who told me that Frogg Cafe, while not a money-making venture, is a self-sustaining entity. That's good to hear. They closed worth KC's "Red" and FZ's "Peaches", sure to knock up the prog cred several notches.

Qoph from Sweden closed out the first day. Totally different than my pre-conceived notion, thay were dripping with hippieness. The singer could have passed for Jim Morrison if you closed your eyes. A lot of straightforward jams, some Zeppelin-type songs and even a cover of Captain Beyond's "Dancing Madly Backwards". A bit long of a set, but a hell of a lot of fun.

Day Two opened up with Skeleton Breath. They were even more tight than their NJ Proghouse concert, the only time I'd been there. At such an intimate setting, I was able to remember a lot of detail, even though it was several years ago. Seeing them while meandering around near the stage was very cool (at Progday you can get as close as you choose). One song had the violin play the theme while the bass played the rhythm. Then in the next verse thay reversed it. Very cool! Another good bunch of guys to talk to. The best number was "Do the Lazy Rabbit".

Advent is a band that needs to be seen at a place such as the aforementioned NJP (they'll be there on 10/20). In an outdoor setting, it's a bit difficult to pick out all of the subtleties. I found the music fascinating, but the delivery lacking. The version of GG's "Free Hand" was musically brilliant, although the vocals needed serious help. The stage set was busy, but the Ptak brothers and Alan Benjamin added a lot to the music.

Nemo, from France, was playing for the first time in the U.S. I really didn't take much from the band, the alcohol may have been talking to me. I remember it as good, solid progressive music.

"3" is not the forgettable Berry/Emerson/Palmer band but an exciting band from Woodstock, NY. I'd seen them with Porcupine Tree, and will be seeing them twice more in support of PT. They've been picked to play with the Scorpions also. The best way to describe them is rock and roll metal with non-traditional ideas. Joey Eppard, the songwriter and singer, plays an acoustic guitar in an unusual flamenco style, holding his own again often heavy background. Another original trademark is the double drum attack. Like Izz, who has an acoustic and electric drum set, 3 has two great drummers. Joe Stote handles mostly percussion and keys, and Chris Gartmann (Gartdrumm) does the heavy lifting. Gart is one of the best drummers I've seen. I made sure to talk with him a great length that evening. He's an interesting person and I hope to meet him and the band again next month. The performance at Progday was very powerful, and I made sure to sober up a bit and get close for the show.

For those who have inquired about the band name, here's Joey Eppard's explanation from the Rock Something website and the Progday program:
"It is a reference to the construct of our reality as having predominately 3 aspects. We live in a 3 dimensional universe on the 3rd planet from the sun, experience time as past present and future in a form that consists of mind body and spirit". (Of course someone said, Moe/Larry/Curly, but you get the idea).

There are many more experiences from the weekend that I could bore you with, but meeting the bands, and old and new friends is enough by itself to make the trip worthwhile. Add great music and everything else, it's an unforgettable weekend.

Now on a slightly down note. More and more, I've seen the complaining about the "progginess" of some music in these festivals. I've been about 20 of these types of concerts (and seen 500 or so artists), and to me, an exciting act is just that. To use one of countless examples, a band like Magic Pie is considered progressive. I'd classify them as retro hard rock. Regardless of how you pigeon-hole them, they are to me one of the best acts to hear both in studio and live in the past 10 years. And that's all. Who gives a rat's ass what you call them? I have news for you...most of the artists I talk to don't care, or have trouble defining it. Ian Anderson is one of many who scoffs at the term.

The reason I even bring this up, is that it's all just pointless silliness. What used to be a melting pot of music (Universe Zero and The Strawbs as healiners at Nearfest, now that's a uncommon pair) is deteriorating into petty sniping about an artifical meaning. Music is music. Sometimes I think we are quick to tear things down. Why not just celebrate it for what it is? The term I hated growing up was "pretentious". Oh you're music is pretentious etc etc. Now it seems we're living up to that with our predjudices.

To tie it all together, I think "3" has a place among Progressive music. It can be heavier than usual at times. Sometimes that's not everyone's bag. But I think they're Prog. I personally don't think the Strawbs exhibit Prog elements. But I'm wrong - it could be that because they don't reach me with their music, so I recoil and think they're not Progressive. But they are whatever you want them to be.

OK, I just broke both ankles coming down from the soapbox, and am quite-bleary-eyed...but it was something I wanted to say. It's something that has been on my mind a lot lately.

Miles to go before I sleep.......