Thanks From ProgDay!

(September 8, 2022)

ProgDay would like to extend heartfelt thanks to our wonderful audience and bands for making ProgDay 2022 a success.

There was a three year gap between being on the field in 2019 and 2022. Virtual ProgDay was great and allowed our audience to experience the music of many bands that would find it difficult or impossible to travel to the US. However, it wasn’t the same as being present together in front of the Storybook stage. It meant more than we can express to be able to see familiar faces and hang with friends.

To those who are longtime attendees, thank you for continuing to be part of the festival. In the three years since the last physical event there were many opportunities to discover other ways to spend Labor Day weekend. It is significant that you once again chose ProgDay.

Over the weekend we often heard it said that it felt like the festival just picked up where it left off. The familiar grounds of the event, the tent city, the beer, the heat, people sitting in the same spot they’ve been in for many years… it all combined to make ProgDay feel as though there had never been a gap at all. The rituals and patterns people have established over the years were in full swing and the vibe was familiar and comfortable. We paid tribute to those no longer with us, caught up with those we hadn’t seen in years, listened to new music and made new friends with those attending for the first time.

To those who were first-timers at the event, we hope you had fun, liked some of the music, made new friends, and enjoyed the overall ambiance of ProgDay. If you did, we hope the experience was good enough that you will hang with us again next year.

As always, huge thanks to those who generously donated their time as volunteers to make sure that the festival ran smoothly. Whether you were helping with parking, taking out the trash, working the ticket booth, or any of the many other things that have to be addressed over the weekend, your effort and time is invaluable and appreciated.

We also want to acknowledge and thank those who made monetary donations to the festival. Every year we are blown away by the generosity of the ProgDay audience. A particular shout out to Ray Loboda who was responsible for this year’s guitar raffle.

Thanks to everyone for their participation and we hope to see you all again next year.

Some Important Notes!

(August 29, 2022)

Advanced sales are now concluded. Tickets will be available at the gate on the day of show.

The food vendor has been confirmed for ProgDay 2022. This year the food service will be provided by Reserved Eats. You can find the menu on the Venue page.

ProgDay realizes that none of our attendees want to move indoors. However, we usually have a backup venue reserved in case of severe weather. Due to circumstances beyond our control, ProgDay was unable to satisfactorily secure a backup venue for this year. What this means is that ProgDay 2022 will be outside rain-or-shine. Please plan accordingly.

If it is necessary to make any last minute announcements after Wednesday, August 31, those announcements will not be posted here on the ProgDay website, but on the ProgDay Facebook page.

Last Two Bands for ProgDay 2022!

(August 19, 2022)

Mike Keneally (US)

"Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."
- ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Initially known as the “stunt guitarist” for Frank Zappa (following the likes of Adrian Belew and Steve Vai), KENEALLY has blazed a significant place for himself in the world of music with a series of recordings remarkable for both their musical scope and originality. In addition to Frank Zappa, he has also made a name for himself working with acclaimed artists like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Andy Partridge, Henry Kaiser, Mastodon, Devin Townsend, and others. Mike returns to the ProgDay stage this year for a special solo performance.

Jon Stickley Trio (US)

"I hereby dub JST as post-modern Americana. JST’s concoction of acoustic jazz, folk, bluegrass, and more fits the typical Americana bill, but then shreds the standard playbook by adding themes of heavy metal, dubstep, dance, punk, and more to the fold."
- Jarod Gregory, Cincymusic.com

Jon Stickley Trio is a genre-defying and cinematic acoustic instrumental trio who’s deep grooves, innovative flatpicking and sultry / spacy violin moves the listener’s head, heart, and feet. “It’s not your father’s acoustic-guitar music. Instead, Stickley’s Martin churns out a mixture of bluegrass, Chuck Berry, metal, prog, grunge, and assorted other genres - all thoroughly integrated into a personal style.” - Guitar Player Magazine.

Two More Bands for ProgDay 2022!

(August 11, 2022)

CHEER-ACCIDENT (US)

"To put it simply, Cheer-Accident blew me away. I left that show feeling that my inner artist had received a swift kick in the pants. The music was innovative and powerful and brave and everything I’d hoped it would be…As I’ve continued to dig into their back catalogue, I’ve come to the realization that Cheer-Accident is a criminally underrated band. Their dedication to writing boundary-pushing music over the last three decades deserves recognition, and is definitely worth the attention of any fans of progressive music, or art rock, or avant garde, or whatever other genre label or title fits best for music that is patently uncategorizable."
- Thomas Hatton, PROGLODYTES

With a history reaching back over 30 years, CHEER-ACCIDENT has been surprising their audiences and themselves through relentless reinvention. From dreamy pop to angular art-rock, the band strikes a powerful balance between personalized and unique studio wizardry and the visceral excitement of a well-honed, explosive live rock band. The current lineup of CHEER-ACCIDENT is comprised of various members who have come and gone throughout the past two decades. The band is currently touring in support of the recently released Here Comes The Sunset.

