IPRS 86 Ready for download

Hello dear listeners! Yesterday's IPRS, the one that aired on UK70s Prog Rock, is now available for download for those of you that prefer listening to the radio show through your iPods or any other listening device you own. I am pressed for time today, so the post will be short, but let me talk a bit about the featured album from this week's show.

Most of the time I receive CDs from the bands or from the distributors, or I simply buy the CDs through my favorite Cd shop. I review these CDs (I know, I know, I'm abit late in posting these reviews, but don't worry, they will come), and choose some of the best songs, in my opinion, to play on the radio show. But I also visit the web, especially a website called bandcamp, and just listen to what is new and upcoming. This week I discovered this new artist through this aforementioned website.

Bader Nana is an musician born in Lebanon and now based in Kuwait, not exactly Prog havens or the usual places where you figure prog will flourish. But give the music a chance and you will discover a rich and interesting artist that has a great future in the prog world, and a CD that will be a great addition to your music library. Wormwood is the name of the CD, and the songs relate a story. Of course, for people that know a bit about the bible, Wormwood is the name of a star that falls on the Earth, as told in the book of Revelations, but it also is a term used whn there is a nuclear accident, and this is the theme of the CD.

This CD won't disapoint, and it's free on Bader Nana's bandcamp site (at least for now). I don't know how Bader intends to make money out of this (I will try to contact him for an interview), buit I do hope that he starts charging soon and be rewarded by the fruit of his labout for this wonderful album.

Anyway, on with the links and the playlists, and talk to you soon. You can download show  86 here (No longer available) and listen to all the new music before you buy.

The playlist is as follows:

1. The Answer, by Bader Nana (Wormwood, 2011)
2. Quarantine, by Bader Nana (Wormwood, 2011)
3. The Plague, by Bader Nana (Wormwood, 2011)
4. Destroyer of Worlds, by Bader Nada (Wormwood, 2011)
5. Daylight, by Proto-Kaw (Forth, 2011)
6. Cold and Clear, by Proto-Kaw (Forth, 2011)
7. Utopian Dream, by Proto-Kaw (Forth, 2011)
8. All the Lights in Town, by The Watch (Planet Earth?, 2010)
9. One Day, by The Watch (Timeless, 2011)
10. End of the Road, by The Watch (Timeless, 2011)
11. The Battle of Epping Forest, by Genesis (Live at the Rainbow 1973, 2009)
12. The Cinema Show, by Genesis (Live at the Rainbow 1973, 2009)
13. Twilight Alehouse/Another Life, by The Watch (Live, 2008)
14. Absalom, by Stick Men (Absalom, 2011)
15. Smudge, by Stick Men (Absalom, 2011)
16. Crack in the Sky, by Stick Men (Absalom, 2011)
17. All That You Deserve, by Freegh (Freegh, 2011)
18. Akasha, Part I, by Freegh (Freegh, 2011)
19. Akasha, Part II, by Freegh (Freegh, 2011)
20. Incence and Myrrh, by Arch/Matheos (Sympathetic Resonance, 2011)
21. Any Given Day, by Arch/Matheos (Sympathetic Resonance, 2011)
22. Floating, by The Dive (The Dive, 2011)

As always, if you like the music, buy the CDs through your favorite retailer, and in that way you encourage the musicians to produce new music, and of course help in their livelihood.

Show #85 Ready for Download

Here at IPRS Central it was a sad week. Coming back from a beautiful weekend in the mountains north of Montreal, I heard the news Neil Pepper, a friend of this show, had lost his battle with cancer. For the past two years he fought valiantly, keeping us posted through his Facebook page, he continued recording with his band Galahad, and he never lost hope. That is why the first hour of this week's show is dedicated to him. I would especially like to thank Dean "Deano" Baker, keyboardist of Galahad for mixing 2 songs especially for the IPRS, and the members of Galahad and Josephine Pepper, for allowing me to play these songs on this radio show.

As for the rest of the radio show, I showcase more recently released music. Two of them, the new Opeth and the new Dream Theater, are real surprises for me. Let me elaborate.

Opeth have never really been my cup of tea. Some of their music I really enjoy, while the whole "death grunts" period... well let's just say I can do without it. But this latest release shows a maturity and a thoughtfulness I never would have imagined. Obviously I cannot claim to know all of their music, but from what I have heard I can affirm that "Heritage" is the album that will open them up to a whole new audience, like myself.

As for the latest Dream Theater, this is a band that I have been following for quite a while. I must first say that I am a fan of Mike Portnoy. He is an incredible drummer, very inventive, on par with Neil Peart, and a very nice guy. Even his side-projects were interesting (Transatlantic, OSI, etc.). When he was fired by the band he helped create the news was devastating. Some people vowed never to listen to DT ever again. Well, these same people might have to re-assess their position! The new CD, "A Dramatic turn of Events" is everything we came to love about Dream Theater. While the last few releases were technically marvellous, musically it seemed that they had lost their steam. Well this new release is a return to form, and the new drummer, Mike Mangini, really is up to the task.

Both these CDs will be released next week, so go ahead and purchase them, they are both worth it.

Download show 85 here (No longer available)!

The playlist is as follows:

1. Silence (IPRS Mix), by Neil Pepper (Unreleased)
2. Suspended Animation (IPRS Mix), by Galahad (Battle Scars, Forthcoming CD)
3. Singularity (Rough Mix), by Galahad (Battle Scars, Forthcoming CD)
4. Ocean Blue, by Galahad (Following Ghosts, 1999)
5. Shine, by Galahad (Following Ghosts, 1999)
6. Heritage, by Opeth (Heritage, 2011)
7. The Devil's Orchard, by Opeth (Heritage, 2011)
8. Folklore, by Opeth (Heritage, 2011)
9. This Is the Life, by Dream Theater (A Dramatic Turn of Events, 2011)
10. Breaking All Illusions, by Dream Theater (A Dramatic Turn of Events, 2011)
11. Forever Is a Journey, by Lisa LaRue 2KX (Beautiful Life EP, 2011)
12. Kingmaker, by Big Big Train (Prognosis 18, 2011)
13. Consecuencia Natural, by Abrete Gandul (Enjambre Sismico, 2011)
14. Convergencia Caotica, by Abrete Gandul (Enjambre Sismico, 2011)
15. Partie V, by Fractale (Suranné, 2011)
16. Magdalena, by Mandalaband (AD: Sangreal, 2011)
17. Visigoths, by Mandalaband (AD: Sangreal, 2011)
18. Saracens, by Mandalaband (AD: Sangreal, 2011)
19. Childbirth, by Soniq Circus (Reflections in the Hourglass, 2011)
20. By the Heartshaped Lake, by Soniq Circus (Reflections in the Hourglass, 2011)
21. Learning to Talk, by Soniq Circus (Reflections in the Hourglass, 2011)
22. Babylon, by The Winter Tree (The Winter Tree, 2011)
23. A Twilight in Middle March, by The Winter Tree (The Winter Tree, 2011)

As always, if you love the music, purchase the CDs, either by clicking the links above to purchase through the artists, or through your favorite retailer. Keep the music alive!

Show 84 ready for download

Hello dear listeners, and welcome to another International Prog Rock Show! Today we have a varied bag of prog music from Australia, the US, the UK, Portugal, Spain, France, and Argentina.

But first, a couple of announcements. I added some more festivals in the Festival tab of this blog. As most of you know, ProgDay starts today at Chapel Hill (some of you might already be there). The lineup has somewhat changed since Quantum Fantay were unable to arrive in the States in time for the concert due to last week's hurricain. Their headline spot has been taken by Sweden's Freak Kitchen. It promises to be a fantastic weekend of prog music, as always.

In other news, Ian Anderson has announced on the Jethro Tull website that he will be touring the Thick As A Brick album starting in April 2012 to celebrate its 40th anniversary. I haven't read anywhere in the official press releases that the whole Tull band will be performing, but one can surely wish!

And lastly, last week's contest still hasn't been claimed. So, if you want to win a pai of tickets to go see The Watch in Montreal on October 8th (be sure that you can be in Montreal on that date), you simply have to download last week's IPRS (show#83), and reply to the question asked during the show by sending your answer at progrockshow(at)hotmail.com (replace the (at) by @ when replying). I will contact the winner by email.

