Prog Rock scene in Australia?

Im a big fan of Mario Milo the best Ausie prog I have heard.I believe his original band is called Winterchase or something like that.

Australia has never had a noticeable prog scene, perhaps due to the fact that most bands are only able to do Pub gigs - where wider exposure rarely eventuates from.  Even Alan Holdsworth was relegated to perform at a Pub in Sydney some years ago. Same is true for Jackie Orszacky, one of the most skilled bass players here, whose - sometimes prog oriented - projects can only be seen at suburban Pubs. Sebastian Hardie (not a person) was the name of Mario Millo's band and their albums are now available on CD.

It's worth checking out ABC Radio National's more interesting programs like:"Music Deli", "Live on stage", etc., where streaming audio offers the pleasure to hear the odd gem. Full marks to ABC on that!

I was fortunate enough to reside on the North Coast of NSW for many years and the alternative scene - especially at Byron Bay - served up a few pleasant surprises. Other than that the odd, spontaneous jamming fills some gap, but for that one needs to be at the right place at the right time.

If you happen to be in Sydney visit "Red Eye" Record Store in the City. They have a credible selection of all genres and - dependant on who is behind the counter - one could ask for a professional input. Another source is Glen A. Baker's "Timewarp" Store (also in Sydney). He is a walking encyclopedia and if anyone could offer advice, I couldn't think of a better person. (I assume that both establishments would have a Website, you may need to do some surfing on that.)

Raelee wrote: Does anyone know of any Prog Rock bands / venues in Australia (Sydney / Melbourne)?  Appears Australia is a massive desert when it comes to Prog Rock. Is there a local fan club / website?  Any info will be helpful.

I like the prog bands mentioned above, and you can't forget Masters
Apprentices, their last two albums before they broke up was some great
stuff.

The venues do seem to be a constraint on prog exposure, with no market
for festivals and a dominance in pub oriented locations for developing
bands.

Pushing the boundaries here a bit, I just recalled a few Australian bands worthy of attention. They all have a number of albums released, many of which are a valued part of my collection. 

Firstly, TRIBAL TRANCE. Spacey, flute, drum, didg, grunt oriented of a rather spiritual nature, performed by a bunch of barefeet ferals. Very engaging! 

KANGAROO MOON is laid back, often improvised, largely keyboard, vocal driven that also tend to appeal to alternative lifestyle people - like myself.

From the jazzier end, DIG (Directions in the Groove) is world class material. 

S Lang wrote: From the jazzier end, DIG (Directions in the Groove) is world class material.

From the jazzier end, wouldn't you find The Necks infinitely more interesting than DIG?

cobb wrote: FruMp wrote: Give me a few years and i will have a prog album for you Good for you FruMp, but you'll probably need a real job to support yourself here in Australia if you are going to make prog music. As mentioned before, Mario Milo tried it way back and produced some really excellent stuff, with very little success or recognition for the quality of work.

yeah i dont expect to be succesful, i'll send you a demo though.