Christmas Special Playlist

The International Prog Rock Show's Progmas Special is full to the brim of prog artists who either have done Christmas songs, or Winter themed songs. Here is the full play list, with links, of the songs played during this special radio show, and don't forget - the radio show will repeat on Thursday December 30th at midnight EST on Sismico, and Friday December 31st at 2PM EST (8PM GMT) on UK70sProgRock.

1. Christmas Time, by Aside Beside (Tadj Mahall Gates, 2002)
2. …And Terry Takes the Christmas Song, by Beardfish (Jingle Beard)
3. Oh Holy Night, by Dream Theater (International Fan Club CD, 1996)
4. I Believe in Father Christmas, by ELP (I Believe in Father Christmas EP, 1995)
5. A Christmas Song, by Jethro Tull (Living in the Past, 1972)
6. Another Christmas Song, by Jethro Tull (Rock Island, 1989)
7. Little St. Nick, by Marillion (Pudding on the Ritz, 2008)
8. Birthday Card at Christmas, by Ian Anderson (Rupi's Dance, 2003)
9. An Escalator to Christmas, by IEM (The Complete IEM, 2010)
10. Early This Morning (Christmas Song), by Morild (Time to Rest, 2010)
11. New Year's Eve, by Pain of Salvation (One Hour by the Concrete Lake, 1998)
12. New Year's Day, by Mr. So & So (Sugarstealer, 2009)
13. A New Day Yesterday, by Jethro Tull (25th Anniversary Box Set, 1993)
14. For Winter, by Big Big Train (Bard, 2002)
15. Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face, by Mystery (Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face, 2007)
16. Before the Winter, by Gungfly (Please Be Quiet, 2009)
17. Wintersong, by Nice Beaver (On Dry Land, 2001)
18. Wintercoast, by Touchstone (Wintercoast, 2009)
19. Entering the Halls of Winter, by Hostsonaten (Winterthrough, 2008)
20. Midnight Snow, by Wishing Tree (Carnival of Souls, 1996)
22. The Sahara of Snow, Part 1 & 2, by Bruford (One of a Kind, 1979)
23. For Christ's Sake, by IQ (Seven Stories Into 98, 1998)
24. Ring Out Solstice Bells, by Jethro Tull (The Christmas Album, 2003)
25. Three Ships, by Jon Anderson (Three Ships, 1985)

Have a great holiday, and see you in the New Year. Our next radio show will be in the second or third week of January.

Merry Christmas One and All

And Prog On in the New Year!!!

Part Two of Our Top Ten of the Decade

After having aired on Sismico and UK70sProgRock, our year-end radio show about the Top Ten CDs of the Decade is now ready to download, simply follow this link (Podcast no longer available). Let us know what you think of our choices in the Comments' section.

This isn't our last show of the year though, we still have our Christmas special that will air on http://www.sismico.com/ next Tuesday and next Thursday, and on UK70sProgRock next Friday.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, the listeners, for this last year. I would also like to thank all the artists that were kind enough to appear on our radio show. And a special big thank you to Mickey Simmonds, keyboardist extraordinaire, for having written our great theme music and all the bumbers for the top of the hour, and to Ken Jacquess of K2, whose voice talents are only surpassed by his musical talents.

To all a Merry Christmas.

Our Top Ten of the Decade, Part 2

Since the radio show has been broadcast on Sismico (www.sismico.com) twice already, and will be broadcast today on UK70s Prog Rock (http://www.live365.com/uk70sprogrock), it's time to unveil our list of Top CDs of the Decade so that you, our listeners, can comment or add your own list. The whole show will be available for download tomorrow.

So here is part 2 of our list:

	Rick’s Top 5 Picks	Frank’s Top 5 Picks
2005	The Sane Day, by Beardfish Book of the Dead, by K2 Deadwing, by Porcupine Tree Second Life Syndrome, by Riverside Motion of Desire, by Magic Pie	Deadwing, by Porcupine Tree Motion of Desire, by Magic Pie Hinterland, by Wobbler Picture, by Kino Believe, by Pendragon
2006	Perpetuum Karma, by Nexus Milliontown, by Frost* A Place in the Queue, by The Tangent Paradox Hotel, by The Flower Kings Revolution Road, by Rocket Scientists	Milliontown, by Frost* Si, Partie 1, by Nemo Pedal Giant Animal, by Pedal Giant Animal Home/New York Suite, by Magenta A Place in the Queue, by The Tagent
2007	Empires Never Last, by Galahad Sleeping in Traffic, Part 1, by Beardfish Difference Machine, by Big Big Train Rapid Eye Movement, by Riverside Fear of a Blank Planet, by Porcupine Tree	Fear of a Blank Planet, by Porcupine Tree Sleeping in Traffic, Part 1, by Beardfish Empires Never Last, by Galahad 13th Star, by Fish Oblivion Sun, by Oblivion Sun
2008	Sleeping in Traffic, Part 2, by Beardfish Who's the Boss of the Factory, by Karmakanic Pure, by Pendragon Watershed, by Opeth Blumljud, by Moon Safari	Lunatic Soul, by Lunatic Soul Sleeping in Traffic, Part 2, by Beardfish Pure, by Pendragon Keith Emerson Band with Marc Bonillo, by Keith Emerson Band The Fruit Fallen, by Edensong
2009	Anno Domini High Definition, by Riverside The Whirlwind, by Transatlantic The Underfall Yard, by Big Big Train Please Be Quiet, by Gungfly Down and Out in Paris and London, by The Tangent	Frequency, by IQ Down and Out in Paris and London, by The Tangent The Underfall Yard, by Big Big Train The Incident, by Porcupine Tree Template for a Generation, by Darwin's Radio

Latest Radio Show Ready for Download

Our Top Ten CDs of the Decade show is now ready to download (Podcast no longer available), after having aired three times this week. The complete list of our choices is in a previous post here, and I hope you like these choices, and if you have comments about them, or alternative choices, please let me know in the comments section.

Rick and I will record Part II (2005-2009) today or Sunday and it will be broadcast on  http://www.sismico.com/ on Monday and Thursday and then on UK70s Prog Rock on Friday. I will post the hours and the links on Sunday.

Enjoy!

Today on UK 70s Prog Rock

Our Top Ten of the Decade Part 1 will air today, Friday December 17, on UK 70s Prog Rock at 2 PM EST (8 PM GMT). This is the last rebroadcast of this particular show, Part 2 will air next week. The Show will be available for download starting Saturday, so go listen to the show:

UK 70s Prog Rock

Our Top Ten of the Decade, Part I

Since the radio show has been broadcast on Sismico (www.sismico.com) twice already, and will be broadcast today on UK70s Prog Rock (http://www.live365.com/uk70sprogrock), it's time to unveil our list of Top CDs of the Decade so that you, our listeners, can comment or add your own list. So here goes:

	Rick’s Top 5 Picks	Frank’s Top 5 Picks
2000	Lightbulb Sun, by Porcupine Tree SMPTe, by Transatlantic V, by Spock's Beard Space Revolver, by The Flower Kings The Seventh House, by IQ	SMPTe, by Transatlantic The Seventh House, by IQ The ConstruKction of Light, by King Crimson The Shaming of the True, by Kevin Gilbert Lightbulb Sun, by Porcupine Tree
2001	Anoraknophobia, by MarillionBridge Across Forever, by Transatlantic Recordings, by Porcupine Tree Conservation of Mass, by Hamadryad Perfect Element Part I, by Pain of Salvation	The Cross and the Crucible, by Pallas Anoraknophobia, by Marillion Fellini Days, by Fish House of Cards, by Saga Lateralus, by Tool
2002	In Absentia, by Porcupine Tree Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, by Dream Theater Year Zero, by Galahad Artificial Paradise, by Sylvan Snow, by Spock's Beard	Snow, by Spock’s Beard Up, by Peter Gabriel In Absentia, by Porcupine Tree Space Metal, by Star One Over & Out, by IT
2003	Damnation, by Opeth The Music That Died Alone, by the Tangent Out of Myself, by Riverside A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset, by Satellite Impossible Figures, by Magellan	OSI, by OSI To Watch the Storms, by Steve Hackett The Music That Died Alone, by The Tangent Merlin, Bard of the Unseen, by Kayak The Power to Believe, by King Crimson
2004	Marbles, by Marillion Gathering Speed, by Big Big Train Dark Matter, by IQ Be, by Pain of Salvation The World We Drive Through, by The Tangent	Marbles, by Marillion Seven, by Magenta Dark Matter, by IQ Book of the Dead, by K2 Blackfield, by Blackfield

New IPRS airing today and Thursday on Sismoco

Due to inclement weather here in the North East of America, we had to forgo doing a live show on the air from Mohawk-Radio. Rick and I recorded the show anyway at my home and the show is now playing on the internet through Sismico in Mexico and will be repeated Thursday at midnight EST. Hopefully, the show will also air on Live365 UK70sProgRock on friday.

Because of this, the show will only be available for download on friday, after having aired twice. So run, don't walk, to http://www.sismico.com/ to listen and give your comments here in the comments section.

Frank

New Show Ready for Download

Well, another week has passed and yet another show is under our belt. Today we played some of the new CDs we received or bought during this past summer and autumn, CDs that we hadn't had a chance to play yet. with the end of the year fast approaching, and with our next two show exclusively about the Top Ten of the Decade 2000-2009, this is your last chance to hear what was new in 2010 until our radio show in the new year.

This latest radio show can be downloaded here (Podcast no longer available). The orioginal aired radio broadcast lasted just over 3h10 min, so I edited a bit at the end, and cut the last song played on the air for the purpose of rebroadcasts on Sismico and UK70s Prog. Don't forget to write down your top 10 of the last decade (2000-2009) in the comments section of the preceding post.

The playlist was as follows:

1. Mindscan, by District 97 (Hybrid Child, 2010) - NEW
2. Journey, by Agents of Mercy (Dramarama, 2010)
3. Here We Divide, by Dead Letter Circus (This Is the Warning, 2010) - NEW
4. Victims of the Modern Age, by Star One (Victims of the Modern Age, 2010) - NEW
5. Knife Edge, by Star One (Victims of the Modern Age, 2010) - NEW
6.The Opening, by CloverSeeds (The Opening, 2010) - NEW
7. Down by the Water, by The Decemberists (Single Only, 2010) - NEW
8. Ready to Go, Part II, by The Black Noodle Project (Ready to Go, 2010) - NEW
9. Out of the Fields, by Fatal Fusion (Land of the Sun, 2010) - NEW
10. Dreams, by The Lens (Regeneration, 2010) - NEW
11. Poetry for the Poisoned, by Kamelot (Poetry for the Poisoned, 2010) - NEW
12. Waking from a Dream, by Chris (Making Sense, 2010) - NEW
13. Revealing Signs of Love, by Cast (Angels and Demons, 1997)
14. Disconnect, by Quandary (Ready to Fail, 2010)
15. Les Arbres, by Jelly Fiche (Tout ce que j'ai revé, 2008)
16. I Borjan Och Slutet, by Trettioåriga Kriget (I Borjan Och Slutet, 2007)

Enjoy! And remember, if you like the music, go to the bands' websites and purchase the CDs or downloads.

New Poll: The Best of the Decade

Yes, another poll, but this one is a bit different: you must leave your answers in the COMMENT section of this post.

In keeping with our year end list of the Best of 2007 that will be broadcast in early January 2011, we have decided to do two special episodes for the holidays that will focus on the Best CDs of the decade 2000 to 2009 (No 2010 since we will name those in January).

So, we ask you, our listeners, to write down your own list of Best of the Decade, but there is a caveat: you must choose one CD per year, although ties are acceptable. So choose carefully and let us know what you think. Who will be the top of the decade? I'm looking forward to reading your lists.

Frank

On this Sunday's Radio Show: New Music

Well this was quick. Today's International Prog Rock Show is already podcasted and ready for download (Podcast no longer available). Today, no interviews, no special guests, simply new music from the backlog of Cds that we received. We invite you to vote for the song you liked the most during the radio show. So to make is short and sweet, here is the playlist:

1. A Kid Called Panic, by Moon Safari (Lover's End - 2010) - NEW
2. Crossed The Rubicon, by Moon Safari (Lover's End - 2010) - NEW
3. The Tears of Selene, by Persephone's Dream (Pan: An Urban Pastoral - 2010) - NEW
4. "B", by Opusculus (Consonants - 2010) - NEW
5. "G", by Opuscululs (Consonants - 2010) - NEW
6. Broken Man, by Fatal Fusion (Land of the Sun - 2010) - NEW
7. Juggernaut Now, by Brother Ape (A Rare Moment of Insight - 2010) - NEW
8. Ultramarathon, by Brother Ape (A Rare Moment of Insight - 2010) - NEW
9. Dreamagothika, Part II, by The Lotus (Forgotten Slience - 2010) - NEW
10. Rainland, by Tinyfish (The Big Red Spark - 2010) - NEW
11. Wide Awake at Midnight, by Tinyfish (The Big Red Spark - 2010) - NEW
12. Monster, by Pallas (XXV - 2010) - NEW
13. Fine Reds, by Zip Tang (Feed Our Heads - 2010) - NEW
14. Through Different Eyes, by Mystery (One Among the Living - 2010) Canada
15. The Wake, by IQ (The Wake - 1985) UK

This last song was not played during the live broadcast of our three hour show, but is included since the show will be rebroadcast on Sismico this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, and on UK Prog 70s this coming Friday.

And, as always, if you like the music, go the bands' websites by following the links, and purchase these great CDs.

Rikard Sjoblom Special

Well this was quick! The radio show was really easy to edit so the show is already available for download (Podcast no longer available)! As heard earlier today, our special guest was Rikard Sjoblom, main composer and lyrical brainthrust of Beardfish, Gungfly and Bootcut. The whole 3 hours is filled with music by these 3 bands, including a live song, and a number of as to yet unreleased songs.

PS: I've uploaded a new version of the radio show, the previous one had an slight error (a song played twice). Please download this new one instead.

The playlist is as follows:

1. On the Verge of Sanity, by Beardfish (Sleeping in Traffic, Part I, 2007)
2. Sunrise, by Beardfish (Sleeping in Traffic, Part I, 2007)
3. The Hunter, by Beardfish (Sleeping in Traffic, Part II, 2008)
4. (The Way Out) Om En Utvag Fanns, by Beardfish (Fran En Plats De Uj Kan Se, 2003)
5. Today, by Beardfish (Fran En Plats De Uj Kan Se, 2003)
6. A Love Story, by Beardfish (The Sane Day, 2005)
7. The Sun Is The Devil, by Beardfih (The Sane Day, 2005)
8. In Real Life There Is No Algebra, by Beardfish (Destined Solitaire, 2009)
9. The Platform (Edit), by Beardfish (Mammoth, Forthcoming 2011)
10. The Little House I Used to Live In (Live), by Beardfish (Unreleased)
11. Rumbling Boxes, by Gungfly (Please Be Quiet, 2009)
12. Lamentation, by Gungfly (Lamentation, forthcoming 2011)
13. We Will Never Leave, by Gungfly (Lamentation, forthcoming 2011)
14. Stuck on the Treshold, by Bootcut (Unreleased)
15. Sleeping In Traffic, by Beardfish (Sleeping in Traffic, Part II, 2008)

Enjoy! And as always, I encourage you to purchase the CDs you love and encourage the artists in their endeavor to bring you more!

A Quick Reminder

I've been noticing that a lot of people are coming here trying to download previous radio shows. I should remind everyone that shows are available for download for a limited time, about 5 weeks. After that time they are deleated.

I don't go back and edit the posts, so they become dead links. But links to artist's pages remain.

Cheers!

I Sense a Trend, Do You?

Of the many CDs that have come out this year, these are but a small sampling, but there definitely is a trend!

"There is unrest in the forest..."

Interview with Nick Jackson of IT

On last Sunday's International Prog Rock Show Rick and I had the pleasure of speaking with Nick Jackson of IT. To hear the story behind the band, and to hear great music, this radio show is a must have! By the way, Nick and his bandmates will be playing at The Peel opening for The Tangent (another great band) on Saturday 13th of November (That's next Saturday, so run, don't walk, to get tickets).

On a side note: During the interview, Nick was really embarrassed that some names escaped him when asked who he worked with in his new studio. He sent me the following note:

Hi Frank,

The name of the band was Reef. Kenwyn House is the guitarist whom I've been working with in his new project The Bliss. Can't believe that one slipped my mind! lol.

Cheers,
Nick.

So now we know! Download the whole show here (Podcast no longer available)! The playlist is as follows:

1. Stranger in Your Soul (Live), by Transatlantic (Whirld Tour 2010, 2010) - NEW
2. God Is Dead, by IT (Departure, 2009)
3. Killing Me, by IT (Departure, 2009)
4. Burn, Part I, by IT (Departure, 2009)
5. Burn, Part II, by IT (Departure, 2009)
6. Tuning In, by IT (Over & Out, 2002)
7. Good Morning America, by IT (Over & Out, 2002)
8. Safe, by IT (Departure, 2009)
9. Stay Tuned (Live), by IT (Departure DVD, 2009)
10. Storm at Sunset, by K2 (Black Garden, 2010)
11. Sacrifice, by Yogi Lang (No Decoder, 2010) - NEW
12. This Strange Engine (Live), by Marillion (Live at High Voltage 2010, 2010) - NEW

Enjoy, and leave your comments here below. We love to hear from you! As always, if you liked the music, you'll love the CDs, so encourage the artists by purchasing their music.

The Big Big Interview with Andy Poole

In this week's International Prog Rock Show we had the pleasure of interviewing Andy Poole of the UK band Big Big Train. Founded in 1990, this Bournemouth based band has produced 6 albums to date, and an EP coming out today, Monday the 25th of October, although you really should consider this an album since it's practically 40 minutes long. Download the podcast (Podcast no longer available) to hear their music and get a taste of the new EP.

Here is the playlist:

1. Perfect Cosmic Storm, by Big Big Train (The Difference Machine, 2007)

2. Victorian Brickwork, by Big Big Train (The Underfall Yard, 2009)

3. British Racing Green, by Big Big Train (Far Skies Deep Time, 2010) - NEW

4. Brambling, by Big Big Train (Far Skies Deep Time, 2010) - NEW

5. High Tide Last Stand, by Big Big Train (Gathering Speed, 2004)

6. Reaching for John Dowland, by Big Big Train (English Boy Wonders, 1997)

7. From the Wide Open Sea, by Big Big Train (The Difference Machine, 2007)

8. The Wide Open Sea, by Big Big Train (Far Skies Deep Time, 2010) - NEW

9. Master of Time, by Anthony Phillips (The Geese & the Ghost (Remastered), 2008)

10. Master of Time, by Big Big Train (Far Skies Deep Time, 2010) - NEW

11. Summer's Lease, by Big Big Train (The Difference Machine, 2007)

12. The Very Day, by Delusion Squared (Delusion Squared, 2010)

13. In My Time of Dying, by Delusion Squared (Delusion Squared, 2010)

14. Rainbow Ruse, by Demians (Mute, 2010)

To learn more about the artists above, or to purchase their CDs, please follow the links. And, as always, if you love this music, please buy the CDs!

IPRS Goes Global and in Stereo

As longtime listeners know, every Sunday the International Prog Rock Show is live on the air and over the internet on www.mohawk-radio.com at 3 PM E.S.T.and, unfortunately, in mono. To provide our listeners with a true aural experience I've been recording our show directly from the console in stereo and making podcasts for all to download and experience the music as it should be heard.

Now our show has been picked up by two other radio stations. The first, Sismico, is based in Mexico, near Mexicali, the sight of the famous Baja Prog Festival. They replay our show every Tuesday at 2:30 PM E.S.T. and on Thursdays at Midnight E.S.T. The show seems to be broadcast in mono, but the beauty of it is that you don't need iTunes or WinAmp to listen to the show, a player is built in to the webpage. So simply open your browser and listen.

The second radio station to pick up our show is on Live365. The radio station is called Uk70sProg or Genesis ELP Yes & Friends and this one is broadcast every Friday from the UK and can be heard in North-America at 2:00 PM E.S.T. And this one is in beautiful stereo!!! They also broadcast directly from the browserr but they also have a free downloadable player.

So now there are five way to listen to our show: live on Sundays, downloadable on Mondays, or played back on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The immense popularity of our show is a testament to listeners and to prog music lovers all over the world and I would like to thank all of you, listeners and musicians, for this fantastic turn of events. We couldn't have done it without you.

Keep on Progging!!
Frank

Tuesdays and Thursdays on:

http://www.sismico.com/ 

And Fridays on:

http://www.uk70sprogrock.com
or

http://www.live365.com/stations/uk70sprogrock

We Are Going Global

The International Prog Rock Show has been picked up by a Mexican Internet Radio Station and airs on Tuesdays. It is airing as I write this. Go to http://www.sismico.com/ and you don't need a player to listen to the show. More details will follow.

Interview with Guy Manning

This past Sunday we had the pleasure of interviewing Guy Manning, composer extraordinaire, lover of water and death, and moose connaiseur! He's had a long career, releasing one album a year for the past 10 years, and his latest, Charlestown, is a delight. Download the show here (Podcast no longer available)!

The playlist is:

1. Apocalypsis (Jesu Christi), by Jake Mattison (Voyager EP, 2010) - NEW
2. F.Y.C., by Neil Pepper (Unreleased Demo, 2010) - NEW
3. Shine, by Galahad (Following Ghosts, 1999)
4. Ships, by Manning (Number Ten, 2009)
5. Charlestown, Parts1 & 4, by Manning (Charlestown, 2010) - NEW
6. Caliban and Ariel, by Manning (Charlestown, 2010) - NEW
7. The View from My Window, by Manning ( The View from My Window, 2003)
8. Pain, by Stream of Passion (Out of the Real World EP, 2006)
9. When the Levee Breaks, by Stream of Passion (Live in the Real World, 2006)
10. In the Flesh/Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall, Part.2, by Roger Waters (In the Flesh Live, 2000)
11. Requiem for a Dying Creed, by Hypnos 69 (Legacy, 2010)
12. Duke of Sadness, by Agents of Mercy (Dramarama, 2010) - NEW
13. Tarkus (Live), by Emerson-Hughes-Bonilla ( Boys Club: Live in California, 2008)

POLL
Well you might have noticed that IT won hands down in the poll. That is basically because many friends of IT's lead singer/songwritter voted for him. He nonetheless came in first, when you factor out the "family and friends" vote. Now you can vote in this week's poll!!

Interview with Two Edensong Members

The International Prog Rock Show was happy to interview James Byron Schoen and Tony Waldman, two members of Edensong, a great prog band from the USA. Rick and I had had the pleasure of seeing them live at Quebec City's Terra Incognita Festival last spring and were  blown away by their performance.

On stage they are full of energy, and they are talented musicians. They also have a great sense of humour, as was shown when there were some technical difficulties during the show, and the band started improvising a ragtime. James and Tony were our guests this Sunday, and we invite you to discover their band, which is excellent. We also invite you to vote for the song or songs that you prefered during the broadcast, so in the right side of the page is a poll listing ready for you to vote (Multiple choices are allowed)!

