prog Archive
13 Feb 2020
Presto: Deep Purple’s ‘Concerto for Group and Orchestra’ at 50
Looking back on rock history, it’s clear that the concept of rock/orchestral hybridization was fashionable for a time. Most rock listeners are familiar (and then some) with Days of Future […]
10 Feb 2020
From the Archives: Review of Yes in Concert, Feb. 3, 2017
The following is an edited reprise of a Facebook post of mine from February 2017, three years ago this week. — bk Thoughts on last night’s YES concert in Cherokee […]
27 Jan 2020
Hundred-word Reviews for January 2020
Every so often – pretty often, in fact – I find a stack of CDs has accumulated on my desk. They’ve made the cut as albums deemed worthy of sharing […]
17 Jan 2020
Dream Theater: The Path That Unites
When dazzling keyboardist Jordan Rudess joined Dream Theater in 1999, the progressive metal band had already been together for nearly 15 years. Through a combination of superb musicianship, thoughtful songwriting […]
09 Jan 2020
Album Review: Cary Grace – ‘Lady of Turquoise’
Cary Grace has carved out a fascinating niche in the world of music. Though she got her start in the Nashville singer-songwriter community (she even had Vince Gill play on […]
15 Dec 2019
Hundred-word Reviews for December 2019, #3
Here’s the final installment of the year (and the decade!) of my quick, condensed album reviews. Ten titles, 100 words each. Seven are new releases; the remaining three are archival […]
08 Dec 2019
Album Review: Bask — III
For a small city, Asheville is home to musicians representing a staggering array of musical styles. In an era that many see as post-album, post-rock and post-all other manner of […]
27 Nov 2019
Emotional Content is Dream Theater’s Secret Ingredient
Over the course of its three decades, progressive metal band Dream Theater has periodically created albums centered about thematic concepts. 1999’s Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory was the […]
18 Nov 2019
Patrick Moraz and the Poetry of Creation
Swiss keyboard virtuoso Patrick Moraz was one of the earliest musicians to explore the sonic possibilities of the synthesizer. He combined those explorations with more conventional instrumentation – grand piano, […]
25 Oct 2019
Rhapsodizing with Rick Wakeman
Legendary keyboardist Rick Wakeman is perhaps best known for his work with Yes, a group he has joined and quit at least five times since the early ’90s. But the […]