ROSfest 2015

be sure to meet him Olav. A kinder, gentler, and friendlier soul you will never meet.  Because of that, you won't find him brooding off by himself that much.. hah.. more like ever.  He has that IT that type of charisma that some do have that draw people.  Even the uber shy like me, we first met them at Progday several years (as Mars Hollow), they were friends with Raff but I was just Mr. Raff (or as I was known as Nearfest..  the spare tire known as Raffaella's husband hahaha) and we went out to dinner with them and within minutes Kerry removed my shyness and had me drinking with him like a fish and slapping waitresses on the asses hahah. I exaggerate but he is riot, larger than life.

It also doesn't hurt he is a helluva musician and the band is frickin good, even if the music and even  the lyrics are very VERY heavily Yes inspired.

Nice

Great to see Heliopolis doing Rosfest.  A larger than life band as anyone who has met Kerry knows.  Another one of those bands you just want to love, because the band members are such sweetheart, and is SO easy TO love because they are so damn good at what they do.

Definitely see them live. While I am a fan, I have to say (sorry Kerry) I enjoyed the live versions of their songs than I did on the album.  Good thing I don't review anymore. There were two aspects to the album I didn't like that were not really present (or noticeable) during the live show they did at the NJ Proghouse. I don't review anymore so the thoughts are my own. Then again, they'd probably appreciate any critical feedback they did get. Some bands really do want that.. not universal praise but good 'positive' criticism.

A great case in point was a band Raff and I championed and added here to the database, and was back when I was still active on the scene and giving my two cents on bands and their albums. Their first album was, and still is a personal favorite of me. I went against the 'grain' so to speak and was critical of the 2nd album (which was acclaimed here and elsewhere) and the band thanked me for it, and actually agreed with me and their 3rd album was much more in the vein of their 1st, though much more mature. 


Edited by micky - October 25 2014 at 08:10

Yep. A friend of mine sent me the link to where the lineup was announced for next years Saturday RF lineup. I posted it on the Yesfans website but obviously you beat me to it here. Anyway, it looks good so far and I am interested to see who they get for the Sunday lineup. Kind of strange to me that they announced one day so far in advance though. I'm not complaining I've just never seen that before. 

Lineup announcements for ROSfest 2015

The twelfth edition of The Rites of Spring Festival will take place on May 1st – 3rd 2015 in Gettysburg, PA. UK progressive metal band Haken will headline the Saturday bill on May 2nd. The headline slots for Friday May 1st and Sunday May 3rd are yet to be announced.

We’re delighted to announce US band Heliopolis as the Friday Night Opener

US band Heliopolis has been given the honor of opening the 12th edition of the Rites of Spring Festival on Friday 1st of May 2015. While the band is a new one with just one album under their belt, the already critically acclaimed “City of the Sun”, those who have been following the progressive rock circuit for the last decade or so will most likely have encountered the band’s driving force Kerry “Kompost” Chicone at some point. Many will recall his former band Mars Hollow fondly, a project that more or less fell apart while on the verge of a breakthrough event.

Heliopolis is Kerry’s new band, and joined by Jerry Beller (drums), Matt Brown (keyboards), Michael Matier (guitars) and Scott Jones (vocals, guitars) they have truly made a strong impression from the get-go. That Heliopolis consists of seasoned musicians is easy to hear, and equally apparent is the band’s shared fascination for vintage progressive rock in general and perhaps the symphonic variety of it most of all. We’re eagerly looking forward to enjoy the talents of this skilled band, and are certain that Heliopolis will make a favorable and lasting impression on our audience.

“Heliopolis is one of those rare bands that comes across as the finished article right away. Their quality and style makes them the perfect opening band for the 12th edition of ROSfest.

We’re proud to announce US band Spock’s Beard as the Friday Night headliner

US band Spock’s Beard will headline the opening night of ROSfest 2015. A natural headliner today, just as they were when we booked them in 2007, this is a band that doesn’t really need much of an introduction. One of the main bands that helped reignite the interest in progressive rock as a genre in the 90’s, and arguably the most important contemporary US progressive rock band. With hundreds of live performances under their belt, a long string of successful albums and plenty of them regarded as modern classic of the genre, Spock’s Beard is the archetypical headliner act for a progressive rock festival among the bands that started out after the 1970’s.

Since they played at ROSfest in 2007 drummer Jimmy Keegan and vocalist / guitarist Ted Leonard have joined as permanent members, while vocalist / drummer Nick D’Virgilio have left. They have released a further two highly acclaimed studio albums, “X” in 2010 and “Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep” in 2013, and have headlined a plethora of small and large events Including being one of the main attractions at the 2014 edition of the “Progressive Nation at Sea” cruise event. Spock’s Beard is in the top list of band’s our audience has asked us to book, for good reasons.

“It’s been eight years since Spock’s Beard played for us last, and it was well overdue to bring them back at this point. A natural headliner we know will deliver the goods. In style.″

The opening slot on Saturday the 2nd of May has been given to US band Strattman.

This is a fairly new project, who released their debut album “The Lie of the Beholder ” in 2014. Those with a deeper knowledge in the underground prog scene will be aware of main man Roy Strattman however, as he has been a guitarist in US band Little Atlas for more than a decade by now, his skills as a performer and composer in that band earning him quite a lot of praise over the years. Accompanying Strattman at ROSfest 2015 will be a band consisting of Ricardo Bigai (bass), Steve Katsikas (keyboards), Eric Haugen (guitars) and Mark Whobrey (drums), while Roy will handle vocals and guitar duties himself. In summary: The performing band will be Little Atlas with an additional guitarist. Strattman will most likely bring along some copies of their debut album too, a produiction that have earned a lot praise from the reviewers that have covered it so far, drawing comparisons to artists as diverse as The Beatles, Porcupine Tree and King Crimson.

“ROSfest have tried to establish a tradition of signing new high quality, homegrown bands, and Strattman fits that bill to a T”.

Second band out on ROSfest’s Saturday bill in 2015 is US band Sonus Umbra.

Originally formed in Mexico back in 1991, then calling themselves Radio Silence, they renamed themselves following a relocation to the US, and they were an active band at the start of the millenium with three critically acclaimed studio albums to their name released between 2000 and 2005. ROSfest veterans will also recall that they were signed to the very first edition of ROSfest back in 2004. Following several years of inactivity Sonus Umbra returned with a new line-up and the album “Winter Soulstice” in 2013. The current members of Sonus Umbra are Roey Ben-Yoseph (vocals), Rich Poston (guitars), Brian Harris (keyboards), Steve Royce (flute, vocals), Tim McCaskey (guitars), Andy Tillotson (drums) and Luis Nasser (bass).

"Luis Nasser in Sonus Umbra is a good friend of the festival, and once we found out that he had reestablished Sonus Umbra, which was one of the most promising bands in the scene a decade ago, we knew we had to sign them for ROSfest 2015″.

The third band to perform on Saturday May 2nd is UK band Abel Ganz.

They are among the veterans in the UK based progressive rock scene, and was a part of the original neo progressive scene of the 1980’s. Following four studio productions released between 1984 and 1994 Abel Ganz went on a lengthy hiatus, but ever since they returned with the CD “Shooting Albatross” in 2008 their standing and popularity has been steadily increasing. Their most recent CD is the self-titled “Abel Ganz” from 2014, a production that have been very well received by reviewers and the buying public alike. The current incarnation of Abel Ganz consists of Stuart MacFarlane (vocals, guitars), Denis Smith (drums), Stevie Donnelly (bass), Stephen Lightbody (keyboards), Davie Mitchell (guitars).

“Signing quality neo progressive bands have been something of a trademark feature for ROSfest over the years, and when we had the possibility to get one of the original neo bands, and a band that appears to be at the peak of their creativity and popularity now rather than 30 years ago as well, signing Abel Ganz to ROSfest 2015 was a no-brainer”

On the top of the bill for the Saturday line-up at ROSfest 2015 we find UK band Haken.

They came into being as late as 2007, and ever sine the release of their debut album “Aquarius” in 2010 this is a band we have been following closely. Haken have seen a rapid rise in popularity in the relative few years they have been around, landing a record deal with US label Laser’s Edge for their second album “Visions” in 2011, a production that further elevated their stature amongst people with an interested in sophisticated music. Haken was signed to renowned German label Inside Out for their third studio CD “The Mountain” in 2013, an album that firmly cemented Haken’s place as one of the elite performers in the current progressive rock and metal scene with their brand of progressive metal flavored with jazzoriented touches and an approach that have earned them comparisons to the likes of Gentle Giant. The current line-up of Haken is Charlie Griffiths (guitars), Ray Hearne (drums), Richard Henshall (guitars, keyboards), Ross Jennings (vocals), Diego Tejeida (keyboards) and Conner Green (bass).

“Haken is an obvious choice as headliners for ROSfest. We’ve had them on our list for a few years now, and following an increasing demand by our core audience we’re excited to finally be able to announce them for ROSfest 2015″.

We’re thrilled to announce US band Lo-Fi Resistance as the Sunday Opener

While still a fairly young project, started by then 20 year old composer and musician Randy McStine back in 2009, Lo-Fi Resistance already have three full length albums to their name. Or perhaps his name, as this project first and foremost is the work of one man so far. But McStine has an impressive network around him, and notable musicians like Dug Pinnick, Gavin Harrison and Nick D’Virgilio are just some of the name musician friends that have lent McStine their talents for the three Lo-Fi Resistance albums so far. Following “A Deep Breath” in 2010 and “Chalk Lines” in 2012 Lo-Fi Resistance released their third album “The Age of Entitlement ” in September 2014. While we don’t know just yet which of his musician friends that will accompany McStine on stage we’re sure that the power pop flavored prog this promising young US band explores will go down well on Sunday morning, at the slot in the festival many of us fondly describe as The Church of Prog.

