Prog Rock Fame and Day Jobs - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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warrplayer View Drop Down

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Topic: Prog Rock Fame and Day Jobs
Posted: August 21 2013 at 17:29

Kashmir75 wrote:

Chris Maitland, former drummer for Porcupine Tree, played some live shows for the musical Mamma Mia, I think.

Steven Wilson, before he could afford to do music full time, worked in IT, I think

I thougt he was the musical director for the whole show?

Edited by warrplayer - August 26 2013 at 20:01

Prog-jester View Drop Down

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Posted: August 19 2013 at 20:08

Kashmir75 wrote:

Prog-jester wrote:

I heard Spock's Beard guy works at Cirque du Soleil, doesn't he?

I've released three vinyls with my band, Stoned Jesus, played some festivals w/ Causa Sui, Orange Goblin, Uncle Acid, Naam, Long Distance Calling, Black Label Society and Enslaved, to name a few, and we're going on the fourth European tour this September, for almost two weeks. Still a customer support manager in a small IT company

On MY DYING BRIDE: check 2001 and 2004 releases, they are awesome, and even 2012 is pretty good, too

Wow, you're in Stoned Jesus? Shocked

Love your band! My brother played me some of your stuff! I will download your album off Itunes. Smile

haha, better get them directly from our BandCamp

verslibre

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Posted: August 18 2013 at 15:16

^^^^Another Zebra fan here. That's Randy's day job? Sounds like one of those VOIP/Magic Jack things. I would've sooner guessed he sold guitars or gave lessons.

eBay

freyacat

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Posted: August 18 2013 at 14:01

Here is my favorite story -

I ordered a CD from the website of Zebra, a prog-related Zeppelin-inspired band.

When I received the CD, I also received a letter from Randy Jackson, the singer and guitarist of the band. He was telling me all about his day job, which was selling a long-distance telephone service. He invited me to sign up for the service.

I didn't, of course, but it was weird to think of this "Rock Star" trying to make some extra cash by selling long distance service!

Edited by freyacat - August 18 2013 at 14:02

sad creature nailed upon the coloured door of time

The.Crimson.King View Drop Down

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Posted: August 15 2013 at 23:35

giselle wrote:

I think Robert Fripp is mainly living off the money that Toyah made!

Well played LOL

Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987

twosteves

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Posted: August 15 2013 at 22:09

I think Rick has done some major gigs lately.

giselle

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Posted: August 15 2013 at 12:14

Many guys we think of as 'famous' have to either do day jobs now or they are back in minor gigland, like Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson etc. I think Robert Fripp is mainly living off the money that Toyah made!

Kashmir75

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Posted: August 10 2013 at 21:27

Chris Maitland, former drummer for Porcupine Tree, played some live shows for the musical Mamma Mia, I think.

Steven Wilson, before he could afford to do music full time, worked in IT, I think

Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...

Kashmir75

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Posted: August 10 2013 at 21:26

On MY DYING BRIDE: check 2001 and 2004 releases, they are awesome, and even 2012 is pretty good, too

Wow, you're in Stoned Jesus? Shocked

Love your band! My brother played me some of your stuff! I will download your album off Itunes. Smile

Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...

rushfan4

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Posted: July 26 2013 at 11:10

Prog-jester wrote:

I heard Spock's Beard guy works at Cirque du Soleil, doesn't he?

Yes. Supposedly, Nick D'Virglio quit as vocalist/drummer for Spock's Beard so he could concentrate on his day job as a musician with Cirque du Soleil. That I have seen his name pop up in a number of recent releases with other bands makes me wonder if there is more to the story.

giselle

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Posted: July 26 2013 at 11:01

Sorry, I meant of course "never made a profit"

giselle

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Posted: July 26 2013 at 11:01

Surprisingly enough, not many musicians make a lifetime living out of music. Even successful musicians run out of steam and money after a while, bands like Ten Years After, ELP, Yes, became quite well off individually for a while, but you need to sustain a successful and popular career to keep up the mansion and cars. Apparently even David Bowie never made a profile until recently.

presdoug

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Posted: July 22 2013 at 16:42

sleeper wrote:

presdoug wrote:

Triumvirat's Helmut Koellen was also an auto mechanic and race car driver. (I am not sure to what extent, though, he was involved in these things while a musician in Triumvirat)

I did search on Koellens racing and can only assume that he was either participating under a pseudonym or that he was only at an amateur level.I know that David Jackson was a maths teacher after VdGG broke up in the late 70's. These days, there are very few professional musicians involved in prog and those that are tend to have to work very hard at the business side of things to keep going (like Nick Barrett of Pendragon).

