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Topic ClosedMind Furniture - worth a second listen?

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yam yam View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Mind Furniture - worth a second listen?
    Posted: July 19 2011 at 06:45
Mind Furniture are an American band who have so far released 2 albums: "End of Days" in 2001, and "Hoop Of Flame" in 2007. I believe that they were evaluated for Symphonic a few years ago, but rejected. Though there are a few symphonic touches in their sophomore release, their style shifts around considerably, and a lot of it is more in the vein of neo prog to my ears. Some may consider that they drift too far towards mainstream hard rock in some passages, but there are some quite excellent guitar solos, and pretty decent keyboard playing too on many tracks. It's got to be worth considering again for crossover at least...hasn't it?
Band website: http://www.mindfurniture.com/ "Hoop Of Flame" can be streamed up to three times if you register first at Mindawn.com: https://www.mindawn.com/albums/3791?PHPSESSID=43a6be3f7b475300a711786f20904e04
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2011 at 10:16
Seaching by "Mind Furniture" I can find no results on the whole forum, so they've probably never been evaluated. We'll check them, thanks for the suggestion!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2011 at 14:37
There was no topic actually dedicated to them, but Windhawk had his team check them out according to this thread in a Stranglers topic: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=51811&KW=mind+furniture&PID=3009542#3009542 If you also look them up on Progfreak, http://progfreak.com/PA-50702.html?path=overview/atoz/m it seems they came a cropper in crossover too! There is also a blue arrow against them in the neo column, suggesting they might have been evaluated there as well, with the verdict that they be moved on to yet another chart, but what happened to them after that remains a mystery. They are classed on Progfreak as "eclectic prog-related hard rock" - I think you need to chase this one up with Olav and Ivan, who it seems were both involved in the original evaluation.
 
Edit: The full history on Progfreak is here: http://progfreak.com/Mind-Furniture-96841.html?path=pa/recent Looks like they were never evaluated for symphonic, but were rejected in both neo and crossover. They sound pretty good to me. Perhaps it would be an idea to let the current crossover team have a listen to them now?


Edited by yam yam - July 19 2011 at 14:49
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2011 at 14:54
Mind Furniture not in PA database ? Shameful  Embarrassed
BeGiantForADay

"This British band is just the cup of tea for aficionados who demand virtuosity,progress and originality in their mix."

http://rateyourmusic.com/~GentleG
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2011 at 15:03
Heh, fought hard to get them in 4 years ago, but they were rejected by at least three teams at that time - Symphonic, Neo and Crossover - basically due to the music not being regraded as progressive (at all) in their opinions.
Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2011 at 15:12
I find that somewhat hard to comprehend! Their second album in particular surely has plenty of 'proggy' elements in it. OK, it does veer towards AOR in a number places...but to say there is nothing progressive at all...? Very mysterious!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 02:29
This band seems to have only one song on YouTube. And I'm not surprised, and I don't remember when I last watched and heard something as cringeworthy:



Also, if they were rejected for Crossover, that quite seals their fate in what PA is concerned.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 08:23
This song is not on either album, and is totally unrepresentative of Mind Furniture's material. It appears to be a one-off thing they did in 2008 with Kelp entertainment's B.J. West for Creepy KOFY movie time...It really shouldn't be taken seriously!!! This next video puts the whole thing in perspective.
 
There is actually no reference to it at all on the band's website. Sure, John Mabry is the frontman of Mind Furniture, but I reckon this is not something he was particularly proud of after the event. I strongly urge you to check out their other material before writing them off...


Edited by yam yam - July 20 2011 at 08:25
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 08:26
Where can we check the material? Except for websites that require registering. 

Edited by harmonium.ro - July 20 2011 at 08:27
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 08:35
Unless you can contact Olav and get hold of the source he used when he tried to get them on here previously, there is nowhere else on the web to stream their stuff that I am personally aware of. If you can't get hold of the files he used before then I'll sort something out for you and inbox you.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 08:36
Why not upload some on YouTube? If the band is better than what I found, then they surely need some exposure to make them justice.

However I doubt the rest of their output can be so different as to require evaluation for a different genre other than those who already rejected the band.


Edited by harmonium.ro - July 20 2011 at 08:42
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 08:50
Their other stuff really is NOTHING like the video you have seen!! Can you use Last.fm? "Hoop Of Flame" is on there - all 10 tracks can be streamed :-)
 
 
Edit: Sorry - it appears they are only short samples :-(


Edited by yam yam - July 20 2011 at 08:56
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 09:01
Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 09:03
Thanks Olav!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 09:11

Thanx Yam Yam. Clap

You and I seems to be communcating through brain waves over the seven seas because I was just about to suggest them again. 

I have put the suggestion in to the Symph team, which I am 1/3 of and on a power(abuse) trip. We and/or another team will now evaluate Mind Furniture.

Biography and/or contact details to the band is highly appreciated if you have any or can give a link.

 



Edited by toroddfuglesteg - July 20 2011 at 09:12
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 09:26
Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 09:28
"thoughtful rock" ? Yes, that really sets the band apart from the rest of the scene. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2011 at 10:16
The band seem to be in a bit of a hiatus at the moment. There are no new entries on their Band website 'news' page or their twitter page since 2009. They are from Bay Area, California, and not noted for being quick at getting new material out. According to their website, their last album "Hoop Of Flame" took between 3 & 4 years just to record...!! This album was played on Franz Keylard's "Rogues' Gallery" progressive rock podcast on The Dividing Line Broadcast Network - the first suite on show 302, and the other on show 303, in June 2009. The drummer of Mind Furniture, Greg Miller, had been joining in the show's chatroom for some time before he finally sent their material in to Franz, who really liked it, and thus played the whole thing on his show. It was revealed that he also plays in the band Metaphor, who are already on here, and indeed he is mentioned in Metaphor's bio, joining them in 2005 and playing on their last album "The Sparrow". I will contact Franz and see what else he can tell us about the band if they are accepted, but I doubt that Symphonic will take them. They are basically a neo band who mix prog with mainstream hard rock. I see them in either neo or crossover...or posssibly eclectic, since they mix so many styles into their music (as revealed by the crazy video they shot recently for Creepy KOFY movie time!!!). Publicity has obviously not been one of the band's strong points - if Franz Keylard hadn't heard of them 2 years after their album was released then they really do have a problem getting their stuff out in the public eye!!
 
Previous guitarist, Chris Ogburn, is now part of another Bay Area band called Puppet Show, who ARE on here in Symphonic.
Will see what else I can dig out...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 07:12

They need to be here, and soon

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 02 2011 at 13:12
...added. To Crossover.
Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/
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