Thanks for listening, and on with the show!!!

You can download show #84 here (No longer available).

The playlist is as follows:

1. Here We Divide, by Dead Letter Circus (This Is the Warning, 2010)
2. This Is the Warning, by Dead Letter Circus (This Is the Warning, 2010)
3. The Design, by Dead Letter Circus (This Is the Warning, 2010)
4. Poetry for the Poisoned Parts I-IV, by Kamelot (Poetry for the Poisoned, 2010)
5. The World in Which We Live, by 3rDegree (The World in Which We Live, 2011)
6. The Sum, by Daymoon (All Tomorrows, 2011)
7. Hijos de América, by Contraluz (Nova Orbis, 2011)
8. Oidos en el Alma, by Contraluz (Nova Orbis, 2011)
9. Like Dust I Have Cleared from My Eye, by Steven Wilson (Grace for Drowning, 2011)
10. Thick as a Brick, Part I, by Jethro Tull (Thick as a Brick, 1972)
11. Ascension, by AmartiA (In a Quiet Place, 2011)
12. Blood Brothers, by AmartiA (In a Quiet Place, 2011)
13. Chosen One, by AmartiA (In a Quiet Place, 2011)
14. Redemption, by Antimatter (Leaving Eden, 2007)
15. The Freak Show, by Antimatter (Leaving Eden, 2007)
16. Landlocked, by Antimatter (Leaving Eden, 2007)
17. Icaro, by Albatros (Ursus, 2011)
18. La Cienega, by Albatros (Ursus, 2011)
19. Vision, by Temporal Chaos Project (Fantastic Dreamer, 2011)

As always, if you like the music, purchase the CDs by clicking on the artists' links, or by going to your favourite CD retailer.

Grand Return from Summer Vacation with Show 83

Boy, you go away for two weeks on vacation and the whole world goes topsy-turvy: riots in the UK, the US is downgraded, and now hurricane Irene threatens the north american eastern coast (where I was 'til a couple of days ago on vacation...).

At least we still have good music to listen too and to discover, and this week, as I come to the end of my second year hosting this radio show, I have a lot of new music by very interesting young bands as well as a few classic prog bands, starting with a teaser from Steven Wilson's forthcoming Grace For Drowning CD and closing with a revisited classic album by the band that created it: the Strawb's Hero & Heroine "à la mode" of 2011. In between we will discover bands from the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

As a special bonus, I also have a contest to win a pair of tickets for The Watch's show here in Montreal on Saturday October 8th 2011. The tickets are courtesy of www.uk70sprogrock.com, the internet radio station on which this show is aired every Friday from 2PM EST to 5PM. Listen to the show, answer the question, and send me your answer at progrockshow"at"hotmail.com (replace the "at" by the @ sign) and I will announce the winner on the air. Be sure you can come to the show before answering, and we'll meet at the gig!!!

You can download show 83 here! (No longer available)

The playlist for show 83:

1. Track One, by Steven Wilson (Grace for Drowning, 2011) - Forthcoming.
2. Salvaging, by Steven Wilson (Insurgents, 2008)
3. A Forest, by Steven Wilson (Cover Versions III, 2005)
4. Wounded (I & II), by AltaVia (Girt Dog, 2011)
5. Another Lie, by AltaVia (Girt Dog, 2011)
6. The New Crusade, by Konchordat (The New Crusade, 2011)
7. Panic Room, by Konchordat (The New Crusade, 2011)
8. Emptiness, by Ignatius (Lights from the Deep, 2011)
9. Morning Moon, by Ignatius (Lights from the Deep, 2011)
10. Alexa in the Cage, by The RedZen (Void, 2011)
11. Into the Void, by The RedZen (Void, 2011)
12. Return to Kolkata, by The RedZen (Void, 2011)
13. End of the Road, by The Watch (Timeless, 2011)
14. (???), by The Watch (Timeless, 2011)
15. God Is a Delay, by Suchtmaschine (God Is a Delay, 2011)
16. Zehn Minuten, by Suchtmaschine (God Is a Delay, 2011)
17. Hero and Heroine, by The Strawbs (Hero & Heroine in Ascencia, 2011)
18. Out in the Cold, by The Strawbs (Hero & Heroine in Ascencia, 2011)
19. Round and Round, by The Strawbs (Hero & Heroine in Ascencia, 2011)

As always, if you like the music and wish to purchase the CDs, click on the links provided, or purchasse the CDs through your favourite retailer.

