Dear Friends in Music

I am more than happy to strongly recommend this great festival of adventurous progressive music – SEAPROG. The Festival’s 6th edition will be held in the great city of Seattle on June 7-9, 2019. If You are local in the state of Washington, or in neighboring Oregon or British Columbia, You should consider coming, and if You are more adventurous and live anywhere in the USA, Canada, or elsewhere in the world, please consider coming to the great city of Seattle for great food, celebrated microbreweries, world-famous coffee roasters, the great company of similarly minded old and new friends in music, and above all, for some excellent new music.

And two moonjunista artists will be taking the stage at the festival: MARBIN (from Chicago)and Stick Men’s MARKUS REUTER (from Berlin, Germany who is performing in the avant prog duo with former King Crimson member, TREY GUNN. Not to miss the 70’s Swedish prog legends TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET, the very talented JULIE SLICK of Adrian Belew Trio and  her band ECHOTEST, another Chicago’s heavy weight DISTRICT 97, FARMHOUSE from Northern California, as well local Washington state bands THE SHEEN, DUST MICE, TROOT, MOON LETTERS, YESOD and IMMENSITY CRUMB.

SEAPROG website: www.seaprogfest.org 

SEAPROG is run by two moonjunistas from Seattle, Dennis Rea and Jon Davis, as well as John Reagan, Joe Fischer, Dave McLelland, and Tom Prather, all longtime enthusiasts and ambassadors of the local progressive music cause. My old friend Dennis Rea has appeared on 6 albums on MoonJune Records: 3 albums with his band Moraine – Manifest Density, Metamorphic Rock, and Groundswell; the self-titled album from collective improv combo Iron Kim Style; and Dennis‘ solo album Views From Chicheng Precipice. He also guested on Seattle-based Zhongyu‘s self-titled album, and MJR is planning two other releases featuring Dennis: Moraine‘s next album, as well as Dennis‘ sophomore solo release on MoonJune, Giant Steppes. Jon Davis‘ band Zhongyu’s self-titled album was also released on MoonJune Records.

SEAPROG provides a public showcase for adventurous progressive musicians from the Pacific Northwest and beyond that honors the seriousness of their art. As the region’s only annual festival devoted to progressive rock music, SEAPROG serves an audience of keen enthusiasts whose tastes have been largely ignored by both the mainstream and alternative music industries and media alike. 

SEAPROG tilts decidedly toward the more adventurous reaches of the genre rather than long-established historical precedents – a bracing contrast to the ‘Golden Age’ nostalgia that’s overtaken the music in some quarters. This is not a value judgment; SEAPROG‘s organizers revere many of the ‘old school’ progressive bands as much as anyone, it’s just that there are already plenty of festivals devoted to that sort of thing, but very few focusing on exploratory progressive music of the here and now. SEAPROG is also unusual in its inclusivity, both musical (in terms of freely mingling influences) and social (in terms of gender and cultural representation among Seaprog performers). Operated as a nonprofit organization, Seaprog is and will remain a labor of love rather than a typical business venture.

Check the info on the previous editions of the festival, 2013-2017:http://seaprogfest.org/welcome/history.html

SEAPROG 2019 SCHEDULE

June 7, 2019
7:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: THE SHEEN 
8:00pm – Columbia City Theater Front Room: DUST MICE
9:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: TROOT
11:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET

June 8, 2019
7:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: MOON LETTERS 
8:00pm – Columbia City Theater Front Room: YESOD
9:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: MARKUS REUTER & TREY GUNN
11:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: MARBIN

June 9, 2019
6:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: FARMHOUSE ODYSSEY
8:00pm- Columbia City Theater Front Room: ECHOTEST
9:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: IMMENSITY CRUMB
11:00pm – Columbia City Theater Main Stage: DISTRICT 97

For more info on individual artists: http://seaprogfest.org/artist/index/2019.html$35 per each festival’s day, and $90 for all 3 days (a real bargain to see 12 great bands).
Get Your tickets at: https://co.clickandpledge.com/advanced/default.aspx
And See You there at the SEAPROG!

SEAPROG donations accepted.

If You are unable to attend, your donations are more than welcome, any donation no matter how small, helps.

SEAPROG has never been a for-profit enterprise, and our fiscal sponsorship with Shunpike cements our commitment to present the best music possible without consideration of commercial appeal. SEAPROG provides a prominent showcase for musicians working in a non-mainstream musical genre that has long been underrepresented in the Pacific Northwest. The festival’s focus is on the resurgent Northwest progressive-music community, augmented by some of the more adventurous national and international artists active in the genre today. Over five annual editions, Seaprog has presented more than 75 acts (comprising roughly 290 musicians) whose diverse approaches illustrate just how far progressive rock has evolved since its origins in the 1960s.

SEAPROG is supported by a core committee of roughly a dozen organizers and volunteers and achieved a significant milestone in 2018 when the festival gaining federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status under the aegis of Shunpike. This allows us to accept tax-exempt donations from individuals, matching grants from area employers, and grants from arts-funding organizations, and to synergize with other regional arts entities.

SEAPROG benefits a regional audience of enthusiasts at an affordable price. The festival also benefits numerous regional musicians. SEAPROG is especially proud of the fact that SEAPROG’s roster of artists has shown significant representation from gender and ethnic communities; for example, fully 70% of main-stage acts presented by SEAPROG to date have been led by or featured female performers, in a genre that’s long been heavily tilted toward men.

SEAPROG has no paid employees; 90% of our income from ticket and merchandise sales and donations goes directly to the festival, including paying for the bands and the venue, travel expenses, refreshments, and advertising and promotion. The other 10% goes to SEAPROG’s financial partner Shunpike.

In 2018, 61% of SEAPROG’s operating funds came from ticket and merchandise sales, and 39% from tax-deductible donations. No donation is too small! Use the link below to make a donation of any amount – even $5, $10 or $25 will make a big difference in keeping the festival going for years to come. SEAPROG thanks you!