prog Archive
06 Jan 2017
A Look Back at ELP with Carl Palmer, Part Three
Continued from Part Two … Bill Kopp: With the benefit of studio technology, bands in the early ’70s could overdub and make really dense, layered albums. Reproducing that sound onstage […]
05 Jan 2017
A Look Back at ELP with Carl Palmer, Part Two
Continued from Part One … Bill Kopp: The term “supergroup” was just coming into use around the time ELP got started. And it certainly applied to you three, since each […]
04 Jan 2017
A Look Back at ELP with Carl Palmer, Part One
Late-breaking Author’s Note: Very shortly after I turned in this feature for publication — it ran in December on BLURT — news broke that Greg Lake had succumbed to cancer […]
29 Dec 2016
Best Music of 2016: Concerts
There’s a bit of overlap where my best albums and best concerts of 2016 are concerned. And there are some old favorites, too. John Mayall Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte NC March […]
20 Dec 2016
Rick Wakeman on Solo Work, Singers, and Sex Pistols
In addition to his work with Yes and Yes-related projects, Rick Wakeman has had a long, successful, and prolific solo career. [Shameless plug: I wrote the liner notes for CD […]
19 Dec 2016
Geeking Out on Gear: Rick Wakeman Talks Keyboards
During my conversation with Rick Wakeman, the subject inevitably turned to equipment. As a keyboard player myself, I was thrilled at the opportunity to discuss gear with one of the […]
16 Dec 2016
In a Word, Yes: Rick Wakeman on the ARW Tour (Part 2)
Continued from Part One … My conversation with Rick Wakeman continues. Note that our chat took place in summer 2016, before the lineup of ARW had been finalized. Wakeman discusses […]
15 Dec 2016
In a Word, Yes: Rick Wakeman on the ARW Tour (Part 1)
Back during the summer of this year, I enjoyed a wide-ranging and lengthy conversation with keyboard legend Rick Wakeman. The ostensible basis of our chat was the then-upcoming ARW tour, […]
01 Dec 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 9 of 10
Gary Ritchie – Poptimistic Style: powerpop Melodic, good-natured powerpop is the order of the day on Ritchie’s new album. Musical touchstones include the obvious ones (Beatles, Raspberries, Romantics) and some […]
29 Nov 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 7 of 10
Farewell Milwaukee – FM Style: heartland jangle-rock Jangling guitars, good-timin’ harmonica, well-worn chord changes … those are the key ingredients in the musical recipe for this album. Familar echoes of […]