ShwizZ (US)

"If Zappa, Yes, P-Funk and King Crimson had a love child,
it would be named...ShwizZ!"
- ShwizZ Facebook page

"These gentlemen play some of the best and most authentic '70s-style fusion music anywhere. Period. The end. Let your ears confirm this."
- musicfestnews.com

SHWIZZ is a one-of-a-kind powerhouse from Nyack, New York. While drawing substantial influence from classic progressive rock, for years the band has been exploring the intersection of genres with different lineups including horn sections, lead singers and percussionists. A decade and a large cast of characters later, SHWIZZ has honed itself into a compelling fusion and progressive quartet that consistently put their musical abilities to the test to deliver high intensity and musically immersive shows.

ProgDay 2022 Tickets On Sale.

(July 31, 2022)

Weekend and Patron Passes for ProgDay 2022 are now available for advance sale on the Tickets page. Advance sales will be available until Sunday, August 28. Please note that tickets sold after Wednesday, August 24, will not be mailed, but may be picked up at the ticket booth on the day of the event. We are looking forward to meeting again at Storybook Farm.

Nektar Plays ProgDay 2022!

(July 25, 2022)

Nektar

Formed in Germany in 1969 by British expats, NEKTAR are among the progenitors of the progressive rock movement of the 1970s as well as the jam-band scene that arose in the late 1990s. Their music traveled to the States, where they enjoyed Top 40 success with A Tab in the Ocean (1972) and Remember the Future (1973). Nearly 20 albums and a half-century later, the band’s artistic and personal charisma has earned them thousands of devoted fans.

With a current lineup featuring three original members – Derek ‘Mo’ Moore (bass guitar, vocals), Ron Howden (drums, percussion, vocals) and Mick Brockett (visual environment) - and two members of previous Nektar incarnations - Ryche Chlanda (guitar, vocals) and Randy Dembo (bass guitar, bass pedals, 12-string guitar, vocals) - Nektar continues to follow the sound that made the band legendary. Their latest release, The Other Side, has been called “the best recording by Nektar since Recycled.”

iNFiNiEN at ProgDay 2022!

(July 12, 2022)

iNFiNiEN

"Light at the Endless Tunnel takes the listener into a wide-range of directions, blending the familiar with unexpected Middle Eastern elements, Indian vocal percussion, soul and lots more. The band features extremely talented musicians who showcase their talent with looped guitars, creative bass lines, imaginative drum patters, Ethiopian scales, spectacular guitar solos, exquisite keyboard ambience, epic intensity, and Canterbury-ish keyboards plus an orchestra with real strings and horns. In other words, state of the art progressive rock... Every year, there is at least one progressive music act that stands out from the rest and Infinien is undoubtedly one of the best. This is one of the progressive rock gems of the past few months. Highly recommended."
- Angel Romero, ProgressiveRockCentral.com

Philadelphia-born iNFiNiEN combines eclectic musical personalities into a visionary, unified force. Using rock, jazz, soul, world, and classical influences, the band plays intricately composed songs with a focus on the exploration of new territories of sound by using exotic scales, chords, and rhythms. A centerpiece of the band’s sound is the expressive voice of Chrissie Loftus, whose evocative and emotional vocals provide the lyrical glue that binds the widely-ranging compositions together. iNFiNiEN’s performance at ProgDay 2022 will feature the recently released Beyond The Veil, in which the band continues to develop and move into new sonic territory.

First Two Bands for ProgDay 2022!

(June 30, 2022)

Aziola Cry

Originally formed by Jason Blake (Warr guitar), Mike Milaniak (guitars) and Tim Stickradt (drums), AZIOLA CRY came together in 2004. Citing Tool, King Crimson and Gordian Knot as influences, the band released its first album Ellipsis in 2005 and Ghost Conversations in 2007.

With Tom Murray now in the drum seat, AZIOLA CRY returned after fourteen years with The Ironic Divide in 2021 on Sensory Records. Its massive riffs never devolve into merely technical displays and each track develops, evolves and flows. Continuing down the dark, complex and unrelenting path of it’s predecessors, The Ironic Divide is the band’s heaviest and most intricate music to date.

Lux Terminus

LUX TERMINUS was formed in 2016 by Gravity and Redemption keyboardist Vikram Shankar (you may have also seen Shankar playing keyboards with Pain of Salvation on their most recent tour). With Brian Craft on bass and Matthes Kerschner on drums, the trio set out to combine metal and jazz influences into their own exploration of instrumental progressive rock.

With influences ranging from Return To Forever, Rush, Dream Theater, and Animals As Leaders, to Hans Zimmer and Tigran Hamasyan, LUX TERMINUS released its first album, The Courage To Be, in 2018. The record includes guest performances by many acclaimed artists including vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergn (ex - The Gathering, Dein Townsend Project, VUUR, et al.), guitarist Timo Somers (Delain, Vengeance), and cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous, Musk Ox).

In addition to The Courage To Be, ProgDay 2022 will also be treated to music from the band’s upcoming second record.

ProgDay 2022 Is Happening!

(May 31, 2022)

Hello to everyone.

This is just a quick post to say that ProgDay will again be happening this year at Storybook Farm on Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd and 4th.

Comfort Inn University will also continue to be the official event hotel. For those who have already started making plans, please note that the out-of-date link for booking rooms at the ProgDay rate at Comfort Inn University has been corrected and is now working.

As usual, our website will keep the bands up from our Virtual ProgDay event in 2020 until our first band announcements for 2022 are ready.

It will be great to get together again on the field.