Cal Prog 2005

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It was a long day, 5 bands on stage beginning at 11:00 am with a young group from Jersey. Spiraling were the surprize band of the day. Power POP with a prog edge. The rocked the crowd who didn't expect them to be sooooo good, especially with a cover of the YES classic SOUND CHASER that blew everyone, I talked to at least, away. They NAILED it! Keyboardist/Singer Tom Brislin played on the YES orchestral tour, BTW. Any proggers who enjoy alternative rock would find Spiraling an exciting new face. 

Bubblemath takes the stage. Quirky, bizarre, unusual, strange.... they all apply. Bubblemath required oodles of concentration. Similar to Mike Keneally in the weird, but extremely talented variety of Prog, they wowed the tech heads and bewildered the normal. Eclectic and humourous. Bubblemath played THE KNIFE from Genesis. No one expected THAT.

Tiles. Prog Metal from the Motor City. Pat and Jeff, drums and bass respectively, partied until 1:30am the night before with Garion, Danbo, Marty and Stacy, among others. They showed no ill effects from the modest quantities of amber liquid imbibed. As a matter of fact, Jeff and Pat locked in tight and gave guiratist Chris Herin room to groove. The instrumental sections really provided the base to prove their technical abilities. They played THE TEMPLE OF SYRINX from Rush for their cover tune. 

Last years show topper, IZZ, returned to claim the spotlight again. If you have a chance to see this band play, drop everything and GO. They blew everyone off the stage... again. Every facet of their show was sharp and entertaining, even the gaffs and miscues. Tom Galgano had to pause between songs to blow his nose for the first nostril solo in PROG history. How he managed to stay in tune is beyond me. IZZ introduced three brand new tunes from their upcoming release. Fantastic! One tune, the Deafening Silence, is a sprawling epic, multi-part suite. Another, Drop D simply smokes. Drummers Brian Coralian and Greg DiMiceli played a duet drum solo that surely wowed the theaters most talented percussionists. Paul Bremner consistently laid out some fabulous guitar solos. Brems has a unique tone and soft hands. His synth pedal work was sublime. Laura Meade and AnMarie Byrnes played a bigger part in this years show. Both ladies really impressed and have become more invovled in the overall IZZ sound. John Galgano handled more of the vocal chores then usual, due to Tom's cold. Solid bass-work too! After some minor technical glitches, the band solidified the top ranking with a rousing cover of YES's CLOSE TO THE EDGE. Truly amazing. All three singers took parts of Jon Andersons lyrics and put their own stamp on it. Another highlight. 

After a very LOOOOOONG dinner break, The Flower Kings emerged from backstage and ripped into Last Minute on Earth. They played a very workman like set. Long solos, power vocals, professional in every regard. Jonas Reingold song for his baby daughter, Nora, that for me was the highlight of their set. Beautifully performed. Roine's solos, there were many of them, where sharp and melodic. New drummer, Marcus, added his own solo in a day dominated by great drummers. 

The Flower Kings covered SOON from YES. 

Edited by danbo

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