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

Kevin BARTLETT

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 ***

WISHBONE ASH / LIVE IN ST. LOUIS, MO

The Prog Files had the opportunity to see Wishbone Ash perform live on the 29th of November, 2007 in Maryland Heights (a suburb of Saint Louis) at the Voo-Doo Lounge. It was a small but an interesting venue both for the audience and for the performers. First of all, if you are not a sober rocker it might be a little scary and here is why: when we first walked in, we looked around to see where the stage actually was. All the seats were facing the bar so it did not make any sense. Suddenly we noticed that the stage was above the bar, about 15 feet high, no safety bars or anything… yikes!

The show started a little after 8pm with “Real Guitars Have Wings”. Ironically, Andy Powell came to the stage with a can of RedBull (real guitarists have wings too!). He and Muddy were dressed up formal, maybe it was the atmosphere of the Casino. We noticed that the fans were actually pretty hardcore. There were many people who had every single Wishbone Ash album since day one. (Like Rhonda Cope and Stephen Cope…. Hi guys!)

One classic followed another: "The King Will Come", "Throw Down The Sword", "Sometime World", "Warrior", "Living Proof", "Phoenix" and more. The band’s performance was “alive”. Andy Powell’s vocals were outstanding as well as his guitar playing. If there were electric guitars in King Arthur’s time, the musicians of the time would most probably play like him. Muddy Manninen, second lead guitarist, definitely brought out his blues-y side even more during the show (especially during an extended version of "Way of the World"). He, for the most part played his solos with eyes closed, you could see he was feeling every single note. Bob Skeat was very energetic and the audience loved his funk/rock style solos. He is unpredictable and can suddenly change the song’s atmosphere and, there you are, at a different concert for a little while. Joe Crabtree, the new drummer of the band literally kicked butt. He performed seamlessly throughout the show making the whole thing look like piece of cake. (On a more personal note I recommend you check his blog entries on the band’s website, as he has eye for detail, most probably because he is a physicist. I think he would be a great writer for a travel guide type of book, like where to eat and where to stay etc…)

They played 3 songs from the current album: “The Power”, “In Crisis” and “Happiness”. We really hoped to hear “Growing Up”, but they did not include that one. It seemed like the audience responded well to the new songs.

After the show, the band came to the merchandise table to meet their fans and give autographs. Everyone was very pleased to get the chance to meet the musicians. I have to admit, Wishbone Ash holds a special place in the history of rock because there are not very many bands that were able to keep their hardcore audience after going through so many incarnations. Muddy, Bob and Joe, all got great deal of attention from the fans, not just Andy. All the band members are paying close attention to keep this interaction going online as well. You can find them in the band's forums, you can ask them questions, and you WILL be heard. It is like one big family over there.

This was fairly a short North American tour, and mostly included venues from East Coast and Midwest. However, Wishbone Ash will be back to the States for the RoSFest, and they are planning a west coast tour that will kick off afterwards most probably in Phoenix, AZ. But in the meantime, the band is back to Europe and will also have a second UK tour before the RoSFest.

You can check the upcoming tour dates at: www.wishboneash.com. You can also check the official Rites Of Spring website to see when they will be playing: www.rosfest.com. We will most definitely be there.

HANDE BURDG