The U8 Touch Guitar is quite the versatile instrument. Creator Markus Reuter uses it as part of the dynamic group Stick Men but also in the avant-garde centrozoon. Another minimalist-style composer who employs the U8 is French-born, Austin-based Cédric Theys. Founder of Mad Ducks Records, Theys has already released two albums this year -- Imagur as part of the duo Dim13nsion (pronounced Dimension 13) and his solo effort Eternity's Antechamber -- and both will appeal to those who enjoy ethereal soundscapes. Host Mark Ashby talked with Theys about his preference of the U8 to the Chapman Stick, his spontaneous composition style, and the other acts on his record label, which you can find at www.madducksrecords.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:

"We Can't Use the Sun Anymore"

"A Small Stretch of Eternity"

"Atomic Fission"

"Stepping Through Existence"

"Peaceful Plains"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 30 Sept 2015

Are they prog? Are they punk? Are they post-rock? Whatever box you put them in, The Fierce and the Dead will probably squeeze into it. This instrumental four-piece with guitarists Matt Stevens and Steve Cleaton, bassist Kev Feazey, and drummer Stuart Marshall have indeed created a cult following beyond their UK home, vocals be damned. Their newest EP Magnet has just been released on Bad Elephant Music, and they've been making the festival circuit in the late summer/early fall. Host Mark Ashby speaks with Stevens about the unclassifiability of TFATD, the scientific ideas that went into their album Spooky Action, and why they embrace the EP as a medium for releasing their songs. Visit them online at www.fierceandthedead.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:

"I Like It, I'm Into It"

"Let's Start a Cult"

"Part 1."

"Ark"

"Part 6 (The Eighth Circuit)"

"Palm Trees"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 9 Sept 2015

For the second show in a row, we feature a band with a powerful woman at the microphone, although this time, the music is decidedly heavier. Stockholm's The Murder of My Sweet (Daniel Flores [drums, keyboards, vocals], Christopher Vetter [guitar], Angelica Rylin [vocals], and Patrik Jonson [bass]) released their third album Beth Out of Hell this month, and it's a dark concept album about the interplay between good and evil that shows how the world and the forces many believe control it are not necessarily black and white. Host Mark Ashby talks with Flores about the research that went into the story for the album, their acceptance of the "cinematic metal" label that was applied to them early on, and what it means to be a female-fronted band that doesn't subscribe to all the conventions many expect from that genre. Find the band online at www.themurderofmysweet.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:

"Euthanasia"

"Always the Fugitive"

"Bleed Me Dry"

"The Awakening"

"Requiem for a Ghost"

"The Humble Servant"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 27 August 2015

"Full and fat." That's how Landmarq keyboardist Mike Varty (at far right) describes his band's sound. Joined by bandmates Steve Gee [bass], Uwe D'Rose [guitar], Tracy Hitchings [vocals], and Daniel Martin [drums], Landmarq has been around since the late 80s and is therefore solidly in the neo-prog realm inhabited by IQ or Pendragon. Initially fronted by Damian Wilson, the band made the switch to a woman singer in the late 90s, a move seen as daring by some. Host Mark Ashby talked with Varty about what Hitchings brings to the group, her cancer diagnosis and recovery, and the new CD/DVD RoadSkill: Live in the Netherlands. He also plays the Tournament of Prog Keyboardists -- Who is the winner? Find them online at www.landmarq.net.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Thunderstruck"
"Turbulence"
"Entertaining Angels"
"Glowing"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 9 August 2015

The term "power trio" has become a hallowed lineup formation among prog fans who revere bands like Rush, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and King's X, among others. Centreville, Virginia's Iris Divine (guitarist/vocalist Navid Rashid, bassist Brian Dobbs, and drummer/keyboardist Kris Combs) are a prog-metal three-piece that has come out of the gate about as powerfully as a band can with their debut Karma Sown. With echoes of some of the previously-mentioned groups as well as Alice in Chains and Pantera, Iris Divine is starting to get some attention outside of the mid-Atlantic and will be touring in late July and early August on the east coast. Host Mark Ashby talked with Combs about the switch from the early days as a quartet, the interesting perks they offered for their Kickstarter campaign, and his winner in an eight-band tournament of famous power trios past (it might not be who you think!). Find the album at https://lasersedge.bandcamp.com/album/karma-sown

