Roldan Entertainment Confirms Host Hotel for RoSfest 2019

I have great news! We now have a host hotel with all the accommodations that we promised and it will be available to book starting on July 3rd.
Please read below for details.

www.aloftsarasota.com

Aloft Sarasota offers a convenient downtown location, vibrant social scene, and tech-savvy design. The Sarasota hotel is located just minutes from the bay, popular islands, and beaches, plus the nearby Ed Smith Stadium and Historic Spanish Point and Sarasota Opera House.

InsideOutMusic 25th anniversary digital compilation launched

InsideOutMusic, the leading force in today’s progressive rock scene, celebrate their 25th anniversary of being a label in 2018, in what will be one of their biggest and busiest yet. Today they launch a specially priced, 35-track digital compilation, giving a glimpse of what InsideOut have been doing for the past few years. The collection features tracks from label mainstays like Devin Townsend Project, Steve Hackett, Spock’s Beard, Riverside, Enchant & The Tangent, as well as newer bands like Bent Knee, Caligula’s Horse, Perfect Beings & Sons of Apollo. Download/stream the compilation here:
https://InsideOutMusic.lnk.to/25YearsOfInsideOutMusic

As previously announced, to coincide with the anniversary, two of their longest serving artists, Spock’s Beard & Roine Stolt’s The Flower King’s, will head out on a European co-headline tour in Winter 2018.

You can find the full list of dates below:
30th November – Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway
1st December – Kulturhuset Studion, Stockholm, Sweden
2nd December – KB, Malmo, Sweden
4th December – Zeche, Bochum, Germany
5th December – Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland
6th December – La Machine, Paris, France
7th December – De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
8th December – Hedon, Zwolle, Netherlands
9th December – Islington Assembly Hall, London, UK
10th December – Academy Club, Manchester, UK

Formed back in 1993 in Kleve, Germany, the label made their name with acts such as Enchant, Spock’s Beard, Symphony X & The Flower Kings, many of whom they still work with now – a rarity in this day and age. Since that time, the label has played a key & continued role in the survival and resurgence of progressive rock in recent years, and has always prided itself on shining a light on leftfield music. Now the band count some of the biggest & most exciting bands amongst their roster, including Dream Theater, Steve Hackett, Devin Townsend, Sons of Apollo, Kansas, Haken, Riverside, Leprous & more. On the label’s 20th anniversary back in 2013, one of the labels founders, and current label-head Thomas Waber was given the Guiding Light award at the Progressive Music Awards, praising his aforementioned role in the continued celebration of progressive rock.

Many of InsideOut’s longest running relationships will see new albums released in the labels 25th year, including Spock’s Beard’s 13th album ‘Noise Floor’, a new collaborative project called The Sea Within that features Roine Stolt, Daniel Gildenlow & Jonas Reingold (all veterans of the label), a landmark live album from Devin Townsend filmed at a special performance at a Roman Theatre in Bulgaria, a new studio album from Riverside & much more.

This year will also see InsideOut release a whole host of lavish catalogue releases throughout 2018, including the second part of The Flower Kings ‘A Kingdom of Colours’ CD boxsets, a series of Devin Townsend high-end vinyl boxes, a CD collection covering the whole of Enchant’s illustrious career, & much more yet to be announced.

The Progressive Music Awards 2018 recently announced their nominations, with InsideOutMusic seeing 10 nominations in total, including Spock’s Beard for best international artist, as well as nods for Perfect Beings, Toundra, PFM, Sons of Apollo, Kino, Leprous & Caligula’s Horse. Find more details here: https://www.loudersound.com/features/vote-now-in-the-2018-progressive-music-awards

Watch out for more news throughout 2018!

INSIDEOUT MUSIC online:
www.insideoutmusic.com
www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
www.twitter.com/InsideOutUSA
www.insideoutmusicshop.com

INSIDEOUTMUSIC Spotify Playlist:
http://spotify.com/progrockessentials

RING VAN MÖBIUS – PAST THE EVENING SUN – APOLLON RECORDS

Sometimes, just sometimes, I come across an album that makes me wonder whether or not the world isn’t actually going to hell in a handbasket, and that there is still hope for music after all. This album has absolutely no right to exist in 2018 at all, let alone be a brand new release, as it sounds as if it has been sat in a vault for the last 50 years and has just been discovered. The line-up of Thor Erik Helgesen (Hammond L100, Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Clavinet D6, Moog Satellite, Korg MS20, vocals), Håvard Rasmussen (bass, effects) and Dag Olav Husås (drums, timpani, percussion, effects), along with guest Karl Christian Grønhaug  (saxophone) have created something very special indeed.

Musically they have been influenced by Atomic Rooster, ELP, The Nice, Van der Graaf Generator, Peter Hamill, King Crimson, Gabriel-era Genesis and Yes, among others, and have then taken the influences and combined them into something very special indeed. Just three songs, but the album is forty minutes in length, and of course ,it has been released on vinyl as well as other mediums – it would have been wrong not to do so. I have very little information about the band, but according to their Facebook page they are from Karmøy, Norway, and produce “Progressive rock straight from 1971, but made today.” No guitar, but there just isn’t room for any, as Thor has obviously been heavily influenced by Emerson and Crane, producing some stunning organ, while Rasmussen provides the supporting role favoured by Lake (no vocals or guitar though), while Husås is a stunning drummer who has obviously been heavily influenced by Palmer. Grønhaug doesn’t play all the time, but when he is involved he takes the music to a whole new VDGG/Colosseum level.