IPRS #82 Ready to Download

This first radio show of August has a good selection of new releases by a variety of bands. First off is Fair to Midlan, an american band that was introduced to me by my good friend Andrew Wood (whom you might remember from last week's High Voltage re-cap special).  Arrows & Anchors is their 4th release, a reviews are pretty positive.

Next up is argentinian band Uranian. How I came to discover this band is a funny story, one which I talk about during the radio show so I won't repeat it here. Suffice it to say that reviews of their first CD, three songs of which are played here, are overwhelmingly positive, and I add my own 5 stars to this excellent release.

Sweden's Wolverine has released their 4th CD this year, and at it's release I played only one song off of it. I remedy the situation by playing two more from this excellent prog metal band.

Germany's Shades of Dawn have also released their 4th CD, and Frequency Drift, also from Germany, have recently released their 3rd. Graffiti's Rainbow is Shades of Dawn's first ever epic track, clocking at 25 minutes. Frequency Drift, whose first two releases I absolutely loved, have had some personel changes, and Ghosts, this latest release, reflect that.

Three years after the "Who's the Boss in the Factory?", Sweden's Karmakanic comes back with "In a Perfect World", an excellent release from this Flower Kings offshoot. As for british guitarist Liam Davison of Mostly Autumn, "A Treasure of Well-Set Jewels" is his first solo release, and a great release it is. Very melodic with well written songs.

American band Circa's third release "And So On" (if you don't count "Overflow" which was release only thru iTunes) sounds like an offshoot of Yes, which they are. In fact, they continue in the tradition of the Yes album "Open Your Eyes" on which Billy Sherwood played guitars and keyboards.

Alternativ Quartet's second release "Aripi" is an excellent example of Eclectic Prog. This romanian band has many influences ranging from a classic space rock kind of atmospheres, with a modern, Tool-like sound, and a post-metal songwriting style. An excellent sophomore release.

Portugal's Daymoon is an unsigned band wich deserves greater airplay. Their first release "All Tomorrows" has excellent musicianship and interestingly complex music. This is a very interesting band that shows a lot of promise. And for 1 euro, this album it is truely a steal.

You can download the IPRS radio show number 82 here! (No longer available)

The playlist is as follows:

1. The Greener Grass, by Fair to Midland (Arrows & Anchors, 2011)
2. A Loophole in Limbo, by Fair to Midland (Arrows & Anchors, 2011)
3. Coppertank Island, by Fair to Midland (Arrows & Anchors, 2011)
4. 0 Bytes, by Uranian (La Cuidad de Los Sueños, 2011)
5. Alter Ego, by Uranian (La Cuidad de Los Sueños, 2011)
6. Un Tiempo Después, by Uranian (La Cuidad de Los Sueños, 2011)
7. Into the Great Nothing, by Wolverine (Communication Lost, 2011)
8. Embrace, by Wolverine (Communication lost, 2011)
9. Graffity's Rainbow, by Shades of Dawn (Graffity's Rainbow, 2011)
10. Dreams, by Frequency Drift (Ghosts..., 2011)
11. Sadness, by Frequency Drift (Ghosts..., 2011)
12. 1969, by Karmakanic (In a Perfect World, 2011)
13. Bite the Grit, by Karmakanic (In a Perfect World, 2011)
14. Into the Setting Sun, by Liam Davison (A Treasure of Well-Set Jewels, 2011)
15. Heading Home, by Liam Davison (A Treasure of Well-Set Jewels, 2011)
16. Aripi, by Alternativ Quartet (Aripi, 2011)
17. Speranta şi Grâu, by Alternative Quartet (Aripi, 2011)
18. And So On, by Circa (And So On, 2011)
19. Til We Get There, by Circa (And So On, 2011)
20. First Rain, by Daymon (All Tomorrows, 2011)
21. Arklow, by Daymoon (All Tomorrows, 2011)

As always, if you love the music, please encourage the bands by purchasing their releases by clicking on the links and visiting their websites.