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"

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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