Black Mountain

It's a local for me band.  I think I saw a bit of their set at at a free concert before.

Here's the myspace: http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain">http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain
And the website: blackmountainarmy.com

Here's the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mountain_(band)
The band has opened for Coldplay.

Incidentally, Wikipedia mentions that the band's leader "also heads another similarly named band, Pink Mountaintops, who are the more experimental side of McBean's musical abilities" (after listening to Pink Mountaintop, I'm not suggesting it for PA).
http://www.myspace.com/pinkmountaintops
 pinkmountaintops.com

Gratuitous note, wikipedia also mentions that "The name "Black Mountain" could be a reference to a large pile of hashish or simply the mountain of the same name which lies predominant on the city's North Shore skyline." Black Mountain is one of my favourite hikes in the area I grew up.

In terms of influence, I'd say it's more influenced by prog-related acts which makes it a related to prog related band in a way (hard rock Black Sabbath, others you listed, to psychadelic bands/ jam bands).  That said, there are progressive overtones (and in its psych qualities).  It's related.

Here's a little article I dug up:

http://www.realitysandwich.com/black_mountains_prog_gnosis

And with the current rock scene so caged by its Pitchforkist pretensions, it’s sometimes difficult to ride the shamelessly spirited ascension offered by a band like Black Mountain without feeling a little ashamed. Isn’t this the “stoner” sound that everything from punk to hip-hop to electronic dance music once reacted against? Why does the current prog revival inspire us to not only dig bands like Black Mountain or The Mars Volta but also listen to the likes of vintage Rush, Yes, and Genesis with new ears? ..... Schmidt’s Mellotron doodles went on and on and on. And I was still sad when it ended! ... Black Mountain’s momentum as a live band takes something so sacred and solitary when injected by headphones and translates it for the fuzzy heyday of open fields of frolic and spacious stadiums of the mind. More renovation than regurgitation, the music mounts the mythic towers of epic everything to proclaim the future, coming full circle until the future is the past – a promising, while problematic, prognosis that could only be reached through this witchy brew of badass prog gnosis.

A comment made on the article:

Submitted by peacefulobserver on Thu, 02/28/2008 - 18:03. Just venting my opinion about this band, I dont like them. The vocals ruin every song. I would never place this band in the same category as prog bands like red sparrows, russian circles, neurosis, ect. I am not saying I hate them, they just dont deserve the praise they are getting.

And editorial review from amazon

Amazon.com With In the Future, the Vancouver, BC-based retro-rock act Black Mountain has really worked through its influences, delivering a classic slab of new stoner/headphone rock. The band's eponymous debut treaded through the catalog of many a classic rock and folk artist's greatest hits album, picking the best bits from Deep Purple and Black Sabbath here, Mountain and Thin Lizzy there, as if these kids' folks had good taste in Big Rock, but not much else. In the Future is far less afflicted with such big-mustache irony. It's tempting, for example, to call the sprawling, hypnotic "Bright Lights" an "epic jam," simply because it's almost 17 minutes long. But the song has great male and female vocals, bring to mind John Doe and Exene Cervenka knackered on laudanum, and is hugely massive in parts, quiet and moody in others. Besides which, it really is a great epic song, not quite up to par with the song suite from Rush's 2112, but surpassing anything similar by Uriah Heep. The rest of the record is eclectic without ever straying far from heavy, psyched-out prog-metal with touches of contrasting folk. Basically, this is the ideal soundtrack to a serious game of Dungeons & Dragons. --Mike McGonigal

I'm enjoying the music, anyway.

Aanother article from: http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-01-30/music/black-mountain-s-psychedelic-sprawl-needs-a-roadmap/

... In the Future's warm, vintage sound can't be argued with, but its conceptual and musical superfluity hints at perhaps too much playing around in the studio. The classic prog-rock that permeates the record often feels unfocused and sprawling over the course of 60 minutes. A couple of songs hover near the 10-minute mark, while the head-scratching, shape-shifting "Bright Lights" lasts more than 16 minutes. This is a perfect example of the album's failings, as lead singer and guitarist Stephen McBean and vocalist Amber Webber sing the phrase "Bright light, light bright" repeatedly before launching into a seemingly random list of "h" words — hurried, hunters, helpless, hitting, etc. The band teeters on the edge of parodying the genres from which it usually manages to steal the best parts. It's one thing to cull the awesomeness of Rush, Sabbath, and Pink Floyd from their overwrought catalogues; it's another to overindulge in prog-rock and stoner metal cheese. Even the album's artwork, created by keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt, looks like a bad Mars Volta cover or a '70s Floyd poster. In The Future does have moments when the druggy puzzle pieces fit together perfectly, though, as on the slow-burning Southern rocker "Angels," the hazy, bass-pounding "Wucan," and McBean's acoustic ballad, "Stay Free"....

So perhaps heavy stoner rock with progressive tendencies.

