Search Results for: progressive

I had high expectations for this album, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. I’m suppose to be impartial and objective, right? When a new album comes in, should certain bands be given a step up or step down because of some internal bias? Ok, right now, you’re thinking ‘just get on with the review, already’; and normally I would get right into telling you about how much I like this album. I would tell you that Sean Mackin brings a unique sound to the guitar-bass-drum, three-chord element that typically defines this genre. I would mention that the vocals are… Read more »

The music industry may have begun to figure out how to sell digital downloads, but making money from them is another story. As the 99 cent digital singles model begins to take root across the industry through services like Apple Computer’s iTunes Music Store, Liquid Audio, Rhapsody and a host of others set to bow for the PC this fall, industry executives and artist representatives are questioning whether the pricing model makes sense financially. With all parties involved angling for nickels and dimes in the average download sale, labels, artists and service providers all agree on at least one thing:… Read more »

Toronto’s Moneen are geared up for the long-awaited release of their Vagrant Records debut, Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?, which arrives in stores this Tuesday, June 17th. With a well-earned reputation as one of the indie scene’s most compelling live acts, Moneen will bring their progressive brand of rock to clubs across the U.S. when they launch their 17 city tour with Brand New, The Beautiful Mistake and Senses Fail on July 1st. On August 22nd, the band will embark on another string of dates with Reggie And The Full Effect, Midtown and My Chemical… Read more »

WEA Inc., Warner Music Group’s U.S. manufacturing, distribution and packaging operation, announced today that John Esposito has been named to the newly created position of president. Reporting to WEA Inc. CEO, Jim Caparro, Esposito will be responsible for overseeing the company’s sales and marketing and branch distribution activities. Esposito comes to WEA Inc. from The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ) where, as general manager/executive vice president, he managed the company’s day-to-day activities. He was one of the original architects of IDJ, and during his tenure, the company progressively increased its revenue and market share to become one of the… Read more »

Disturbed are so proud of their new video for “Prayer” that they’ve decided not to let the mainstream see it. Last month, major video outlets chose not to air the clip because they felt the apocalyptic content was too reminiscent of footage of September 11 (see “Disturbed Video Deemed Too Disturbing; Band Examines Plan B”). At first, the band considered re-editing the video or replacing the scenes of destruction with concert footage. In the end, Disturbed opted to stand their ground and leave the video intact and unaired despite the fact that it could have been a huge promotional tool… Read more »

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and Peter Gabriel bassist Tony Levin are among the guests on Hundred Year Flood, the new album by progressive rockers Magellan. The trio’s album is due out September 10 from Magna Carta Records. Anderson plays flute on “Family Jewels,” an almost-six-minute instrumental that’s sandwiched between the album’s two main pieces-the nearly 35-minute suite “The Great Goodnight” and the 11-minute “Brother’s Keeper”-while Levin’s playing is featured throughout the album, joining session guitarists Robert Berry and George Bellas. Magellan leader Trent Gardner sent the song’s tracks to Anderson in Scotland, with the two communicating via telephone as Anderson… Read more »

Ernest Hemingway once described courage as “grace under pressure.” Rush drummer Neil Peart liked the phrase so much that he used it as the title of the band’s 1984 album. Now, having experienced devastating family tragedy and a subsequent rebirth, Peart has become the living definition of courage. In 1997, the drummer’s 19-year-old daughter died in a car accident. The following year, his wife Jackie passed away from cancer. At that point, Rush had just released their third multi-disc live album, Different Stages, and the band took an extended hiatus to allow Peart time to heal. Now, five years after… Read more »

Air can do strange things to people. Not the air we breathe, but Air the band. And they’ve taken three imaginative musicians – singer/songwriter Jason Falkner, occasional Beck drummer Brian Reitzell and Moog Cookbook keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – back to 1980. The guys, who spent much of the last two years contributing to Air’s 10,000 Hz Legend and touring to promote it, are moving ahead with their new wave trio, Softcore, now that the sounds of New Order and Gang of Four appear to be experiencing a renaissance. “Everything, in my opinion, is sort of in,” Reitzell said… Read more »

In the era of MP3s, CD-Rs, iPods and the ubiquitous mix-CD, everyone from Starbucks to your parents has tried their hand at the DJ game, often with perfectly positive results. But after four arduous days of hearing dance music permeate every sonic inch of the Winter Music Conference, this cultural development bolstered the status of every DJ – the real kind – that performed, laying plain the artistry of their craft. That said, the vast majority of WMC parties fell into the risk-free category of monochromatic, genre-based music, whether progressive house, tech-house or any other permutation in between. DJs who… Read more »