Featured songs/excerpts:

"Prisms"

"A Suicide Aware"

"The Everlasting Sea"

"In Spirals"

"Mother's Prayer"

"Fire of the Unknown"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 14 July 2015

Is art rock progressive rock, or vice versa? Or are they different styles altogether? For UK multi-instrumentalist Grice Peters, the distinction has some meaning, although his brand of melodic yet atmospheric music isn't easily classified, anyway. With leanings toward the sound of David Sylvian and his associated projects, largely because of the involvement of Sylvian's ex-bandmates Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen, Grice's new album Alexandrine is a musical journey through space from the North African dunes to the shores of the British Isles. In this interview with host Mark Ashby, Grice gives his take on the art rock label, how his youth in London prepared him for the musical path he'd later follow, and the plethora of guest musicians and producers who have helped shape the sound of his albums. Catch up with Grice on the web at www.gricemusic.co.uk.

Featured songs/excerpts:

"Flaw 2 (Silica)"

"12 Syllables"

"Alexandrine"

"Frozen Water"

"Leftside"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 27 June 2015

Progressive filmmaking? You might be able to apply that label to Mathew Miller, who has turned the classic IQ double-album Subterranea and turned it into a feature film that he wrote and directed. Currently making the rounds of various festivals, the film Subterranea stars an Emmy Award nominee and other Hollywood names depicted in gorgeous Montana settings to tell this tale of a twisted social experiment and its aftermath. Host Mark Ashby chatted with Miller about what brought him to this particular prog rock album when there are so many concepts out there, the band's reaction to and involvement in his project, and what else from the prog realm he'd like to be a part of bringing to a visual medium in the future. Keep up with the film at www.subterranea-movie.com and with IQ at www.iq-hq.co.uk.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Failsafe"
"Capricorn"
"Subterranea"
"Unsolid Ground"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 13 June 2015

If you're a fan of audiobooks, radio plays, and the like, Hibernal out of Brisbane, Australia, might just be the type of prog rock project you're looking for. Mark Healy not only composes and performs the music on these albums, he writes the scripts that provide the spoken-word narration to the science-fiction stories contained on the three albums to date. The latest of these, After the Winter, is also the first in a trilogy of books that can be purchased, making Hibernal truly a cross-platform phenomenon. Host Mark Ashby spoke with Healy about the stories that drive Hibernal's albums, how he finds the voice talent to bring the stories to life, and whether he thinks his work could ever be performed live. The albums can be found at http://hibernal.bandcamp.com, and the books at www.amazon.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"A View of the World"
"After the Winter"
"Losing Touch"
"Evasion"
"Worn"
"Beginnings"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 29 May 2015

Their band name is a standalone sentence, full-stop. Their music bridges genres, incorporating spoken word, various vocalists, and stylistic touches reminiscent of the golden age of prog. Manchester, UK's We Are Kin (l. to r. Lee Braddock [bass], Lauren Smith [vocals], Adam McCann [guitar], Dan Zambas [keyboards, guitar, vocals], and Gary Boast [drums]) have just released their debut album Pandora on Bad Elephant Music, and it's a mindbender that will either carry you along on their story arc or have you making up a tale of your own. Host Mark Ashby talked with four of the band members about the reason behind their unusual name, their compositional process and how Zambas and Boast keep each other's more extreme tendencies in check, and the politics that creeps into their music, at least in Zambas's case. Look for them online at https://wearekin.bandcamp.com/.

Featured songs/excerpts:

"Faith"

"Home Sweet Home"

"The Door"

"The Speech"

"The Hard Decision"

"Without Them"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 15 May 2015

Naples, Italy, has a secret, but we think everybody should know about it. The quintet Soul Secret, previously profiled in Episode 006, is back with their first concept album, called 4, and members Luca Di Gennaro (keyboards), Antonio Vittozzi (guitars), Antonio Mocerino (drums), Lino Di Pietrantonio (vocals), and Claudio Casaburi (bass) - pictured here with Neal Morse - are picking up sonically where they left off with 2011's Closer to Daylight. Combining influences into their own progressive style that includes metal, fusion, and more, this album has already received worldwide critical acclaim. Host Mark Ashby talks to Di Gennaro about the new album, its story, and how their new vocalist came to the band, among other topics. Visit them online at www.soulsecret.net.

Featured songs/excerpts: "On the Ledge" "Our Horizon" "K" "The White Stairs" "Downfall"

To listen to the first episode featuring Soul Secret, go to http://progtopia.libsyn.com/episode-006-getting-closer-to-daylight-with-soul-secret

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 29 April 2015

With a name inspired by an early Marillion song, you might be surprised to know that Lisbon, Portugal's Forgotten Suns sound more like a combination of Pink Floyd and Symphony X. Members Ernesto Rodrigues (keyboards), João Samora (drums), Ricardo Falcão (guitars), Nuno Correia (bass), and Nio Nunes (vocals) play a brand of progressive metal that is refreshing in its stress on melody instead of overly-complex technique and its liberal use of spoken word samples to create often-epic-length works that include their newest album When Worlds Collide, released in March on Premiere Music. Host Mark Ashby talked with Falcão about the change in style for the band from their first two albums until now, why their songs tend to be longer, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of being located in out-of-the-way Portugal as a prog band. Find them online at www.premiere-music.net.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"When Worlds Collide"
"Doppelganger"
"Mind Over Matter"
"News"
"Rise & Fall"
"Fortress of Silence"
"The Road to Nowhere pt. 1"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 13 April 2015

It's not that difficult, we promise. This Swedish sextet currently comprising Jonas Engdegård and Tord Lindman on guitars, Johan Brand on bass, Anna Holmgren on flute and saxophone, Linus Kåse on keyboards and Erik Hammarström on drums is set to tour Europe in April with their style of progressive rock that hearkens back to the classic sound of early King Crimson and Genesis with modern production values (but still with mellotrons!). Host Mark Ashby chatted with Engdegård and Brand about the upcoming concerts, why they chose not to translate their song titles into English (or any other language), and which country they think has a great set of fans, and why. They're online at www.anglagardrecords.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Ur Vilande"
"Jordrök"
"Sorgmantel"
"Längtans Klocka"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 29 March 2015

The name makes them sound like they should be a Norwegian doom outfit with long blond hair and indecipherable growling vocals. While they are somewhat heavy, Odin's Court can best be described as fitting into the niche where Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden meet. The Maryland quintet comprises Dimetrius LaFavors on lead vocals, Jeff Pierpont on bass, Matt Brookins on guitars, keys, and backing vocals, Rick Pierpont on guitar, and Gary Raub on drums (Jeff Sauber - pictured), and their new album Turtles All the Way Down has just been released. Host Mark Ashby talked with Brookins about their influences, the reason that he recently brought in a new lead vocalist when he had been handling those duties for years, and the concepts behind the current and past albums. You'll find them online at www.odinscourtband.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Back Where the Daffodils Grow"
"The Warmth of Mediocrity"
"Mammonific"
"...But What's the Question?"
"Box of Dice (Does God Play?)"
"Turtles All the Way Down Part 3"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 19 Mar 2015

Twenty years is a long time for any band to be together, but to keep the same lineup over that time is rarer still. In the case of California's Rocket Scientists (Erik Norlander [keyboards/vocals], Don Schiff [bass, stick, bowed string instruments], Mark McCrite [guitar/lead vocals]), their cohesiveness is attributable, they say, to mutual respect and a disinclination to reject each other's ideas. They released two albums in 2014, the all-instrumental EP Supernatural Highways and the full-length Refuel, with traces of Yes, the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, and other more pop elements present in a toe-tapping mixture. Host Mark Ashby spoke with Norlander and Schiff about how they all met and began making music together, the reason behind all the videos they've released recently, and the lucky break Schiff got when looking to buy a cello. You'll find the band online at www.thetank.com. Featured songs/excerpts: "Galileo" "Regenerate" "Traveler on the Supernatural Highways" "She's Getting Hysterical" "It's Over" "Cheshire Cat Smile" "Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 28 Feb 2015

A producer for Pink Floyd striking out on his own with a work bearing his name. Is this 1976 and Alan Parsons we're talking about? No, indeed. We're in the present day, and the twice-Grammy-nominated producer (A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell) that we're talking about is Andy Jackson. Fresh off his production work on the band's latest (and likely last) effort The Endless River, Jackson has released a new album of his own, perhaps appropriately for a recording engineer titled Signal to Noise. While not his debut solo work, it is his first in years, and host Mark Ashby spoke with Jackson about the new work and the influences he brought to bear on it, the challenges of putting together The Endless River from pre-existing work without the benefit of the late Richard Wright being around to record new parts, and what it was like to work with Pink Floyd during Roger Waters' final years with the band. He can be found online at www.andyjacksonmusic.com. *** "Whilst the ethos of the engineer does make a difference to the sound of the final thing ..., what really makes [Pink Floyd] sound like them is their choices and their arrangements and their aesthetic. ... We are enablers." Featured songs/excerpts: "Brownian Motion" "One More Push" "Spray Paint" "The Boy in the Forest" "Herman at the Fountain" "Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 14 January 2015

The world of progressive music is truly global, as interesting, challenging, rewarding songs can be found everywhere. Israeli stringed-instrumentalist Yossi Sassi is a shining example of that, as he not only incorporates Mediterranean sounds into his work, but as he's said elsewhere, no matter where a stringed instrument can be found in the world, "I will find you, and I will play you." A founding and long-time member of oriental metal pioneers Orphaned Land (profiled in Episode 034), Sassi recently struck out on his own, this year releasing his second solo album, Desert Butterflies. Host Mark Ashby talked about his eclectic style, the connection between his family roots and the kind of music he creates and seeks out (and why he won't move away from his native land for bigger opportunities), and his own unique instrument, the bouzoukitara, among many other topics. Find him online at www.yossisassi.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Orient Sun"
"Cocoon"
"Drive"
"Fata Morgana"
"Believe"

To hear the interview with Orphaned Land's vocalist Kobi Farhi, go to http://progtopia.libsyn.com/episode-034-for-orphaned-land-all-is-one

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 12 December 2014

Female-fronted metal bands are often expected to have a certain sound. Their singers are expected to cite the likes of Cristina Scabbia or Sharon den Adel as their main influences. That's not what you'll find from Whitehall, Pennsylvania's, MindMaze. Joining sibling duo Sarah (vocals) and Jeff (guitar) Teets are drummer Kalin Schweizerhof and live bassist Rich Pasqualone in a combo that is forging its own identity with its two albums to date, Mask of Lies (2013) and this October's Back from the Edge. Symphony X bassist Mike LePond sat in on the new album, which is one of the topics host Mark Ashby talked about with Sarah and Jeff, as well as their early days under a different name, what it's like being family members who write together, and the double-edged sword that is the existence of a metal band with a woman at the microphone. You can find them online at www.mindmazeband.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Back from the Edge"
"The Machine Stops"
"This Holy War"
"Through the Open Door"
"Onward (Destiny Calls 2)"
"Consequence of Choice"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia and www.facebook.com/groups/1380357308874546/) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 23 November 2014