Final Update on ProgDay 2021.

(August 2, 2021)

Hello to everyone.

It is with great disappointment that I have decided to pull the plug on ProgDay for this year.

Planning got a late start due to the pandemic and waiting to see what would happen with vaccines. Once things cranked up, there were also some unforeseen problems that had to be worked out. While most of those problems were solved, not everything could be resolved in the time available.

Please forgive the lateness of the announcement. I kept hoping that things would work out.

Thanks again to all of those who supported Virtual ProgDay 2020. Next Labor Day weekend we will be picking up where we left off in 2019. I hope to see all of you then.

Michael Bennett

Update on ProgDay 2021.

(June 11, 2021)

Hello to all of our attendees. I hope that everyone has managed to stay safe and well.

I don’t like to post news until I have something concrete to pass along, but I know that there are many people wondering what is going on with ProgDay and whether we will get back to producing a live physical event this year.

At the moment the intention is to have the physical event. However the festival has unexpectedly been blindsided by some rather significant obstacles. I am working to resolve these issues, but currently things are still developing and I have nothing definite that I can announce.

As soon as I know what is going to happen, I will post it here on the ProgDay News page. Please check back later for more information.

Thanks!

Michael Bennett

P.S. As usual, we will leave the information for last year's event up on the site until the information for the next event is ready.

Thank You from ProgDay 2020!

(September 12, 2020)

THANK YOU to all of the outstanding bands who participated in this year’s Virtual ProgDay 2020. After canceling the physical event due to the pandemic, creating a virtual event was an 11th hour decision based on our desire to have the festival continue in some form this year. This was only made possible through the efforts of the eight bands that either streamed live performances or produced prerecorded concerts especially for the ProgDay audience. Most of these bands would normally find it very difficult or impractical to come to the US to have their music heard at ProgDay, but the virtual event made it possible.

THANK YOU to Tom Palmieri and Ann Rinaldi of ProgStock who partnered with ProgDay to present those bands.

THANK YOU to the audience who joined ProgDay online to listen to the music. While we know it doesn’t replace hanging out with the ProgDay community at Storybook Farm, the audience was enthusiastic and feedback after the festival indicates that it was a fun and rewarding experience for those who attended.

In particular, ProgDay would like to express its appreciation to the audience for its overall support of the event. A big part of ProgDay is experiencing new music, but that can only happen when people show up to hear it. Ticket sales were very consistent across all of the shows, indicating that most attendees were not cherry-picking individual artists, but were onboard for all of the performances. That means a lot to both the bands and the festival.

We hope everyone had a great time. Hopefully we will all be together next year on the field at ProgDay 2021.

Three More Bands for Virtual ProgDay 2020!

(August 31, 2020)

Ghost Rhythms (France)

“The music here walks a wide loop around Soft Machine and Magma, Univers Zero and Henry Cow, Miles Davis and Miriodor, Van Der Graaf Generator and Art Zoyd. It's impeccably assembled and played, while freely indulging the more insane aspects of progressive rock, avant-garde chamber music, and electric jazz....Despite the musical sophistication and adventure on Live at Yoshiwara, this music is extremely accessible to a wide swathe of listeners. Its release signals the magnificent arrival of Ghost Rhythms on American shores. Get it now.”
– Thom Jurek / AllMusic

GHOST RHYTHMS is an avant-fusion band created in 2005 by composers Camille Petit and Xavier Gélard. Having worked in a variety of rock and progressive rock-type ensembles, neither had any background in jazz, but both had an interest in forming a jazz ensemble. To play their compositions, they recruited jazz and classical players for the group. They felt that an interesting balance between immediacy and a more cerebral approach would be achieved combining their own background as self-taught, prog-rock-influenced composers/musicians with the academically-trained classical/jazz musicians who made up the rest of GHOST RHYTHMS. The result is a unique take on jazz fusion where the explore what they term “ghost rhythm” - playing with pulsation, odd rhythms and illusory perception to create a very special musical experience.

Les Évadés (Canada)

LES ÉVADÉS is an instrumental five piece formed in 2014 in Quebec City. Their sound is created through a unique combination of jazz, rock, world music and classical music.

After an eponymous album in 2016, the band came back rejuvenated as a collective with a new album, Black Mamba, in 2019. Merging a rock-influenced rhythm section (guitar-bass-drums) with the lyrical and almost classical feel of a strings section (violin-cello), the sound of LES ÉVADÉS stands out due to their hybridity and their precisely defined identity. Sometimes dark, sometimes cinematic, sometimes mournful, sometimes uplifting, always engaging…

Gnarbot (US)

GNARBOT is a prog-fusion band from Philadelphia. Formed in 2017, the band draws from a broad sonic palette inspired by the likes of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Soundgarden, and Flying Lotus to create intricate, exploratory compositions. Their unique blend of complex rhythms, heavy riffs, ethereal vocals, and textured improvisations offers a fresh, energetic musical perspective.

