NearFest07 - The Reviews

[OverHillandDale(Admin)]

NearFest07 - Fusion Friday
Wow, my first progressive rock festival weekend. What a feat to be able to put one of these things together. If you read the history of this event on their website you'd understand a lot more, if you have not been to one before.
The Zoellner Arts Center is a very nice performance space. 1002 seats in an orchestra listening seating arrangement (which means seats span from one side of the house all the way across unbroken by center aisles). There is a raised rear seating area and a balcony. It is very spacious and well appointed. The acoustics are good in the house. My seat was in the front row near center of the balcony.
The weekend began with Friday Night Fusion. The first group was ONE SHOT. From France, they bring a hard edge rock fusion. It is led by their keyboardist and guitarist and backed by bass and drums. (Rick, Cozy - help me out with the performer names here, please.) The piano parts are usually atmospheric using an electric Rhodes piano sound which lays a tranquil backdrop to the fast paced pickings and textures of the guitar. With those to I had no complaint. I did have trouble with the sound quality of the bass. It was muddled and low. There were some interesting phasing but it was not mixed into the house system well and you could not discern notes very well. You could get the rhythm, a very driving and energetic rhythm, but the melodic toning were missing.
The drummer was very, very energetic. But the lack of a large kit made for a very monotonous styling. I'm hoping he had to made due with a rental unit because of having to come overseas and that wasn't his ususal style. Especially since he had to fight with his high hat for one song until the technicians could come out and replace it. That takes a lot away from the enjoyment of the song when you see the musicians suffer that way.
All-in-all, the set was very good. Kudos to the festival for starting on time. despite some technical difficulties the group played well together and really worked up the crowd. A little language barrier in between songs was amusingly handled.a
The second set was a reunion of Secret Oyster. A jazz fusion group in the vain of Passport, Return To Forever and Weather Report. This marked the first time that Karsten Vogel has played in the United States. I just wish they had provided better sound support for his incredible soprano and alto saxophone playing. Other than that, the group was relatively well mixed. The lead guitar could have been bumped up some to lend a little more strength to the solos. But the technique was superb. And since these guys have been around since the early 70's they still could put on a great show. [I must admit, however, that their 'more mature' appearance led me to believe that I had stumbled into the Sunset Retirement Home Friday Night Talent Show when I came back in from the break.] But seriously, their compositions were tight, controlled and well executed. Some sitting near me commented they liked One Shot better because of their "jamming" style. Well, Secret Oyster did confess to having only played about 6-8 rehearsal sessions before this gig, so they were certainly a little reserved. But they were spot on. A good set.
Now, to the Headliner of the night: Jimmy Johnson on bass, Chad Wackerman on percussion, and Allan Holdsworth on guitar. What a great trio. They obviously had more of their own equipment, especially for the bass player, so they did not suffer some of the sound issues as the first two groups. Jimmy Johnson intonation and riffs were clear and beautiful. Makes me weep for a tenth of his talent to fall upon me. Chad, what can I say. Wow. what a consummate percussionist. Excellent kit instrumentation, and use. He was a joy to watch and listen. Now Allan. What a style, like no other. Listening to him is not the same as watching him play. When you see him play, you go 'how did he make those sounds with his hands stretched out so wide. His incredible reach allows him to create chord progressions and occidentals that no many others can. That being said, you otherwise might as well shut your eyes cause the man just stands there and plays. A self-confessed "Mr. Personality" when he plays. But wow, the sounds. Only low of the set may have been in the last 3-4 numbers. By the end they all began to sound very much alike. I wish a little more diversity had been programed in just to spice it up.
So that's the end of Night One. Fusion Friday. An interesting mix of styles and sounds. I very much enjoyed the diversity of the three groups. Allan was definitely the hit of the night. I really enjoyed Secret Oyster (but I'm a bit Weather Report fan), but I think the crowd like One Shot more. One shot had the energy level way up.

Tomorrow - IZZ, NebelBest, Bob Drake, Magenta and Hawkwind.

[OverHillandDale(Admin)]

Here's the link to NearFest for history and other information about groups and schedule:

http://www.nearfest.com/index.asp

[Rick and Roll]

DISCIPLINE for Nearfest 2008!!!!!!!

Reviews later in week. Thanks dale..see you at 11AM !

[GORT]

I was there for the Sunday lineup and must say all in all it was a good day of music. It started off with Indukti. I enjoyed this set, it was IMO a strong performance, and Ewa's violin playing was tremendous. The second band to play was La Maschera Di Cera. It was a little more reserved that most of the stuff I was used to hearing and they played very well. Allesandro's vocals were very strong, what a voice ! Next on the bill was Robert Rich, an artist I was not very familiar with. At this point I had already gone about 24 hrs. without sleep. This was a dangerous situation for me for he plays spacey electronica stuff. It was VERY cool and relaxing. The next band up was Pure Reason Revolution. I was very impressed with the young group. They were a refreshing surprise and I think that they will draw a larger following in the near future. The night finished off with Magma. Now I know there is divided opinions on Magma, but you have to take them for what they are...a very talented group of musicians and vocalists who's music has a strong freeform jazz influence. They're not for everyone, but there is much to appreciate in what they do. I'm not saying that they're a favorite of mine by any stretch, but I do find them interesting. The best part of NEARfest was meeting so many MOONies for the first time, it was an amazing experience. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[mossy]

Hope someone remembered to get a group shot, and that it will be posted eventually.

Group of moon folk, that is.

[ViolinCyndee]

Originally Posted by mossy

Hope someone remembered to get a group shot, and that it will be posted eventually.

Group of moon folk, that is.

Grrrrrrr I didn't know about it. Oh well.. you can see my pic on my site if you want to!

Btw, my fav bands (in order, roughly):
1. Hawkwind
2. Allan Holdsworth
3. One Shot
4. La Machera di Cera
5. Secret Oyster
6. Indukti
7. Izz
8. Robert Rich
9. Nebelnest
10. Bob Drake (he was hillarious!)
11. PRR
12. Magenta (only band I did not stay the whole set for)

I didn't see Magma because I had a gig with Hawkwind in Allentown.

[Rick and Roll]

Due to familial and work concerns, it will take me few days to work up a decent, typically Rickian long-winded review. In the meantime, keep them coming...a lot of what you've all so correctly stated saves me the trouble of repeating it.

[Rick and Roll]

As promised....

As usual, I had a great deal of fun. It was very ironic - the bands were done earlier each night than usual, but I did not stay up very late. Spent a few hours on Friday afternoon playing disc golf at one of the most roughest terrain on the planet. One time I tripped over a rock and broke the fall with my hand and face. Not the best way to start off the weekend...

Yes, the music. One Shot was very enjoyable. It mattered little that some of the members were from Magma. I had no predisposed opinion on them or Secret Oyster. I found One Shot to be excellent - they were very much fusion and jazz, taking that element from Magma, with some strong compositions. Maybe a bit repetitive....which I found to be a common theme within a lot of the Nearfest 2007 bands.

Secret Oyster teased me then disappointed me somewhat with each song. They would start off with excellent songs, then go into overlong jams. By itself, that doesn't bother me. But the best leads are augmented by interesting supporting instruments. Everytime a solo would occur, the bass and drums would lay down a pattern...and never vary. Sometimes the leads were over two minutes. Too much, mix it up a little, please.

Holdsworth was what I expected. I'd seen him and Chad Wackerman at a 130 degree bar in 1983 on the Road Games tour, I believe. Chad had a small fan...that's the way to see Holdsworth. The other 5 or 6 times I've seen him (most recently in 2005) were intimate settings. I feared that he would not translate to a larger stage well. Enchant, Iluvatar, Tunnels...the list is long at Nearfest of those great acts who have suffered. That said, he was enjoyable. Jimmy Johnson added a lot on bass..how does he play with that poor posture? The highlight was Wackerman. I focused on his playing the whole time I was awake (I tend to nap at Nearfest, it's a bad habit). He is always perfect on the kit.

I spent the evening sitting a row back since some fat ass was in my seat. It was preferable because it was more center and I didn't want his aroma around me. The next day the guy who sat next to me was the loudest gum chewer ever. It was louder than the Who. I have the best luck.

Izz is one of my favorite bands. I feel like I've come full circle..they played the pre-show in 03 (I think that was the year) with Miriodor, and Rosfest 2004 (the inaugrual) and last year's ProgDay. All outstanding performances. But my favorite was the acoustic guitar hotel room set in 03 by John and Tom Galgano. We all had great fun.

Tom Galgano is an impressive player, and writes the best material. Too bad he's a Yankees fan.....their two drummer set up is perfect. Greg DiMiceli provides the thunder and Brian Coralian fills in with the style. There is always a lot going on, with Tom and John singing, and sometimes four with the ladies singing. Paul Bremner's guitar work is always decisive, and the closer "Mists of Dalriada" from I Move showcases this. They only played an hour...I'm used to seeing them play longer sets, but they were the opener this time. They started off with My River Flows, which is admittedly a mess of a song...but it's the perfect opener, gets the feet wet. I hung around on Friday after the bands to see them sound check this, so I knew it would open up the show the next morning.

The second song was worth the money...Coming Like Light. This 12 minute "I Move" piece is pure prog, with some Emersonian piano runs and a powerful ending. They always play it and it's a treat. I was expecting the 20 minute Endless Calling but they did not play it (only an hour show). Others were Star Evil Gnoma Su (power instrumental), Assurance, and Late Night Salvation. Great fun.

NeBeLNeST was different than I expected. I missed them at Orion in 1999...and have only heard a few songs. I thought they would be quirky. But their music was close to the vest and repetitive. Well-played..and the sound was fine. But very monochromatic. Theme build solo rinse repeat. As my friend Jeff said "quirky would have been better". I did talk to bassist Greg Tejedor later. A nice guy - I am always so embarassed that we never learn other languages yet Europeans try so hard to learn ours. I asked him about the combination of upper and lower case letters in the band name...he said it was "to be different"...

Bob Drake was weird. I'm used to seeing acoustic singer/songwriter shows but he took it up a notch. I can't say I liked the music much but he was entertaining. That's half the battle. He had a tiny violin that he only used to play four lines of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic", and some screwy lyrics. The drummer (I think it was Dave Kerman of Present) was hilarious. He came out in a robe like he was in the shower, turned on a small lamp and played, then pulled out a pillow and "slept" on his kit, even sucking his thumb. And Lynnette from the Red Masque made several appearances in one of the songs to hand Bob some items. Very strange.

Magenta. Closed out day one of Rosfest 2005 in smashing style, and this show was also a winner. Rob Reed crafts great songs, using the basic 70's rock from Yes and Genesis as a basis for "Seven" and more comprehensive songwriting for "Home", which was most of the set. The second song "Gluttony", which opens up Seven, is a fantastic song. It brought down the house. White Witch, played at the end, was of course great. I'm a big fan of Chris Fry's guitar work. He's flashy, and can be showy, but he's having fun. He did spend too much time trying to fix his sounds in the first half of the show but he showed up big later. Christina is a fine vocalist, and the band is just aces. They spent a lot of time huddled in a section of the hotel lobby throughout the weekend, having a good time. Rob Reed was absent though..I heard he's not much into staying up. Probably writing more songs! Maybe the shortest band I've seen....

Hawkwind is not a band I've ever gotten into. I did watch the whole set, but I just don't get it. Very basic rock and roll, and just not a lot of excitement in the music.

Saturday later was the party. I didn't do my usual sing along in the ballroom....they didn't get going until after two, and it was too late. iIdid see Anton Roolaart do a sweet "The Clap"...but missed Gary Green play for 30 minutes, mostly Giant material Still never seen GG.....bye the way Malcom Mortimore (first GG drummer) was around too. Funny thing during the Gagliarchives. Tom decided to go off on a profanity-laced tirade about the RIAA..then the hotel security comes in...but he was only there to tell us we could use the ballroom...whew. I spent a good portion of the evening chatting with Davin, it was fun.

Indukti continued the Sunday first band tradition of loud, vibrant bands. Sleepytime, Hidria, and the like. Their sound is quite dense, and I liked it. However, I was disappointed with a lot of their songs. They didn't go anywhere. But the first song and the last two were great. The difference? Using contrast to accentuate the music. When they used quieter passages it helped the heavy stuff sound better.

La Meschera Di Cera also continued a tradition of Italian prog at Nearfest. What surpised me about them was that the music was good, basic prog. Most of what I've seen at Nearfest from Italy ranges from the bombastic (La Torre 'dell Alchimista) to the retro (Metamorfosi) to the operatic (Il Balletto Di Bronzo) to the crazy (Deus Ex Machina) to the smooth (DFA,PFM). They were pretty much straight up prog. And excellent.

I promised myself I'd split right after the set to play some more disc golf. No one joined me, but I had cabin fever. But the last song was sooooooo long. I think they're still playing.....I skipped Robert Rich. Ambient music isn't my bag, and Steve Roach bored me to tears. So I skipped this to have more time to play. Got back just in time for the Aural Moon "class picture".

I was in the unusual position of seeing Pure Reason Revolution before, at last fall's Summer's End in the UK. There I was very close, but was unhappy about the performance. Six people on stage, too much sound, no definition. Had a violin player, three guitars, too much droning. Also the stage presence was offputting. No crowd recognition nor any mingling later.