Thanks a lot for checking about Helmut. People that would probably know all about that are Jurgen Fritz, and Helmut's sister Elke Schlimbach-Koenig, and i have contacted both of them in the past, with no result. Oh, well.

sleeper

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Posted: July 22 2013 at 15:15

progbethyname wrote:

sleeper wrote:

presdoug wrote:

Triumvirat's Helmut Koellen was also an auto mechanic and race car driver. (I am not sure to what extent, though, he was involved in these things while a musician in Triumvirat)

Cool. So what does Nick Barrett do exactly? This is interesting. :)

Couldn't tell you what the day to day running of Toff Records and Pendragon entails I'm afraid, might be worth PM'ing Wilcey to find out, as she's Nicks partner and very much helps out in that respect.

Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

terryl

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Posted: July 22 2013 at 15:02

Roj wrote:

Flower Kings vocalist Hasse Froberg is a baggage handler at the airport (Stockholm I think) as his day job.

that's cool! If one goes to see Flower Kings live in Sweden, then he/she can hang around in the airport to get an early autograph of Hasse Froberg himself!!!!

Not sure if my favorite progger Phideaux does TV movie directing or makes music for a day job.

And who are we to justify the right in all we do
Until we seek, until we find Ammonia Avenue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrmJ39j58W0

altaeria

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Posted: July 22 2013 at 13:30

Geoff Downes played in a John-Payne-fronted ASIA
during the Post-Grunge-infested late 1990s.

Maybe that didn't technically qualify as a "day job"
... but it sure wasn't glamorous. Ermm

progbethyname View Drop Down

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Posted: July 22 2013 at 07:29

sleeper wrote:

presdoug wrote:

Triumvirat's Helmut Koellen was also an auto mechanic and race car driver. (I am not sure to what extent, though, he was involved in these things while a musician in Triumvirat)

Cool. So what does Nick Barrett do exactly? This is interesting. :)

Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣

Roj

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Posted: July 22 2013 at 07:26

Flower Kings vocalist Hasse Froberg is a baggage handler at the airport (Stockholm I think) as his day job.

sleeper

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Posted: July 22 2013 at 06:31

presdoug wrote:

Triumvirat's Helmut Koellen was also an auto mechanic and race car driver. (I am not sure to what extent, though, he was involved in these things while a musician in Triumvirat)

I did search on Koellens racing and can only assume that he was either participating under a pseudonym or that he was only at an amateur level.

I know that David Jackson was a maths teacher after VdGG broke up in the late 70's. These days, there are very few professional musicians involved in prog and those that are tend to have to work very hard at the business side of things to keep going (like Nick Barrett of Pendragon).

Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

The.Crimson.King View Drop Down

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Posted: July 21 2013 at 22:58

progbethyname wrote:

The.Crimson.King wrote:

progbethyname wrote:

Dark song my prog brother! I feel I like the strings in the first 3 minutes of the song. I also appreciate the dramatic twist in tempo around the 5:30 mark and the last 3min of the song where it goes completely ape sh*t! Very cool, but the vocals will take some getting used to just like I did for John Haughm's from AGALLOCH. ;)

Ya, this style of vocals are a make-or-break deal for many. My 1st exposure was in the late 80's with Celtic Frost "To Mega Therion" and Sepultura "Beneath the Remains". I was like, "What is THIS about???" I loved the music but hated the "vokills"...as time went on I started to regard it as another instrument rather than a voice and began appreciating it. Same deal with early Opeth & Enslaved...though both became much more interesting to me when they started mixing clean vocals with the growls.

Vokills....

well said. Also, Beneath The Remains is an absolutely fantastic album. Have you ever checked out Max Cavalera's SOULFY project? Now that is South American metal at its best. They have 8 albums to their credit. ;)
I recommend 'The Dark Ages' album. It's their most complete release to date. :)

I have the 1st Soulfly album and love that song where Max sings, "No &^%$#@#$$ Hootie and the Blowfish"...

I love "Beneath the Remains" and think the next one "Arise" is even better...In the early 90's I had a Mazda Miata and I put a huge Sepultura label across the top of my front windscreen...I used to call it "The Death Metal Mobile" Headbanger

Mutiny in Jonestown : Progressive Rock Since 1987