[Rick and Roll]

airing Sunday, August 24 from 8-11 PM EST and Monday, August 25 from 1-4 PM EST

Fourteen times now, music lovers will have converged on a farm outside Chapel Hill, North Carolina for the longest American prog festival. Some well-known and later to be well-known progressive bands have played Progday. This year features a couple of heavyweights, some established artists, and some up and comers. A good mix of styles this time. Here's some music from every band, except Pinnacle (did not have a full song to play).

Von Frickle -

Antiparticle Assassin
Pyramidium
Freak Parade
Galactic Bounty Hunter

A band that's new to me, but I really like what I've heard. Quirky is too tame of a word for Von Frickle, from their music to the live uniforms they wear.

Abigail's Ghost -

Waiting Room
Love Sounds
Dead People's Review

I'm conflicted about this band. I have "Selling Insincerity", and the music is wonderful, but every song sounds like a Porcupine Tree tune from Lightbulb Sun to Deadwing albums. Some of the songs you can even match against particular PT songs. There's even a Wilson in the band! Seriously, though - I'm betting they will be great live and they will also be at Rosfest 2009. After all, Marillion's Grendel almost pigeonholed them, and that turned out all right.

Ain Soph -

Ride On A Camel
Variations on a Theme by Brian Smith

Japanese Canterbury. That's awesome.

Mirthrandir -

For Four

Not a lot to choose from in the catalogue, so I went with the longest song. Live, Alan Benjamin from Advent is the guitarist. They also played Rosfest.

Canvas Solaris -

Chromatic Dusk
Interface
Sinusoid Mirage
Vaihayasa

Their influences are heavy bands such as Voivod (a good thing in my book) - but these songs are a bit different. Good, instrumental rock.

Kinetic Element -

Now And Forever
The Ascent

The first two songs of this year's "Powered by Light Suite". Mike Visaggio is a tireless worker and scored a slot at the pre-show. They will kick some ass.

Cheer Accident -

Frozen
Learning How to Fly
The Day After I Never Met You

This year's "Orion band" award winner... very interesting sounds, a lot of changes - should be a lot of fun.

Secret Oyster -

Leda & The Dog
Paella
Sirenerne

Very established Danish fusion band, they played on Fusion Friday at Nearfest a couple of years back. They will close the festival.

Holding Pattern -

Blaster
Out the Other

Guitar-driven instrumental prog, with some serious chops.

Speechless -

Spidercrawl
Vader's Boogie

Sean Tonar (guitar) is the curator of the great Progressive Ears. His band isn't bad either - they'll be playing the pre-show.

I'm off to 3RP this weekend and next weekend is Progday. I'll be skipping a week, then back with either some Progday purchases or another non-thematic show.