It's not a local band for Zafreth, and not unknown (pretty unknown in the prog world I expect) and I'm not proposing addition.  I was barely familiar with the band.  I checked out myspace to listen to the music before responding, and looked up quotes where prog is mentioned in relation to the band.  Incidentally, I messed up with the myspace link: http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain

A related to related bands is related I would say, perhaps just a more distant relation.  Whether it fits any of the categories here, I won't say, but the music itself does have progressive qualities to my ear.

There are other ors for PR.

"- Without being 100% Prog, received clear MUSICAL influence of this genre, OR

- Are widely accepted as MUSICALLY influential to the development of Progressive Rock by the community, OR

- Blend characteristics of Progressive Rock with mainstream elements creating a final product that despite not being part of the genre is evident that are close to Prog."

The third option is where this might be considerable to some for PR.

If we go to this quote:

"Prog Related bands are not considered part of the genre but they have contributed in some form in the development of Progressive Rock, the inclusion of a band is exceptional and only after verifying that it’s a contribution for the better understanding of Prog among the members and visitors instead of a source of confusion for the community."

This is a modern band, and though I'm not proposing this addition, I think that there should be a place for modern/ recent bands that are in some form contributing to the development of Progressive Rock (degree is important).  It's likely that it has to some extent.  A great many non-prog (or quasi-prog for that matter) bands progress rock in some regard (this one has retro elements, but may blend those in an uncommon way thereby expanding the parameters of rock).  It's inclusion may help with an understanding of certain kinds of modern prog to some, and it may help people better understand what's not prog to an extent.

Incidentally, I know you wrote the definition, so it's kind of hard to argue semantics (perhaps the definition is a little unclear, and I do wish we could get rid of those percentages).

"Without being 100% Prog, received clear MUSICAL influence of this genre..."

So if a band is only 99% Prog then it qualifies for related?  Such quantification is very problematic, moreso considering the nature of Prog and different opinions on what is Prog in the first place.  genesis was no where near 100% Prog, maybe it was on some albums (I don't think that Selling England... is 100% Prog).

But as you say, it should be exceptional.  I have no idea about their significance barely knowing the band.

My main reason is:

Logan wrote: Alberto: I enjoyed the myspace tracks (and it is nice to see a local for me band/ artist get mentioned -- other than Bryan Adams).  It's not your average "retro stoner rock" band (I did like the psych qualities).  I agree that psych is the "prog category" where it would be most considerable, though I personally would not have expected this one to be accepted there.  There's no harm in mentioning it to them.  Thanks for the suggestion!  We'll see how things develop with this (I don't know if anyone else has heard both albums?)   Yeah i listen right now in my I Pod and i like these songs:   Don't Run Our Heads Around, has a very good  and bone crushing riff!!!, and combined with a soft duo vocal, until the band gets full blow in a total assault to the listener!! Set Us Free goes with a melancolic line and sorrow guitar, to me one of their pinnacle songs!!! Heart of snow a winter tale that every prog folk band can be envy... Let us know what you you think of the second album.   Today i will hear!!!! EDIT: I am such an absent-minded doofus.  Listened to the band when it was suggested before (there's my limited familiarity -- commonly listen to so many proposals that I tend to forget). Black Mountain for Space Rock By King By-Tor, March 13 2008 at 11:58

Ivan: I'm not angry or upset in the least, Ivan (I don't get offended by internet posts except, well not when it comes to these things, but it's not personal offence, more sadness over the way humans interreact/ judge others sometimes, but nothing like that here).  Excuse me if I post in a more general way here rather than point by point (incidentally, the other thread is more informative in regards to the addition).  Just in case this was unclear, I wasn't arguing for them being here -- merely listing some impressions and offering somewhat relevant quotes and links to hopefully help with the evaluation.

As I like to say about bands sometimes -- sure they're related, but it depends on how close the relation is.  I hadn't meant to imply that being a related to related band makes it considerable.  That said, one can draw on related bands to come up with progressive rock without necessarily being directly influenced by (or citing the influences of) progressive rock bands (it would be hardly surprising if this band was influenced by progressive psych/space bands to whatever extent.  However, the psych reminds me more of "related" bands -- especially 60s).  Early bands pioneered prog without being influenced by other Prog bands.  I recognise the criterion mentioned in the definition for related.  Of course this one draws heavily on late 60's psyche and 70's non-prog hard rock bands. It is retro, and not really prog retro, yet I do hear progressive qualities (mostly in its use of psyche/ space elements).  And the more progressive songs are supposed to be the long ones at the end of each album (though I rather expect them to be more jam-long than prog-long). 

Prog-jester wrote: so will they be here?

King By-Tor has suggested them for Prog-related to the admin team on the 21th of January 2009. We´ll have to wait for a decision and hopefully the admin team will post their decision here?

Hopefully they will be considered... I don't mean to be a pushy b*****d, but I'd love to review these guy's albums - plus I could always get an interview with them because they're local for me.

These aren't reasons to include them, of course