ProgDay 2020!

Excellent news!

As long as I can bring my bongs and water pipes, I don't mind.

Sad to hear

was the right move Michael... sad to have happen.. but that is what life is today. No way we were coming sadly

Virtual ProgDay 2020 Update and ProgDay 501(c)(3) Status.

ProgDay is happy to announce that we are currently pulling together a virtual event for this year.  The idea is to present streaming performances from 4 artists a day over the Saturday and Sunday of the originally scheduled ProgDay weekend (September 5 and 6).  Once the lineup and scheduling are worked out, the details and instructions will be posted on the ProgDay website.

Virtual ProgDay 2020 is being greatly facilitated by Tom Palmieri and Ann Rinaldi of ProgStock (http://www.progstock.com/2020/).  On Saturday, August 1, ProgStock kicked off the ProgStock Presents Virtual Series, a series of weekly shows streamed online through StageIt.com.   After reading of ProgDay’s cancellation, Tom and Ann reached out to ProgDay and invited us to partner with them for our virtual event.  The result is that Virtual ProgDay 2020 will be presented on Labor Day weekend as part of the ProgStock Presents Virtual Series.

Please note that ProgStock is not getting anything for this.  All funds that are raised will go to ProgDay and the bands that perform.

Thank you Tom and Ann!

We are also excited to announce that ProgDay is now a tax-exempt non-profit event.  

In 2017, Musical Arts Progressive Society, Inc. (MAPS), was formed.  MAPS is a non-profit organization which advocates for, educates about and promotes national and international musical artists creating progressive and innovative music.  MAPS recently received its confirmation as a  501(c)(3) company.  Donations to MAPS / ProgDay are now tax deductible.

Thanks.

Michael

Excellent news indeed! 

First Three Bands Announced for Virtual ProgDay 2020!

This year we have tried to use our virtual response to the pandemic as a path to showcasing bands that we would normally not be able to present to the ProgDay audience. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce the first three bands for Virtual ProgDay 2020.

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• Mad Fellaz (Italy)

“...one of Italy's most promising acts and a beacon of unending entertainment for those who worship originality and style.  This is one hell of a crew, certainly deserving of an avid following in Progland.”
- tszirmay, PROGARCHIVES

Citing Area, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, King Crimson and Gentle Giant as original influences, exploration and growth has been the mindset of this band from the beginning. MAD FELLAZ started life as an all-instrumental ensemble creating eclectic progressive rock with symphonic and fusion underpinnings.  For their second outing the eclecticism increased with the addition of a female vocalist, with the music taking a turn into new areas.  For their third release, a new male singer took over vocal duties.  Again, this added fresh elements to an already potent mix of styles.  The result is three albums that reference and build on each other, yet maintain their own ambiance and identity, and in the end are all uniquely MAD FELLAZ.

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• VAK (France)

"Even if they had disbanded after Budo, what they’ve already given artistically is enormous and, most importantly, unique. This is one of the top zeuhl records of all time and one of the best prog albums of the last decades."
- Dimitris Kaltsas, PROGROCKS

One need look no farther than VAK to see the state of zeuhl.  Often compared to Eskaton, Eider Stellaire and Magma, VAK are a standard bearer for the current state of the art, delivering complex, dramatic, emotional, grooving and melodic compositions.  With zeuhl as their base, as the band expanded new styles were integrated into the sound including metal, classical music, and even experimental noise music.  VAK cohesively assembles all of these influences and ideas into exciting music that is interesting and engaging and that you will want to hear again.

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• Vespero (Russia)

“The music is utterly creative with traces of Hawkwind, Gong, Hidria Spacefolk and Vibravoid never far away. While so many bands blandly crank out tired stoner rock with a few whirling synth parts, VESPERO construct complex edifices of interwoven sounds that independently evoke the exotic while collectively elevating the mind to higher dimensions. This is the stuff that 21st century space rock dreams are made of.”
- Silly Puppy, PROGARCHIVES

Formed in 2003 and releasing their first album in 2007, VESPERO has become one of the most important space rock bands of the 21st century.  With almost 20 albums released, the band has managed to not repeat themselves by consistently defining new musical goals.  Producing psychedelic prog rock taken to trippy extremes, their music is a spaced out psychedelic journey of soundscapes, musicianship, musical flow and innovation.

For more information about bands and Virtual ProgDay 2020, please visit us at www.progday.net.

Thanks.

Michael



Edited by miciah - August 17 2020 at 20:06

Hi,

Two More Bands for Virtual ProgDay 2020!

• HOOFFOOT (Sweden)

“Hooffoot’s debut album was one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises during the decade that’ll end in just a few days. Hooffoot came almost out of nowhere and was relatively easily named album of the year by Progrocks.gr editors in 2015...Where many prog bands fail, Hooffoot triumph. The expressive pluralism, the smoothness of changes and the flawless orchestration are simply rare...”
- Dimitris Kaltsas, PROGROCKS

HOOFFOOT began as a “Sunday forum for three men to meet, try weird musical ideas, drink coffee and complain about back ache.” But the band began to carefully expand, inviting musicians of various musical backgrounds into the mix. The result is a singular take on fusion that is often compared to Miles Davis and Soft Machine, with nods to Santana and Fläsket Brinner. As the band says, “Santana loved Miles. Magma loved Coltrane. Soft Machine loved pop. Pink Floyd loved Soft Machine. Weather Report loved African grooves. The Italian progressive bands loved classical music. Return to Forever loved Brazilian stuff. Frank Zappa loved Black Sabbath. Hooffoot love them all. Forget about labels like rock, jazz, progressive and kraut…”

• STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA (US)

STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA was the first band announced for ProgDay 2020 before the physical event was canceled. We are happy that they are able to join us for Virtual ProgDay 2020. Here is what we said the first time around:

"Instant Everything!…impressively shows how you can creatively refresh a synthesis of Canterbury and Avant prog and add numerous influences.”

- Babyblaue Prog

“Lightworks…is nothing short of a masterpiece which cannot be described properly in words. So, those who enjoy intricate, intellectual, yet entertaining cross-genre instrumental music should try the album for sure. Let me say my 'Bravos' to this incredible ensemble!”

- Raigor, PROGARCHIVES

STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA is an ensemble of seasoned musicians from Austin’s progressive and experimental music scenes. Mixing influences ranging from Henry Cow, Cardiacs, Haniwa-Chan and Picchio Dal Pozzo, to traditional music from Eastern Europe and South Asia, they play “highly harmonically based, rhythmically interesting and through-composed music that’s a pleasure to listen to…” (Chris Cutler). Formed in 2013, the band has released two highly acclaimed albums.

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Join HOOFFOOT, STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA, VESPERO, VAK and MAD FELLAZ at Virtual ProgDay 2020, Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6, 2020.

Three more bands to be announced.

For more information about bands and about attending Virtual ProgDay 2020, please visit us at www.progday.net.

Thanks!

Michael

Virtual ProgDay 2020 Ticket and Performance Information

Once it was decided that the physical ProgDay event would not happen, the decision to try to have a virtual event was born from the desire to have ProgDay continue in some form this year and to provide our regular audience with an experience that would be fun, entertaining and worth their while.  So we set out to present a series of performances that would be streamed live, as they were happening.  The challenge we faced in doing this was the combination of the short time frame in which to contact bands and for them to arrange a concert, as well as the really tough job of each band not only finding a viable performance space, but also having the ability for all of the band members to gather and play at the particular time they were to perform over ProgDay weekend.

Ultimately, between the various situations created by the pandemic in various countries, the technical requirements and the lack of time for producing the event, it was just not possible for many of the bands to pull off a live-in-the-moment broadcast.

The result is that Virtual ProgDay 2020 will offer truly live performances combined with pre-recorded shows done especially for ProgDay.  In the case of pre-recorded shows, the concert you will see will be a performance that has been played and recorded especially for the ProgDay audience and has never been seen anywhere before.  The prerecorded shows represent a huge amount of effort on the part of the participating bands to get their music in front of you.  During prerecorded shows, we will speak live with band members that will be present during the broadcast.

Once again ProgDay has assembled a group of bands that we think are worthy of your attention.  While we know that many of you are already familiar with some of these bands, we also know that few of you will know all of the bands.  To encourage our audience to attend all of the performances over the weekend, we have set ticket prices at $6 for all shows.  We hope this economical price will allow everyone that is interested to experience all of the music.  We also hope that those who are in a position to contribute more will show their appreciation to the artists by tipping additional money during the performances.  Also note that when buying a ticket, the $6 price is a minimum that you can pay.  If you wish to get more money to the artists, you have the option of paying more for the ticket than the required minimum.

Tickets for the five announced bands are now available for sale.  To buy tickets, visit the Bands and Tickets pages of the ProgDay website, www.progday.net.  Please read the information on both pages before purchasing tickets.

Stay tuned… three more confirmed bands to be imminently announced.

Join HOOFFOOT, STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA, VESPERO, VAK and MAD FELLAZ at Virtual ProgDay 2020, Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6, 2020. 

Thanks.

Michael