Then I heard the record and immediately enjoyed it. I had moved down to row 2, so I didn't get the full effect of what Cozy observed about the crowd. I agree - deal with the music, it's what may be in store in the future. The crowd was fairly tame most of the weekend anyway. And being so close I was able to distinguish the notes and the playing much better. Having only a four-piece was a great move. Jon Courtney handled the basic patterns while Jamie Willcox was excellent at the slide and other effects, playing some lead. Chloe Alper is quite a good bassist, and did some Ozric-like keys, especially on song three, in which she was enjoying herself. A lot of the show seemed to be new material. The vocal was strong, and the cuts from Dark Third were awesome. there seemed to be a lot of sampling, but I considered it to be needed to cut the two members. I though I saw lip-synching but was mistaken.

I heard the sound in the back was wanting, and the stage presence again was off-putting (same issue as SE). I was told later by a good friend that that is their "thing", just play and leave, but I find it to be cold and impersonal.

I scooted out to get a table for a bunch of us at the Brew Works. Dinner was great, got to chat with Dale, Sally and Gort and generally pester Davin

Magma was good. Yes I said it. I wasn't that fond of them the last time, and I won't go out and buy their music, but it was a good show. The instrumental parts were sweet, lots of soloing. Christian Vander is a monster. Dude's almost sixty and still gets after it. The vocalists seemed to move like the zombies in Dawn of the Dead, and the two on the right (one was Stella Vander) reminded me of Laverne and Shirley. I did despise the last song, but the show was good.

Apparently I retired before the fun started on Sunday evening, but 7AM came too soon. Next year (and this year at Progday) I make up for it....DISCIPLINE in 2008!

[GORT]

Indeed we did mossy. I'm sure VAX will have it posted soon. Tom Gagliardi even got in it.

[Cozy]

Hey everyone!

Here's my review/ranks of the fest:


Pure Reason Revolution (A+) - Great set. It was everything I expected and more. My only small gripes were that they didn't address the audience (considering *they* at least spoke English) and that the mix towards the back made it difficult to hear the vocals. I especially enjoy that there were people leaving the theater complaining that this band wasn't prog enough for them. Welcome to the future, my friends.


One Shot (A) - I knew these guys would be great going in, and they didn't disappoint. The only knocks were that they didn't play "Fat" on Ewaz Vader, that the set list was only 45 min (I didn't realize it was going to be that short), and that they were stiff so there was nothing to 'look at' so to speak.


La Maschera Di Cera (A-) - LuxAde solidified my enjoyment of this Italian retro symph band. They put on a great show and Alessandro gets extra points for his passion and stage presence. My only knock was that the epic track at the end was a bad choice and about 7 min. too long.


Indukti (A-/B+) - Another band that brought more modern elements to the mix. This was a great set that wasn't too long as some of their music can get repetitive. These guys get points for trying to rock the shit out of a sedentary NF audience, but alas, nobody moved. The major knock is that SUSAR is complemented by the Riverside vocalist, and I felt that was truly missed and would have added a bit more dynamic and dimension to the set.


Secret Oyster (B+) - These guys took a little while to get their legs, but what a great effort from a band that really hasn't played together. I was especially pleased that this relatively unknown band got a lot of nice reviews from just about everyone I talked with. And now you can get 4 studio CDs finally reissued from Lasers Edge.


Magma (B ) - I saw these guys at NF '03 and was blown away. I was less so this time around, but I still enjoyed the set. The new material for the 2008 album was a little long and a lot to absorb for those not familiar with the work would get easily lost. While I don't EXPECT Magma to play K.A, I was very disappointed they did not considering this was the first time many listeners would have gotten to hear a live rendition of the 2004 release they've had a few years to absorb.


NeBeLNeSt (B-) - I was looking forward to these guys on Saturday, but they left me a bit cold by the end. I did however enjoy the last track which I recall being from the first album. For some reason I don't think the material translated that well live, .... or maybe it was me....oh well. And this could have also been a mix thing. It sounded very muddy to my ears.


Bob Drake (B-) - Very fun material, clever, and a nice way to inject personality to the festival. I had a real problem with the mix though. From the back of the hall, you could barely understand what Bob was singing even when it was just he and his guitar. That really took away from my experience imo.


Izz (C+) - Good at what they do. Professional musicians. Moments of excellence, but it overall didn't do much for me and while I'm familiar with most their work, but for some reason many of the songs I heard I couldn't recall. I also felt the two drummer thing could have been better utilized.


Incomplete: Holdsworth, Robert Rich. I really didn't hear enough to be able to make an impression.

And I knew I wouldn't enjoy Magenta and Hawkwind to attend, so I didn't.


Anyway, great festival overall!


PS - Discipline is a monster start for NF X!