Yesterday's radio show podcast is now ready for download here (Podcast no longer available)! The playlist is as follows:

1. Golden Child, by Matthew Parmenter (Horro Express, 2008)
2. Nothing Lasts Forever, by Unitopia (Artificial, 2010)
3. Right Through Me, by The Intersphere (Interspheres and Atmospheres, 2010)
4. Prodigy Composers, by The Intersphere (Interspheres and Atmospheres, 2010)
5. Home in Negative, by Steven Wilson (Soundcheck.com download, 2010)
6. Unexpected Twists and Turns, by Unwritten Pages (Part I: Noah, 2010)
7. Yoso, by Yoso (Elements, 2010)
8. I Have a Place for You on Google Earth, by the Intersphere (Interspheres and Atmospheres, 2010)
9. Visions, by Aeon Zen (The Face of the Unknown, 2010)
10. Beneath the Tide (Live), by Edensong (Echoes of Edenson, 2010)
11. The Prayer, by Edensong (The Fruit Fallen, 2008)
12. Departure, by It (Departure, 2009)
13. Car Crash, by It (Departure, 2009)
14. Spring Knocks on the Door of Men, by Anima Mundi (The Way, 2010)
15. Cosi Come Sei, by Pandora (Dramma du un Poeta Ubriaco, 2008)
16. Hope Leaves (Live), by Opeth (Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 2010)

If you love the music, go directly to the artist's site and purchase the CD. That way, the artists can afford to create new music for you to enjoy!

Results of Poll #3

Poll #3's results are in and the clear preference goes to BunChakeze, with their song "The Deal". I'm very glad this new band got a nod of approaval from our listeners. 37% of you liked this song, and 20% of you loved "If the Sun" by Glass Hammer, a very close second! Third, with 16%, came K2 with "Passage to the Deep" from their excellent new CD "Black Garden". Rounding up the top 5 were Phideaux and The Watch, with "Hive Mind" and "All the Lights in Town" respectively.

Thank you to all who participated! A fourth poll is now on line, and multiple votes are enabled (sorry about that for last week). So tell us what you think and what you prefered!

October 3rd Radio Show Ready for Download

On last Sunday's show we welcomed our friend Ken Jaquess, bass player and leader of K2. We also had the pleasure to speak with Karl Johnson, guitarist extraordinaire, also a member of K2, and friend of Ken. The band will soon do a couple of gigs in the Los Angeles area, and are planning a small tour of the East Coast (including Montreal... maybe). A lot of new music was played, including songs off of the new K2 CD. Download the radio show here (Podcast no longer available), and once you listened to the show, vote on the online poll for your favorite songs. The setlist was is follows:

1- Passage to the Deep, by K2 (Black Garden, 2010)
---- Interview with Karl Johnson ----
2- Cloak of Antiquitym by K2 (Live in Hollywood DVD, 2009)
---- Interview with Ken Jaquess ----
3- Oceans to Cross, by Atlantis (Pray for Rain, 2002)
4- Path of the Warrior, by K2 (Black Garden, 2010)
5- Hive Mind, by Phideaux (7, 2009)
6- All the Lights in Town, by The Watch (Planet Earth?, 2010)
7- Anti-Matter Poetry, by T (Anti-Matter Poetry, 2010)
8- If the Sun, by Glass Hammer (If, 2010)
9- The Deal, by BunChakeze (Whose Dream?, 2010)

As always, if you love the music, click on the links and purchase the CD directly from the artists or their record company. That allows artists to produce more of the music we love.

Results of Poll #2

The results are in and I'm happy to say that 44% of you loved the new Delusion Squared songs. I even got wind that some of you ordered the CD after having heard it on our show, and I am very gratified about that. What were the other results? Well here they are:

44% for both Copyrighted Genes and Sentenced, off the first Delusion Squared CD.
24% for Widows Watch, off of Black Garden, by K2.
20% for Gone in the Blink of an Eye, off of Artificial by Unitopia.
20% for Beyond Within, off of If by Glass Hammer.
17% for 321 and Justify, two other Unitopia songs.
10% liked Dragonfly by Carptree and the acoustic version of Dark Angel by The Reasoning.

The others were undder 6% so I won't mention them.

Thanks to everyone that participated. Poll #3 will be up as soon as the live radio show is over.

Poll #1 results and Poll #2

The results are in and they are quite interesting. I asked you all what kind of prog music you liked, and multiple votes were allowed (since we all like all kinds of prog). The definitions for the styles of prog were taken from the ProgArchives, a great site with a lot of information. Your answers were:

61% - Symphonic Prog
44% - Neo-Prog
40% - Psychedelic / Space Rock
34% - Jazz Rock / Fusion
25% - Heavy Prog
25% - Progressive Metal
25% - Canterbury Scene
23% - Prog Folk
21% - Crossover Prog
19% - Progressive Electronic
17% - Rock Progressivo Italiano
11% - Eclectic Prog
11% - Experimental / Post Metal
9% - Post Rock / Math Rock
9% - RIO / Avant-Prog
5% - Zeuhl
3% - Krautrock
1% - Tech / Extreme Prog Metal
0% - Indo Prog / Raga Rock

Thanks to all who participated. A new poll is now up, and from now on polls will be mostly about the songs that were played during the show. If you haven't heard the show, go to the next post and download it. Then choose your favorite songs.

Unitopia Interview

Hello progheads!

On September 26th Rick and I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Trueack, vocalist and composer for the Australian band Unitopia. Because of time-zone differences (3 PM in Eastern Canada, and 4 AM in Australia) we finally got hold of him in the last 15 minutes of our 3 hour show. Since we had him on the line and Mark is an interesting guy, we extended the show by a half hour. So enjoy the show, and for our European fans, check your local listings for the time and places where you can catch Unitopia in concert this October, it'll be worth your time and money. You can download last Sunday's show here! (Podcast no longer available)The setlist was as follows:

1. The Order of the Universe, by Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (ABWH, 1989)
2. Land of Plenty, by Carptree (Nymf, 2010) - NEW
3. Dragonfly, by Carptree (Nymf, 2010) - NEW
4. Euphoric, by James LaBrie (Static Impulse, 2010) - NEW
5. Coming Home, by James LaBrie (Static Impulse, 2010) - NEW
6. Here and Now, by Hamadryad (Intrusion, 2010)
7. Missa Atropos, by Gazpacho (Missa Atropos, 2010) - NEW
8. Copyrighted Genes, by Delusion Squared (Delusion Squared, 2010) - NEW
9. Sentenced, by Delusion Squared (Delusion Squared, 2010) - NEW
10. Framed, by Cirrah Niva (For Moments Never Done, 2009)
11. Beyond, Within, by Glass Hammer (If, 2010) - NEW
12. 321, by Unitopia (The Garden, 2008)
13. 21, by Odyssice (Silence, 2010)
14. Dark Angle, by The Reasoning (Acoustically Speaking, 2010)
15. Widows Watch, by K2 (Black Garden, 2010) - NEW
16. Gone in the Blink of an Eye, by Unitopia (Artificial, 2010)
17. Justify, by Unitopia (More Than a Dream, 2005)

Download the show now, since the links stay active for only 6 weeks. And, as always, visit the artists websites by following the artist links, and if you like their music, purchase the CD - full artwork is a prog rocker's dream!!

Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Was the title of the last Dream Theater CD with Mike Portnoy prophetic or what?

It's true! Mike Portnoy is leaving Dream Theater. Needing a break from the band, not having his heart fully into it, Mike Portnoy has decided, for the good of the band and for his own good, to leave the band he started and helpp make famous!

Of course Mike is also a member of Transatlantic, and has had numerous other ventures that never stop him from joining with his regular band mates to write and record albums. But it seems that he needs a break from DT, and was hoping the other members felt the same way as he. It was not to be!

Of course, that doesn't mean the Mike has quite the biz! He will have many other musical projects and we will be hearing his trademark druming on CDs soon enough (probably the live CD and DVD of the Transatlantic tour will be the first of these releases).

And what, pray-tell is the Silver Lining? Well Dream Theater have announced that they are going back in the studio in January 2011 to record their next CD. I know, it won't be the same withoout Mike behind his kit, but they are great musicians nonetheless and will surely come up with a great CD (finding a replacement for Mike won't be easy, but they will try).

So, as we say "The King is dead.... Long live the King!".... Dream Theater as we knew it is no more, but a new Dream Theater may be reborn from this, and Mike Portnoy will still be around on whtever project he decides to venture in! Good luck to both of them... I know I'm looking forward to hearing what they will deliver in the years to come!

First Show of September

A quick post today. Last sunday's episode is now available for download (Link no longer available). Hasse Froberg, singer of The Flower Kings, and as of this year solo artist, was our guest in the first hour of our show, You'll hear songs from his excellent new CD, and some of his thoughts on creation of music and working with other musicians on his solo project. You'll also hear a lot of new music!

A short note before I write down the setlist: the downloads are not permanent. If you intend to download past shows, do it quickly since the links last for about 1 month and a half. I will not repost the shows for the time being.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

1- Magic Pie, by The Flower Kings (Flower Power, 1998)

2- Only My Blood, by Hasse Froberg & Musical Friend (Future Past, 2010) - NEW
3- 23 Minutes of Tragedy, by IZZ (The Darkened Room, 2009)
4- Reflection, by Edensong (The Fruit Fallen, 2008)
5- Rabbit, by Half Past Four (Rabbit in the Vestibule, 2009)
6- Deaman Jigging Spoon, by Mahogany Frog (FO5, 2008)
7- Shadows Black & White, by FramePictures (Remember It, 2010) - NEW
8- Piece of the Sky, by Hasse Froberg & Musical Friend (Future Past, 2010) - NEW
9- I Can't Take You with Me, by District 97 (Hybrid Child, 2010) - NEW
10- Racecar, by Periphery (Periphery, 2010) - NEW
11- A Poet's Talespin, by Dave Kulju (Notes in the Margin, 2010) - NEW
12- Last, by Dante (Saturnine, 2010) - NEW

As always, if you loved the music, follow the links and buy from the artists or their distributors.

Has It Been 1 Year Already?

Yes it has! And what a year it's been. We've played great prog music, new and old, adn received guests from all over the world, from Michel St-Pere of canadian band Mystery to Sean Timms of australian band Unitopia, as well as Bart Schram of belgian band Mindgames, Ken Jacquess of american band K2, and Andy Tillison of british bands Po90 and The Tangent.

