TEE "The Earth Explorer"

TEE is a five piece flute front progressive rock band from Tokyo, Japan. Their so-called 'European' sound is unique considering their far-east origin. The imaginative tunes with complex ensembles and rhythms will definitely catch the attention of prog lovers all over the world. Their sound will remind you bands like Camel, King Crimson, Asia Minor or even Frank Zappa on some parts. The band was formed in 2004 when... more

Shawn PHILLIPS

At the kick off of his 2010 tour Shawn Phillips sat with us at a 24 hour diner in Davenport, IA to grant us a very special interview. At his insistence, it would be very informal. One should not expect otherwise from this splendid human being.

The hours prior to this meeting over midnight breakfast were now a recent memory, but...more

You may not know his name but you have definitely heard his music more than once or twice in your life. Maybe on HBO, or on MTV, or on VH1, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel. Doesn't ring the bell? How about American Idol Rewind, or Dr. 90210? We had interviewed Kevin Bartlett a couple of years ago when his second solo album GLOW IN THE DARK was released. Bartlett has been quiet since that time but but he has been secretly brewing new projects. A few months ago he had put a new song...more

Peter Hammill, founding member of Van Der Graaf Generator, released his 28th solo album " nearly 3 months ago. He recently got back home from a short tour covering North America, Canada and Italy. In the 70's when bands like...more

FRIGHT PIG Barque At The Lune *** REVERSAL OF GRAVITY Scuba Gear ***

ETTORE SALATI

This month's Artist in Spotlight is Ettore Salati from Italy. Ettore is a sought after session guitarist by many prog musicians not just in Italy but all around the world. He started playing piano at a very young age (mostly classical music) but when he became a teenager and discovered the world of Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and 70's rock in general, he was immediately fascinated by guitar.

Shortly after, Ettore found himself playing blues in different venues around Northern Italy. He then decided to study music and went to Lizard Music School in Florence, from which he graduated with high scores. Studying music helped him open up his mind to more different genres like jazz, fusion, psychedelic and progressive rock. While music became his main profession, Ettore also got involved in writing “about” music and contributed to the book “Scuola di Chitarra Hard Rock-Heavy Metal", published worldwide by BMG and sold nearly 20.000 copies.While he kept writing articles for different music magazines he also began to compose soundtracks for TV. Among many musicians with whom Ettore shared the stage are David Jackson of Van Der Graaf Generator (and Peter Gabriel) and Karl Potter. Ettore plays 6 string guitar and uses DG pedals along with custom stomp boxes and amplifiers.

Salati is currently involved in many different projects. One of them is the soundtrack of a theatrical piece he recently finished, called “ RapSUDia 1935”. Two albums are scheduled to be released very soon, with 2 different bands. One of them is “SoulenginE”, formed by Ettore Salati on guitars and bass pedals; Fabio Mancini on keyboards and synths; Nando de Luca on bass and guitars and Giacomo Pacini on drums. The band's music is diverse: 70's rock and jazz sound combined with ambient and psychedelic music. This Milan based band's upcoming album is being produced by Highway Music and FMCDP. The second band Ettore is involved in is “The RedZen” which is more on the “jam band” side with lots of intricate time signatures and ever changing tempos. Ettore is on guitars, Angelo Racz is on keyboards, Roberto Leoni is on drums and Marco Schembri is on bass. All of these musicians as solo artists have travelled around the world to perform live (Europe, South America, Japan and more). Their CD will be released by Highway Music.

Salati's biggest influences are the blues guitarists and 70's prog bands. He is a big fan of Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Allan Holdsworth. Besides music Ettore has a passion for motorcycles, in fact he has one. He also loves his Chinese sword and trekking boots. Visit Ettore's website at: www.ettoresalati.com, or his myspace page at: www.myspace.com/ettoresalati.