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Neo-Romantic View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Personal prog connections
    Posted: May 02 2014 at 15:30

Recently I was blessed with an opportunity to connect with Johan Brand from Anglagard via facebook. The way it happened actually was the band saw my PA review for Viljans Oga and liked it enough to share it on their facebook wall! What we do here is definitely appreciated, it definitely goes to show! Smile

Anyway, I was just wondering if any other PA people had any cool stories about opportunities to meet or communicate with these musicians who so deeply inspire and invigorate us with their talents and gifts. I'm always up for a good story!

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 16:46
In 2002, I had the pleasure of communicating by phone to guitar/sitar wizard Prof. Eddy Marron, who has a long and distinguished musical history, most notably in prog circles as musician for Austrian prog group Vita Nova,  krautrock/fusion group Dzyan, and later with fusion band Missus Beastly and Giger, Lenz and Marron. It was especially cool when I told him I had just turned 40, and he wished me Happy Birthday!Thumbs Up I phoned him about 8 years later, but that went not so well, as he did not really remember me. Oh, well.

About 4 years ago, I looked up the name of UK Symphonic Prog band Strange Day's keys player Eddie Spence, and found someone with that name in the surviving band of Gary Glitter called simply the Glitter Band. Sure enough, it was the right Eddie Spence, and he e-mailed me back with a very nice and friendly post, telling me some things I did not know about Strange Days, like that the Sex Pistols opened for them at the 100 Club just before the Pistols became famous, and that SD were famous for a short while in the university circuit in the UK and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, my second e-mail went without a reply.

More recently, I recieved a PM in my PA mailbox from  Libra lead guitarist Nicola di Staso saying thank you. I guess that must be for my five star reviews of Libra albums I suppose. That was nice.

Also more recently, I was introduced to a close friend of the guitar player/lead vocalist of Triumvirat the late Helmut Koellen on facebook. I communicated with him a few times and learned a bit about Helmut that I did not know before, which I encorporated into my article on Koellen. That was a real blessing, and meant the world to me, let me tell you.


 



Edited by presdoug - May 02 2014 at 16:58
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 16:55
Back in the days (pre-2000) I had an e-mail exchange with Dan Rock (Psychotic Waltz, Darkstar) who at the time was telling me that there was no chance of re-uniting PW - he was playing at his piano and listening to The Beatles.

Glad things turned around, even if it had to be 10+ years since then...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 17:06
It's truly not a case of feeling overwhelmed because of their international popularity, but possibly that you are in the presence of an innovator. I've gotten letters from Francis Lickerish and several other progressive artists over the years....like Ron Geesin and Camel and have exchanged demos as well. It's all very interesting and helpful to hear their opinions on my music like for example ...a x-White Willow member was very supportive of my music and was willing to record with me on my new Chamber Rock project...which domestic life wouldn't allow....but! I so appreciate the input from artists like these and wouldn't give it up for the world. My fondest memory is not in the digital age. It's from 78" to 82" when I was playing a theatre circuit. Progressive Rock bands who were internationally known were touring that circuit and it was exciting to be 23 years old and playing the circuit with them. I never had the chance to meet Steve Hackett....but it was so cool to be booked a week behind him.. and have that hands on insight with record companies and artists. I opened for Dixie Dregs in 81" and it was the thrill of my youth. It was thrilling to be on a circuit with these people and become educated to higher levels of the music business...instead of wasting All of my time in low rent bars and clubs. It was like traveling in the circus.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 17:22
Last year, I was in Tokyo waiting for my flight to New Jersey. I was in the waiting line and I saw Tony Levin, Adrian Belew and Pat Mastelotto.They were coming back from a little Japan tour as the Crimson Trio. I was shaking haha. Then I went to talk a little bit with Tony Levin before he went inside the plane. Once I entered myself inside I searched for my seat and Tony himself was sitting right next to me. So we watched a movie haha. That was crazy 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 17:34
Originally posted by PabstRibbon PabstRibbon wrote:

Last year, I was in Tokyo waiting for my flight to New Jersey. I was in the waiting line and I saw Tony Levin, Adrian Belew and Pat Mastelotto.They were coming back from a little Japan tour as the Crimson Trio. I was shaking haha. Then I went to talk a little bit with Tony Levin before he went inside the plane. Once I entered myself inside I searched for my seat and Tony himself was sitting right next to me. So we watched a movie haha. That was crazy 
           that's very cool and very funny when covering each step of the events.  What a great story!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 17:36
I see and talk to Denny Walley (ex Zappa, Beefheart) from time to time, as we have some mutual friends. His wife Janet is really nice too (remember Janet the Planet from Baby Snakes? That's her). Last year i got to talk with him a good long time as we went out to dinner before a Keneally show. He's got tons of stories about FZ and Beefheart, and it was really cool and i hope to do it again.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 17:46
I know most of the members of Mostly Autumn to speak to and I worked with Iain Jennings for a couple of years. Delightful guy and a great musician.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 17:47
Originally posted by presdoug presdoug wrote:

In 2002, I had the pleasure of communicating by phone to guitar/sitar wizard Prof. Eddy Marron, who has a long and distinguished musical history, most notably in prog circles as musician for Austrian prog group Vita Nova,  krautrock/fusion group Dzyan, and later with fusion band Missus Beastly and Giger, Lenz and Marron. It was especially cool when I told him I had just turned 40, and he wished me Happy Birthday!Thumbs Up I phoned him about 8 years later, but that went not so well, as he did not really remember me. Oh, well.

About 4 years ago, I looked up the name of UK Symphonic Prog band Strange Day's keys player Eddie Spence, and found someone with that name in the surviving band of Gary Glitter called simply the Glitter Band. Sure enough, it was the right Eddie Spence, and he e-mailed me back with a very nice and friendly post, telling me some things I did not know about Strange Days, like that the Sex Pistols opened for them at the 100 Club just before the Pistols became famous, and that SD were famous for a short while in the university circuit in the UK and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, my second e-mail went without a reply.

More recently, I recieved a PM in my PA mailbox from  Libra lead guitarist Nicola di Staso saying thank you. I guess that must be for my five star reviews of Libra albums I suppose. That was nice.

Also more recently, I was introduced to a close friend of the guitar player/lead vocalist of Triumvirat the late Helmut Koellen on facebook. I communicated with him a few times and learned a bit about Helmut that I did not know before, which I encorporated into my article on Koellen. That was a real blessing, and meant the world to me, let me tell you.

This is great! I used to talk with Kees from Groove Unlimited. Look them up....they have the most outstanding European
Electronic music selection on earth. I used to send them American dollars wrapped in foil and weeks later my package of rarities would arrive. I recall KEES telling me that he went to school with Klaus Schulze and his stories were fascinating. He may have known Helmut and you should contact him. We used to talk on the phone.
 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 18:47
^thanks, Johnny, I will check on that!Thumbs Up
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 22:49
After a Fairport Convention gig at a very small venue I was trying to get some signatures on the CD I bought from them. A woman wanted a photo of Dave Pegg and he grabbed the nearest person he could - me. Somewhere there is a photo of both me and him laughing like complete idiots. I would like to see that.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2014 at 23:16
Many musicians are very available through their websites, if you approach them in the correct manner.  They don't care for fawning, drooling admiration as much as honest discourse about their musical inspirations or even non-musical interests! 

I had a nice email correspondence with Glenn Cornick of Jethro Tull about American ice hockey, it was brilliant!  

Others I've corresponded with include John Hawken of the Strawbs (concerning harpsichords), Ray Bennett of Flash about his history with the band, John Goodsall of Brand X about tons of stuff etc.  

Just go to their websites and start writing.  Try addressing their webmaster first to see if that person will pass your message directly along.  

Also, look for appearances at local music stores.  I met Mike Keneally at a local guitar store, we had a great chat about his onstage duet with Bob Fripp, where Keneally soloed over Fripp's "Soundscape" music!  Amazing stuff! 


Edited by cstack3 - May 02 2014 at 23:17
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 00:54
I met Bill Bruford once at a local jazz club where he was doing an after dinner Q&A session and book signing. We talked for about ten minutes about music. Nice chap.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 02:28
I met Davy O'List once and he was very nice and very complimentary about Keith Emerson despite being thrown out of The Nice for his excessive drug use. I think he regarded this as a massive blessing that helped to get him straight.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 03:14
I've name-dropped all the prog people I've met over the years many times before, so I'll just mention those who approached me rather than the ones I've summoned the nerve to go up and talk to. A few years ago Ex-Enid guitarist Francis Lickerish, now of Secret Green, contacted me out of the blue enquiring after an oil-painting I'd painted of him back in 1977. 


Unfortunately for him I'd given the painting as a present to a friend fairly soon after I had finished it. Co-incidentally that friend and I had chatted with Francis and Steve Stewart in the bar after the gig in Bedford that the painting was from.

At a secret Focus gig in a local pub another ex-Enid guitarist Nick May, now of Whimwise, approached me thinking I was Clive Nolan of Pendragon, once we'd sorted out I wasn't we had an interesting chat about music and the music biz.

Separated at birth? LOL

And when the band I used to manage was playing the Bloodstock festival for the second time, Bob Catley of Magnum was also on the bill, he spent much of the afternoon chatting and drinking with myself, my wife and daughter and ... Becki our lead singer:
...so not because of our sparkling wit and repartee then... Wink



Edited by Dean - May 03 2014 at 03:19
What?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 08:52
I'm met a bunch of lovely musician's particularly at the RIO festival where the crowd is relatively small and all the musicians generally spend the weekend sitting around and chatting. At my first RIO I got the the hostel (which is right next to the venue) early so went outside for a beer. Sitting at the table next to me were the Univers Zero & Present guys. Not wanting to be a fawning ass I read my book and had a beer. After about 10 minutes Dave Kerman asked me over to join the group. Lovely bunch of people, I sent most of the weekend chatting with Dave, Pierre, Keith & Reg.

Last years RIO had a monstrously good line-up with the Present & UZ guys there again plus the Guapo & and Mirthkon guys were great to spend some time chatting with.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 09:20
Hmm, name dropping time. My Mom did a painting (large landscape)  for Kerry Livgren, I worked on it a little and got to visit his house when she gave it to him.  I've had the privilege of getting backstage to a few.  Now in my latter years I love to make friends with some of the up and coming prog musicians. Big smile
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 09:23

I am Mike Rutherford's love child.
Help me I'm falling!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 09:40
I met Phil Collins when I was three.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2014 at 09:48
^ the charges were dropped though?
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