As you all know, we had an 8 week vacation, although I prepared some download only podcasts so that we would not be forgotten (though we were gone). But now we are back!

This week we celebrated our first year anniversary, and for the occasion we received phone calls from many of our favorite artists. Come and listen to all the fun by downloading the podcast from here (Link no longer available). Please write down your comments in the comments section below, or write to us with whatever comes to mind, be it suggestions for our playlist to CD reviews.

The playlist for last Sunday's show was:

1. Black Garden, by K2 (Black Garden, 2010 - Forthcoming)
2. The Ultimate Thrill, by Hasse Froberg and Musical Companions (Future Past, 2010)
3. In Tomorrow Hid Yesterday, by Koi (In Tomorrow Hid Yesterday, 2010)
4. Post Secret, by Projected Twin (Earth to World, 2010)
5. Lorelai, by Edensong (Echoes of Edensong, 2010)
6. Fanfare for Absent Friends, by Erik Norlander (The Galactic Collective, 2010)
7. Better View, by Rocket Scientists (Revolution Road, 2006)
8. In Green and Blue, by Id Guinness (Soul Envy, 2010)
9. Train’s Gone, by WolfSpring (WolfSpring, 2010)
10. Small Hours, by Dec Burke (Destroy All Monsters, 2010)
11. Candybrain, by Phideaux (Doomsday Afternoon, 2007)
12. Gatekeeper, by Argos (Circles, 2010)
13. Lucifer’s Dance, by Ennïs Tóla (Seeds, 2010)

Hope you enjoy the show. Next week we might have a very special guest! As always, if you loved the music, buy the CDs by following the links to the artists.

Frank

IPRS Summer Edition 5 - High Voltage Festival

Today I've got a very special show for everyone. A friend of Rick and I, Andrew Woods, had the good fortune of attending the High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, in London, last week. A weekend full of classic rock, prog rock, and metal. Andrew usually sends us audio missives when he goes to see a show, so for this fantastic musical weekend, he did the same. Unfortunately, Saturday's audio files were unuseable (he'd bought a cheap recorder), but Friday's and Sunday's were perfect.

You'll hear music from either studio or official live albums from bands that were on stage during this weekend (not all bands though). Interspersed with those are Andrew's comments. So enjoy this special summer edition if the International Prog Rock Show that I like to call "The Andrew Barnsley Woods show". Download it here! (Link no longer available)

A question for listeners: What does Andrew comment on that has nothing to do with music? Write down your answers in the Comments section.

Enjoy!

IPRS Summer Edition 4

I know, I know, the big thing this weekend is the High Voltage Festival in London. Well, I hear that the temperture is great and so are the shows. Last night, during the encore of Transatlantic's set, Steve Hackett came on stage and played The Return of the Giant Hogweed with the band. Wow, what a great evening that must have been.

But this week we have a great show for you. It's an interview that was conducted last February with John Fontana and Corey Felta of Shadow Circus. Both are great guys and unfortunately Corey, the drummer, is no longer part of the band, having decided to persue different musical interests, but the interview, and the music, live on.

The reason behind this repeat performance of the radio show is because Shadow Circus will soon announce a series of shows, starting in New York, and will also announce the band's new lineup. For more info visit the band's website at http://www.shadowcircusmusic.com/. For those of you that would like to hear more about this fantastic band, the interview can be downloaded here (Link no longer available).

Enjoy! And I may see you guys at Shadow Circus's New York show!!

IPRS Summer Edition 3 - The Missing Hour

Welcome back to the Summer Edition download-only International Prog Rock Show. This week's show is quite special. But first, let me explain. Last March, on the 28th, we played the new Unitopia CD called Artificial. Because of an embargo we were unable to post the complete show to the download page, since the CD had not been released yet. Unfortunately, listeners of our show who download here because of the Time-Zone difference didn't get a chance to listen to Rick and I talk about the album and listen to some of those songs.

Well today I offer the special Missing 45 minutes of that March 28, show download here (Link no longer available). Listen and enjoy! Later this week I will post a review of the album, which is a must-have. So buy the CD and, for those lucky enough to be in Europe this October, go see them live!! Yes, starting on October 9th with the Summer's End festival, Unitopia will do a small tour of Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. There may be other dates, so be sure to look at the Tour page on their website.

Enjoy the week... if we're lucky, next week we'll have a very special download show!

IPRS Summer Edition 2

Hello everybody! Today's download-only International Prog Rock Show is a follow-up to last week's show: the Top 20 to 19 of 2009. We start the show where we left off, with Rick and I counting down from number 15 to number 11. You can download the 2 hour radio show here. (Link no longer available). For those of you who haven't heard our Top 10 of 2009 and want to continue hearing our picks for the best of last year go here to download the January show (Link no longer available).

Enjoy the show and leave comments about our picks... or anything else that comes to mind.