Tickets Are Now On Sale!

(August 28, 2020)

Tickets for the five announced bands are now available for purchase. To buy tickets, please visit the Tickets Page for information about tickets and the Bands Page for information about the bands, performances and the broadcast schedule. Please read the information on both pages before buying a ticket.

Stay tuned - three more confirmed bands to be announced very soon.

Two More Bands for Virtual ProgDay 2020!

(August 26, 2020)

We are pleased to announce two more bands for Virtual ProgDay 2020.

Hooffoot (Sweden)

“Hooffoot’s debut album was one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises during the decade... Hooffoot came almost out of nowhere and was relatively easily named album of the year by Progrocks.gr editors in 2015... Where many prog bands fail, Hooffoot triumph. The expressive pluralism, the smoothness of changes and the flawless orchestration are simply rare...”
- Dimitris Kaltsas, PROGROCKS

HOOFFOOT began as a “Sunday forum for three men to meet, try weird musical ideas, drink coffee and complain about back ache.” But the band began to carefully expand, inviting musicians of various musical backgrounds into the mix. The result is a singular take on fusion that is often compared to Miles Davis and Soft Machine, with nods to Santana and Fläsket Brinner. As the band says, “Santana loved Miles. Magma loved Coltrane. Soft Machine loved pop. Pink Floyd loved Soft Machine. Weather Report loved African grooves. The Italian progressive bands loved classical music. Return to Forever loved Brazilian stuff. Frank Zappa loved Black Sabbath. Hooffoot love them all. Forget about labels like rock, jazz, progressive and kraut…"

Stop Motion Orchestra (US)

STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA was the first band announced for ProgDay 2020 before the physical event was canceled. We are happy that they are able to join us for Virtual ProgDay 2020. Here is what we said the first time around:

"Instant Everything!…impressively shows how you can creatively refresh a synthesis of Canterbury and Avant prog and add numerous influences.”
- Babyblaue Prog

“Lightworks…is nothing short of a masterpiece which cannot be described properly in words. So, those who enjoy intricate, intellectual, yet entertaining cross-genre instrumental music should try the album for sure. Let me say my 'Bravos' to this incredible ensemble!”
- Raigor, PROGARCHIVES

STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA is an ensemble of seasoned musicians from Austin’s progressive and experimental music scenes. Mixing influences ranging from Henry Cow, Cardiacs, Haniwa-Chan and Picchio Dal Pozzo, to traditional music from Eastern Europe and South Asia, they play “highly harmonically based, rhythmically interesting and through-composed music that’s a pleasure to listen to…” (Chris Cutler). Formed in 2013, the band has released two highly acclaimed albums.

First Bands Announced for Virtual ProgDay 2020!

(August 17, 2020)

This year we have tried to use our virtual response to the pandemic as a path to showcasing bands that we would normally not be able to present to the ProgDay audience. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce the first three bands for Virtual ProgDay 2020.

Mad Fellaz (Italy)

“...one of Italy's most promising acts and a beacon of unending entertainment for those who worship originality and style. This is one hell of a crew, certainly deserving of an avid following in Progland.”
- tszirmay, PROGARCHIVES

Citing Area, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, King Crimson and Gentle Giant as original influences, exploration and growth has been the mindset of this band from the beginning. MAD FELLAZ started life as an all-instrumental ensemble creating eclectic progressive rock with symphonic and fusion underpinnings. For their second outing the eclecticism increased with the addition of a female vocalist, with the music taking a turn into new areas. For their third release, a new male singer took over vocal duties. Again, this added fresh elements to an already potent mix of styles. The result is three albums that reference and build on each other, yet maintain their own ambiance and identity, and in the end are all uniquely MAD FELLAZ.

VAK (France)

"Even if they had disbanded after Budo, what they’ve already given artistically is enormous and, most importantly, unique. This is one of the top zeuhl records of all time and one of the best prog albums of the last decades."
- Dimitris Kaltsas, PROGROCKS

One need look no farther than VAK to see the state of zeuhl. Often compared to Eskaton, Eider Stellaire and Magma, VAK are a standard bearer for the current state of the art, delivering complex, dramatic, emotional, grooving and melodic compositions. With zeuhl as their base, as the band expanded new styles were integrated into the sound including metal, classical music, and even experimental noise music. VAK cohesively assembles all of these influences and ideas into exciting music that is interesting and engaging and that you will want to hear again.