“RoSfest have a long tradition of signing something that is a little bit special for the opening slot on Sunday, and Lo-Fi Resistance is our chosen candidate for RoSfest 2015″

RoSfest is excited to announce UK band Synaesthesia!

Synaesthesia was formed just two years ago, with a line-up consisting of Adam Warne (keyboards, vocals), Ollie Hannifan (guitars), Samuel Higgins (guitars), Peter Episcopo (bass) and Robin Johnson (drums). They have one full length album to their name, the self-titled “Synaesthesia” from 2014. But with just two years of history and one album to their name they are already a name rising fast in prominence. They have been picked up by IQ’s label GEP, and they were nominated as candidates for the Limelight category in the 2014 Progressive Music awards and won the “Tip for 2014″ award by UK’s Prog magazine. Their debut album has also harvested a fair amount of really positive reviews so far. In terms of style the band have been described as a unit that combine elements from 80’s pop and rock with Neo Progressive rock and indie rock, and reviewers have name dropped bands like Comedy Of Errors and Frost* to describe their sound, possibly flavored with a touch of Muse here and there.

“Here we have a young UK band with a strong buzz around them. Not just a new band but a young band, the main musicians still in their early 20’s, yet with enough talent to swoon even seasoned music business veterans. We’re really thrilled to bring these young guys to our stage!″

Glass Hammer announced as the third band on Sunday. Enchant to headline.

US band Glass Hammer is a familiar name for many progressive rock fans. They started out in the early 1990’s, and combined their brand of progressive rock with lyrics inspired by literary works in the fantasy fiction tradition, most notably using the works of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as sources of inspiration. From their 1993 debut album “Journey of the Dunadan” to their most recent album, 2014’s “Ode to Echo”, their stature and popularity have steadily increased. The core creative duo of Fred Schendel and Steve Babb has captained a ship with alternating crew members over the years, but from 2010 and onwards Glass Hammer solidified as a band unit. This development has seen the band expanding their fan base, and for a good few years now Glass Hammer is a band we have been asked to sign.

We’re very excited to sign Glass Hammer for RoSfest 2015, and are certain that this band’s blend of fantasy fiction inspired lyrics and progressive rock will be fondly received. There is also a really cool tie-in here with RoSfest history, as Glass Hammer’s vocalist Carl Groves performed with his band Salem Hill at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville way back in 2004 at the very first Rites of Spring festival. The current line-up of Glass Hammer is Carl Groves (vocals), Susie Bogdanowicz (vocals), Alan Shikoh (guitars, sitar), Fred Schendel (keyboards, guitars), Steve Babb (bass, keyboards) and Aaron Raulston (drums).

In recognition of their significant impact on the American progressive rock scene and the footprint they have made in their more than 20 year long history as recording artists, Enchant has been moved up to be the RoSfest “closer”, the Sunday night headliner, bringing their unique style of heavy progressive rock to Gettysburg.

RoSfest is honored to announce Enchant

US band Enchant is one of those bands that seem to have been around forever. They were formed back in 1988, and released their debut album “A Blueprint of the World” in 1993. Many fans approached us in the early days of RoSfest and wanted us to sign them back then, but the stars just didn’t align for that to happen in our early days. Enchant have now returned after a long spell of relative inactivity, and have just released their eighth studio album “The Great Divide”. Their first CD in 11 years. By now Enchant are firmly regarded as an important and influential progressive rock band in the US scene, and even those who don’t recall them from the days of old will most likely have encountered their lead vocalist Ted Leonard in some project or other, as he has been rather active in the last decade. He joined Spock’s Beard in 2011, and has recently toured with Transatlantic as well. The 2014 line-up of Enchant consists of Ted Leonard (vocals, guitars), Douglas Ott (guitars), Ed Platt (bass), Bill Jenkins (keyboards) and Sean Flanegan (drums).

“We’ve been big fans of Enchant for years, but we never got the chance to sign Enchant in the early days of RoSfest, but when we found out that they were about to return now in 2014 we got in touch with them ASAP to secure them for RoSfest 2015. We know many in our core audience will be really pleased by this announcement!”

Sandor Kwiatkowski announced as the official ROSfest artist.

For the second year running we have chosen to collaborate with Swiss artist Sandor Kwiatkowski for all our official artwork and design. Besides the official festival logo and the main festival poster, the latter an image of a beautiful woman looking back at a stormy seashore scene with an old clock hovering above it, his artwork and design will be used for all the official merchandise for ROSfest 2015.

Edited by Windhawk - November 06 2014 at 23:02