Progressive Dementia (Crossover)

Progressive Dementia

Why bother going out to a live show? Many people think they’ve seen it all already, but each Progressive Dementia show really is something new under the sun. Progressive Dementia is a rock band, birthday party, jazz combo and improvisational comedy troupe all rolled into one. They perform a complex, yet accessible mixture of rock, jazz, comedy, pop, metal, improvisation and surrealism in a carnival-like atmosphere. It makes you feel like the smartest kid in the candy store.

They are constantly thinking, writing and changing, and a show is as likely to begin with a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a giant carrot singing about the inhumane treatment of his children as they are eaten in salads. Pop culture references and surreal humor fly by during a musical journey punctuated by costume changes and prize giveaways. “It’s like visiting Chuck E. Cheese while tripping,” says guitarist and Bryan Zeigler with an earnest grimace.

The humorous lyrics belie the deadly musical chops owned by all four members of the band. They write complicated songs about stupid things, and their musical performances can be simultaneously nuanced and over-the-top, including symphonic complexity, metallic intensity and jazz subtlety, often in the same song. Many nights, they play a musical version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” improvising based on a song title, style, and key signature suggested by the audience. “Many people think progressive music has to be serious and self-indulgent.” says Zeigler, “We want to make music that is good for you and fun. Like a porn star performing a prostate exam."

Recently the band teamed up with multi gold and platinum award winning record producer Dan Grigsby to create Muffin Puppet, their first album for 4Q Music, the home of “eclectic electric rock.” Included on the album are songs like “The Crab Lies Down on Broadway,” which combines groove, progressive rock and Caribbean influences to tell the story of a lost crustacean, “Beware of the Dwarf,” a jazz-groove song about fictional characters who intentionally give bad directions, and “Cameltoe,” which mixes rock, jazz and eastern tones. “Rod Stewart’s Irrational Fear of Leprechauns” is naturally an instrumental.