Vespero (Russia)

“The music is utterly creative with traces of Hawkwind, Gong, Hidria Spacefolk and Vibravoid never far away. While so many bands blandly crank out tired stoner rock with a few whirling synth parts, VESPERO construct complex edifices of interwoven sounds that independently evoke the exotic while collectively elevating the mind to higher dimensions. This is the stuff that 21st century space rock dreams are made of.”
- Silly Puppy, PROGARCHIVES

Formed in 2003 and releasing their first album in 2007, VESPERO has become one of the most important space rock bands of the 21st century. With almost 20 albums released, the band has managed to not repeat themselves by consistently defining new musical goals. Producing psychedelic prog rock taken to trippy extremes, their music is a spaced out psychedelic journey of soundscapes, musicianship, musical flow and innovation.

Virtual ProgDay 2020 Update
and 501(c)(3) Status.

(August 5, 2020)

ProgDay is happy to announce that we are currently pulling together a virtual event for this year. The idea is to present streaming performances from 4 artists a day over the Saturday and Sunday of the originally scheduled ProgDay weekend (September 5 and 6). Once the lineup and scheduling are worked out, details and instructions will be posted on the ProgDay website.

Virtual ProgDay 2020 is being greatly facilitated by Tom Palmieri and Ann Rinaldi of ProgStock (http://www.progstock.com/2020/). On Saturday, August 1, ProgStock kicked off the ProgStock Presents Virtual Series, a series of weekly shows streamed online through StageIt.com. After reading of ProgDay’s cancellation, Tom and Ann reached out to ProgDay and invited us to partner with them for our virtual event. The result is that Virtual ProgDay 2020 will be presented on Labor Day weekend as part of the ProgStock Presents Virtual Series.

Please note that ProgStock is not getting anything for this. All funds that are raised will go to ProgDay and the artists that perform.

Thank you Tom and Ann!

We are also excited to announce that ProgDay is now a tax-exempt non-profit event.

In 2017, Musical Arts Progressive Society, Inc. (MAPS), was formed. MAPS is a non-profit organization which advocates for, educates about and promotes national and international musical artists creating progressive and innovative music. MAPS recently received its confirmation as a 501(c)(3) company. Donations to MAPS / ProgDay are now tax deductible.

ProgDay 2020 Update.

(July 14, 2020)

It is with great sadness and disappointment that we must announce that for the first time since its inception in 1995, there will be no ProgDay this year.

We have been postponing this decision in the hope that the situation with Covid-19 in North Carolina would improve. But unfortunately that hasn’t been the case.

This last week North Carolina set a new daily record for new confirmed coronavirus cases. Cases increased 31.8% in the first 14 days of July compared to the last 14 days in June. The state also set a new record for hospitalizations and a new record for single day deaths. Phase Two of reopening was to end on July 17. Today Governor Cooper extended Phase Two for another 3 weeks.

Another basic consideration is that a gathering the size of ProgDay is illegal (the current maximum allowed for outdoor gatherings is 25 people). There is absolutely no guarantee that the permissible crowd size will be increased sufficiently by Labor Day to accommodate the festival.

Under these circumstances, we feel that proceeding with this year’s event would not be in the best interests of our family of attendees, patrons, vendors and staff.

However, we understand that for many of our attendees ProgDay is not just another festival, but something special that they look forward to every year. For that reason, to mark the occasion, we are considering the possibility of doing something online over Labor Day weekend. Whether that will be possible, or what form it might take, is still to be determined. An update about this will be posted on the website at some point in the future as more information becomes available and decisions are made.

Our best wishes for your continued well-being and safety.

Michael Bennett

Stop Motion Orchestra at ProgDay!

(January 21, 2020)

"Instant Everything!…impressively shows how you can creatively refresh a synthesis of Canterbury and Avant prog and add numerous influences.”
- Babyblaue Prog

“Lightworks…is nothing short of a masterpiece which cannot be described properly in words. So, those who enjoy intricate, intellectual, yet entertaining cross-genre instrumental music should try the album for sure. Let me say my 'Bravos' to this incredible ensemble!”
- Raigor, PROGARCHIVES

STOP MOTION ORCHESTRA is an ensemble of seasoned musicians from Austin’s progressive and experimental music scenes. Mixing influences ranging from Henry Cow, Cardiacs, Haniwa-Chan and Picchio Dal Pozzo, to traditional music from Eastern Europe and South Asia, they play “highly harmonically based, rhythmically interesting and through-composed music that’s a pleasure to listen to…” (Chris Cutler). Formed in 2013, the band has released two highly acclaimed albums.