Musical, melodic, drenched in nostalgia, I just love this album and could listen to it all day. From the artwork, through to the very last note, this is a very special album indeed. There aren’t many details available on this album, but try https://www.apollonrecords.n

  • Kev Rowland

THE FIERCE AND THE DEAD – THE EUPHORIC – BAD ELEPHANT MUSIC

And so, the accidental band are back. Originally destined to be Matt Stevens’ second solo album, TFATD have morphed into possibly the most important instrumental rock act in the UK today. Comprising Matt (guitar, synth, piano), Kev Feazey (bass, programming, synth, percussion), Steve Cleaton (guitar, piano) and Stuart Marshall (drums, percussion) they have gained an amazing following (The Fierce Army) over the last few years, due in no small part to be a great live act who have found new fans wherever they have played. They can often be found playing with their mates Hawkwind, and gained huge kudos from their gig last year with Monkey3 at The Borderline.

Here they are back with their third studio album, which follows on from 2013’s ‘Spooky Action’ (they released the live ‘Field Recordings’ last year). It is incredibly hard to categorise their sound as it comprises elements from post rock, math rock, space, rock, prog and hard rock all thrown into a metallic melting pot. There are times when it feels that the band are just bouncing ideas off each other in the studio, jamming live, when at others it feels slightly more structured but whatever they are doing it always contains a mighty groove that makes the listener to move along to the music. Due to the small matter of geography I have never seen the guys play (they formed four years after I moved to the other side of the world), which I know is very much my loss, as while this is a great album I know that in concert it will be turned into something that is quite another level.

TFATD have stayed true to their roots to this album, and that the mainstream is starting to embrace them has far more to do with the rest of the world coming to grips with how good they are as opposed any “selling out”. This is an incredibly easy album to listen to, although with the distorted riffs sweeping through my brain I could never call them easy listening. This could well be the album that breaks them through to the big time, and it will be richly deserved. If you haven’t come across them before this, now is the time.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fierceandthedead/

9/10

By Kev Rowland

 

Regular ProgStock Tickets go on Sale this Tuesday June 12th

ProgStock is celebrating its 2nd year as a Progressive Rock Festival held in Rahway, New Jersey at the Union County Performing Arts Center on October 5th, 6th, & 7th, 2018.

Patron Ticket Sales will end at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, June 12th, 2918
Regular Ticket Sales begin on the same day at 12:00 NOON!!
All remaining tickets will be on sale at that time and will be priced at $195 for lower level seating and $165 for mezzanine seating for the entire three days of ProgStock including our late-night events!!

BUY TICKETS http://www.progstock.com/2018/tickets-donations

The final artist line-up is listed below, however, Eddie Jobson, Michael Sadler, and Tom Brislin have not yet confirmed who will play in their bands, so there will be more artist news as it develops.
The performers at ProgStock 2018 are talking to each one other and should result in some special musical collaborations onstage during the festival weekend!!

ProgStock Schedule

Friday 10/5/2018

3:30 pm-4:30 pm – Orpheus Nine
4:30 pm-5:30 pm – break and meet & greet with Orpheus Nine
5:30 pm-7:30 pm – In Continuum
7:30 pm-9:00 pm – break and meet & greet with In Continuum
9:00p m-11:00 pm – Michael Sadler
11:00 pm – meet & greet with Michael Sadler
12:00 pm – ProgStock Late Night Event: House of Prog’s Progressive Coffeehouse featuring Dark Beauty, Steve Unruh, Rachel Flowers

Saturday 10/6/2018

11:00 am-12:00 pm – Ryche Chlanda & Flying Dreams
12:00 pm-1:00 pm – break and meet & greet with Ryche Chlanda & Flying Dreams
1:00 pm-2:15pm – Accordo dei Contrari
2:15 pm-3:30 pm – break and meet & greet with Accordo dei Contrari
3:30 pm-4:45 pm – Tom Brislin & Friends
4:45 pm-6:00 pm – break and meet & greet with Tom Brislin & Friends
6:00 pm-7:30 pm – Enchant
7:30 pm-9:00 pm – break and meet & greet with Enchant
9:00 pm-11:00 pm – IQ
11:00 pm – meet & greet with IQ
12:00 pm – ProgStock Late Night Event: Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius, Fernando Perdomo & Out to Sea-Band

Sunday 10/7/2018

11:30 am-1:00pm – IZZ
1:00 pm-2:30 pm – break and meet & greet with IZZ
2:30 pm-4:00 pm – Evership
4:00 pm-5:30 pm – break and meet & greet with Evership
5:30 pm-7:30 pm – Mystery
7:30 pm-9:00 pm – break and meet & greet with Mystery
9:00 pm-11:00 pm – Jobson Plays ‘UK’
11:00 pm – meet & greet with Jobson Plays ‘UK’

THE PROGRESSIVE COFFEHOUSE – LATE-NIGHT FRIDAY
Rachel Flowers
Steve Unruh (Resistor, The Samurai of Prog, UPF – United Progressive Fraternity)
Dark Beauty
Robert Schindler aka Robeone

LATE NIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT BANDS
Joe Deninzon and Stratospheerius
Fernando Perdomo and the Out-To-Sea Band

Visit the ProgStock website for information about hotels, transportation, and Rahway hospitality!!
http://www.progstock.com

ProgStock 2018 Sizzle Reel: