Progtopia Archives

Singer, label CEO, even coffeemaker. Nightmare Records' head honcho Lance King fits all these labels and more, but despite that, he's not easily labeled at all. Vocalist for Pyramaze, Balance of Power, and others, since 1990 he's been at the helm of his own company, signing more awesome bands than you can shake a microphone at. Along with members of Anubis Gate (Episode 001), King released his first (and so far only) solo album A Moment in Chiros in 2011, a conceptual work that leans heavily on numerology and spiritual enlightenment yet still rocks hard. Host Mark Ashby talked with King about the sequence of events that led him to start Nightmare Records, the thought process that went into his solo album (and when there might be another one), and how he progressed from a New Age-type of upbringing to a brand of Christianity that, while perhaps not mainstream, is no less deeply felt. The websites to visit are www.nightmarerecords.com and www.lancekingvox.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Infinity Divine"
"Sacred Systems"
"A Moment in Chiros"
"Awakening"
"Joy Everlasting"

"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. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre including Lance King and many other Nightmare Records artists. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 5 March 2014

Direct download: Progtopia_048_Lance_King_Living_on_Chiros_Time.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:30pm EDT

Steve Hackett is at it again. Back by popular demand, he's on the road with his bandmates on what he calls the Genesis Extended tour, bringing sell-out crowds classic songs from his time with the seminal art-rock band, including "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight," "The Lamia," and "Supper's Ready," plus a few tracks not heard on his previous tour stops. Host Mark Ashby spoke with Hackett prior to the opening show of the tour in Washington about the kinship progressive rock has with classical and jazz music, why it's important - but difficult - to surprise himself musically (and why it's hard not to "steal"), and those pesky Genesis reunion rumors that seem to crop up from time to time. Visit www.hackettsongs.com for tour dates in the US and Europe through 2014.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"...In That Quiet Earth"
"Fly on the Windshield"
"The Return of the Giant Hogweed"
"Shadow of the Hierophant"
"Horizons"

To listen to the first Progtopia interview with Steve Hackett, go to http://progtopia.libsyn.com/episode-020-steve-hackett-revisits-the-classics

"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. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 30 March 2014

Direct download: Progtopia_Backstage_Pass_03_Steve_Hacketts_Library_of_Unattached_Ideas.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:14am EDT

Direct download: Progtopia_047_Anneke_van_Giersbergens_Unstoppable_Drive.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:04am EDT

Direct download: Progtopia_046_Touchstone_Sails_on_the_Oceans_of_Time.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:57pm EDT

In Episode 017 back in September 2012, we heard from Eric Blackwood of the American/English duo Edison's Children. For this first episode of 2014, not only is Blackwood returning to discuss the band's recent release of The Final Breath Before November, his partner Pete Trewavas (also of Marillion and Transatlantic) joins the conversation. With the help of an extremely supportive fan base, the band was able to follow Marillion's model of pre-orders funding the production of the music, which is just one of the topics discussed with host Mark Ashby in this show. You'll also hear about their more mellow approach to songwriting and playing, and what led to Trewavas's almost missing TWO flights home when the band was in its formative days (hint: the police were involved). The band is online at www.edisonschildren.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Final Breath"
"Silhouette - vii. What Did You Want?"
"Light Years"
"Silhouette - viii. The Seventh Sign"
"Silhouette - xii. Music for the End Credits of an Existence"

To hear the first Edison's Children episode on Progtopia, go to http://progtopia.podomatic.com/entry/2012-09-28T05_38_50-07_00.

"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. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 13 January 2014

Direct download: Progtopia_045_The_Second_Coming_of_Edisons_Children.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:50pm EDT

Direct download: Progtopia_044_Sonic_Sensations_in_the_Factory_of_Dreams.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:36pm EDT

Direct download: Progtopia_043_Through_the_Electronic_Borderlands_with_Ian_Boddy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:30pm EDT

Countless progressive artists have released conceptual works; relatively few of them sound like they truly belong on Broadway. In the case of Arjen Lucassen's Ayreon, however, many fans would pay a month's salary for the chance to see one of the prolific composer and multi-instrumentalist's albums coming to life on stage. Ayreon's most recent effort is entitled The Theory of Everything, and in the spirit of past albums, a stellar cast of well-known musicians and singers brings the story of a father's quest for scientific glory and the savant son who can help him achieve it, but at a potentially catastrophic cost to his family. Lucassen spoke with host Mark Ashby about the research involved in coming up with his stories, the process of writing and rewriting his many works thus far, the prog rock gods and goddesses who are involved in the new album, and whether or not fans might someday see this or another Ayreon album under the bright lights. His website is www.arjenlucassen.com.

Featured tracks/excerpts:
"Quantum Chaos"
"Magnetism"
"Merlin's Will"
"Beneath the Waves"
"Love and Envy/Progressive Waves"
"Transformation/Collision"
"The Theory of Everything 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. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Ayreon. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 23 November 2013

Direct download: Progtopia_042_Arjen_Lucassens_Theories_of_Everything.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:22pm EDT

At about age 20, he joined his father's legendary band, Tangerine Dream. Sixteen years later, he departed to forge his own musical identity. As a child, the guitarist/keyboardist/composer Jerome Froese was the face displayed on many a TD album cover, but he's done much since then, with a sizeable discography that includes his current project with another former TD member - Johannes Schmoelling - and Robert Waters. Called Loom, the band has released two EPs that have sold out their print runs, performed live (and recorded a concert album), and now are planning a full studio album to come out by Christmas 2013. Host Mark Ashby talked with Froese about the story behind why he might have been considered Tangerine Dream's good luck charm, the factors that led to both his joining and his leaving TD, the criticism he and the band faced during his tenure (and even before that), Loom's current and future plans, and much more. He can be found on the web at www.jeromefroese.com and his webshop www.cybersounds.org.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Streethawk 2012" (Loom)
"Big City Dwarves" (Tangerine Dream)
"Prime Time" (Tangerine Dream)
"Towards the Evening Star" (Tangerine Dream)
"Playing for Penalties" (solo)
"A Long Time Ago" (Loom)
"Meng Tian" (Tangerine Dream)

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 10 Nov 2013

Direct download: Progtopia_041_The_Looming_Artistry_of_Jerome_Froese.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:25am EDT

Is it possible for great prog music to be both modern and "retro"? The Flower Kings prove that the answer is yes. Sweden's fantastic five-piece (Felix Lehrmann [drums], Tomas Bodin [keyboards], Roine Stolt [guitar/vocals], Jonas Reingold [bass], Hasse Fröberg [guitar/vocals]) has just released their 12th studio album, Desolation Rose, on Inside Out, and keeping in the band's tradition, they've mixed the best sounds of the past with the technology of the present; perhaps no one does it better. Host Mark Ashby spoke with Stolt -- one of the busiest musicians in the prog realm, it seems, with other projects like Transatlantic and Agents of Mercy -- about the band's creative approach in the studio (involving reel-to-reel decks!), his history as a musician from the '70s through the present, the social and political themes explored on Desolation Rose, and upcoming live shows including the Progressive Nation at Sea cruise. Find the Flower Kings on the web at www.flowerkings.se, and the Progressive Nation cruise at www.progressivenationatsea.com.

Featured tracks/excerpts:

"Dark Fascist Skies"
"Going Up"
"Sleeping Bones"
"White Tuxedos"
"Tower ONE"

Progtopia's website (www.progtopia.com) now contains all archived episodes and shorter "Friday Finds" programs featuring one song each from two different prog artists. Also please "like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 28 Oct 2013

Direct download: Progtopia_040_Flower_Kings_in_White_Tuxedos.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:23pm EDT