What's going on with Spock's Beard?
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=134308
Printed Date: February 03 2025 at 21:49
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: What's going on with Spock's Beard?
Posted By: rushfan4
Subject: What's going on with Spock's Beard?
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 10:38
|
Does anyone know what is going on with Spock's Beard? Their last album was Noise Floor from 2018. Since then, the majority of the band has released 5 albums as Pattern-Seeking Animals (ok 4, with a new one coming out next month). Ryo released The Myth of Mostrophus in 2022, but he is not involved with P-SA. Has Alan Morse retired? It does not appear that the band has disbanded. Are they on some sort of indefinite hiatus? ------------- 
|
Replies:
Posted By: Jared
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 11:00
|
It's a question I had started to wonder myself Scott... I can't throw any light on the subject, but I will watch this thread with interest.... ------------- Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 11:06
|
I went to their website and saw that they did a small tour of Europe in 2024, so apparently they are still active. -------------
|
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 12:05
|
They are old, everything hurts now.... -------------   
|
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 12:09
 Not that old, i mean Deep Purple are on tour and 3-4 members of DP are old enough to be SB's members parents.
|
Catcher10 wrote:Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 12:34
-------------
|
Posted By: IncogNeato
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 12:41
DP probably also employs massage therapists, personal chefs and baristas on the road, too...LOL
|
Posted By: A Crimson Mellotron
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 12:52
|
I have been wondering the same thing. Their last gigs are two headline shows at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, CA (March of 2024), following that aforementioned small European tour of January-February of 2024. The Alvas Showroom gigs have been promoted as Spock's Beard with the Ryo Okumoto band (kind of like a special guest) so this definitely indicates that they are not done. But apart from this, no other news seem to circulate regarding the possibility of new music or a more extensive tour... And with the news of a fifth P-SA studio album to be released later this year, it seems like the Spock's Beard situation isn't getting anywhere. Rather unfortunate as I personally prefer the music of SB to that of P-SA, which I just cannot connect with.  My best guess is that they are currently not interested in writing new music as SB, and knowing that the reception to 'Noise Floor' was generally less enthusiastic compared to the 2013 and 2015 releases, it makes you think that they feel like they don't have much to say as a band in the 2020s.
|
Posted By: progaardvark
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 13:48
|
Ryo Okumoto posted on July 7, 2024 on Facebook that they are making a new album. I haven't seen any follow-up posts to this. Not sure if this link works: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=353445704442351&substory_index=353445704442351&id=1848326911" rel="nofollow - https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=353445704442351&substory_index=353445704442351&id=1848326911 If the link doesn't work, this is the text inside the post:
------------- ---------- i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag that's a happy bag of lettuce this car smells like cartilage nothing beats a good video about fractions |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: January 27 2025 at 13:59
|
Excellent. A new SB album and a new Ryo solo album. That is great news. I hope that the fire at Rich Mouser's home/studio didn't/doesn't interfere with these projects. (Such a shame what happen to Rich Mouser).  -------------
|
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: January 29 2025 at 07:20
I've gone from waking up with, "Man that hurts" to waking up with, "I didn't know that could hurt." ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: yam yam
Date Posted: February 03 2025 at 10:44
The Pattern-Seeking Animals new album 'Friend Of All Creatures' is being released on the 14th of this month. Review and album info here: https://theprogressiveaspect.net/blog/2025/01/27/pattern-seeking-animals-friend-of-all-creatures/" rel="nofollow - https://theprogressiveaspect.net/blog/2025/01/27/pattern-seeking-animals-friend-of-all-creatures/ .
|
Posted By: mellotronwave
Date Posted: February 03 2025 at 13:23
Don't forget Neil Young ! 
|
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: February 03 2025 at 14:56
I agree. Pattern just doesn't click with me. I wanted it to. I thought that it would but it doesn't. The last two Beard albums were hit or miss for me so I'm a little leary of new music at this point. ------------- We all dwell in an amber subdomain, amber subdomain, amber subdomain. My face IS a maserati |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 03 2025 at 16:18
I struggle with PSA also. They aren't horrible but maybe I would like them more if they weren't considered prog. They seem to poppy to be traditional prog imo. Not bad but considering the history of SB and what that band has done makes it a little bit of a letdown like you say.
|
Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: February 03 2025 at 18:25
|
I love Pattern Seeking Animals personally. Solid music! Their style could be considered "pop", if your definition of "pop" is still stuck in the 1960s. But in today's musical landscape, I'd say a better description of that style would be "art rock". The arrangements are quite busy and complex, yet the songs are still catchy despite the fact. And even if the songwriting keeps the hooks catchy, they're far from simplistic and often extremely imaginative. ------------- “On the day of my creation, I fell in love with education. And overcoming all frustration, a teacher I became.” — Ernest Vong |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: February 03 2025 at 19:09
|
Hi, Isn't it always stated that the wine gets better as it ages? Maybe that is the case with SB ... and I would not be asking for them to hurry up and give me another song ... it will be ready when its time is up and ready. That's art ... and many of us and them, are not Picassos that could create something in minutes and then go on to something else! Well, he did leave behind so many thousands of works that no one has ever tried to catalog all of it! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |