2014 Terra Incognita Convention Quebec City

I've just passed another fabulous Terra Incognita Convention in Quebec City, Canada last weekend! For those who aren't familiar with this Prog festival, it is probably the smallest and most intimate festival around! A 3 day weekend with 3 shows a day showcasing renowned Prog bands or artists as well as newcomers from all around the world! The place is an old chapel transformed into a 300 place auditorium. The proximity with the artists is awesome, the sound is great and the artists frequently mingle with the crowd in the main hall where band merchandise, cd's and DVD's (both new and used) are sold at a reasonable price. So you can buy an album directly from the hands of the band members, have it autographed, and even have your picture taken with them and chat awhile with them! How closer can it get!

Gadi Caplan (Israel), Inner Odyssey (Canada) & IZZ (USA) were playing on Day 1, Neodyme (Canada), 3rDegree (USA) & Glass Hammer (USA) on Day 2, Sonus Umbra (Mexico-USA), Unreal City (Italy) & Fabio Zuffanti & his all-star Z-band (Italy) closed the 10th Annual Convention. All for $90 Cdn per day! Well worth every dollar!

Gadi Caplan is a guitar virtuoso that I had personally never heard of. He gave us an acoustic show with songs from his 2 albums & covers of songs made by some of his influences. He even granted us of 2 acoustic shows in the main hallway while we were on our suppertime intervals! Very friendly and has charisma. For fans of great acoustic guitar playing.

Inner Odyssey (Quebec City) had been promoting their 1st album last year in the chapel's main hall. We finally heard a good part of it live and weren't disappointed! We even heard some of the songs from the guitarist's side project called ISOS. I've always liked bands who's French mother- tongued singer can sing without too much accent. If they remain as good or get better than what we've heard that night, it can only get better for them. Can't wait for the next album!

IZZ (New York) were here for the 3rd time (they came here before in 2010 & 2012). They always play like there's no tomorrow: giving it all they've got! The Galgano brothers (Tom: vocals & synthesisers, and John: vocals & bass) and the rest of the band each bring a different texture to the music as a whole. The drummer / percussionist duo bring many different sounds and arrangements to the songs. The 2 female chorus / singers blend beautifully in. Paul Bremner, the guitarist, adds the right touch of lead guitar to the songs at the right time. A must-see!

Saturday's shows began with Neodyme (Ste-Julie, Qc), a jazz-rock-proggish (can it be said? It is now said!)band with already 3 albums to their credit. Experienced though young, they play with finesse and leave no place for mistakes. I thought that maybe the songs could have been shortened a bit (it seemed that the same riffs always came back while one of the band members would go off on a solo), but, other than that, I enjoyed it very much!

3rDegree (New Jersey) came in replacement of Shadow Circus. They played songs from their 3 albums. Some were a bit disappointed (sic: "This is not Prog!"), I personally enjoyed every minute of it! It was, in my opinion, a blend of music of Frank Zappa with Wobbler. If you like listening to a bit of craziness full of society concerns and good musicianship, listen to 3rDegree!

Glass Hammer (Chattanooga, Tennessee) closed the evening with a much awaited performance. And what a performance it was! I personally have been a GH fan for well over 15 years but had never been to one of their shows until now. The audience went crazy after every song and we had 2 hours of GH hits!

Day 3(Sunday) began with a performance by a Mexico-American band called Sonus Umbra. Their lead guitarist absent for family matters, the rest of the band members and a guitarist from the bassist's side-project Might Could & played a few songs from every album (Sonus Umbra & Might Could). Very talented multi-instrumentalists! They switched from acoustic guitars to drums or other instruments with ease! Sure hope that they'll come back!

Next was Unreal City (Parma, Italy). Wow! If some say that Italian Prog has no future, they should listen to those 4 musicians! Still a diamond in the rough, they announce a good change of guard! They look like teenagers but play like pros! Emanuele Tarasconi (keyboards)plays like he's possessed! The Keith Emerson influence is noticeable everywhere, but it is not abused and his mastery of piano / synths / mellotron is the centerpiece of the band's bright future! Francesca Zanetta (guitar)seems a bit nervous and unsure but will gain strength & confidence as the years pass. They are backed up by a solid rhythm section :Francesco Orefice (bass) & Federico Bedostri (drums). Can't wait to hear them at the Convention again!

Mr. Fabio Zuffanti and his Z-Band closed the evening and the 10th convention with an excellent showcase of talent by all of his guest musicians! Every song played from his multiple solo albums or side-projects was greeted by applause! Surprising that 300-some people know so much music! He has enough albums and material to come back some other year (if possible!) and play a totally different set of songs!

Edited by skreamer - May 22 2014 at 15:46

Thanks Marc! We're so glad you enjoyed it. We had an amazing time up there and you were all so enthusiastic and receptive. We will come again if asked-I guarantee you that!