Welcome To ProgDay!

ProgDay is a two-day annual outdoor festival of progressive music featuring artists from all over the world. Some bands have come from as near as North Carolina, and others from as far as Sweden, Italy, Venezuela and Indonesia.

The ProgDay organization is primarily a grassroots collective of music fans and volunteers who labor for the love of the music. Every year they put in a tremendous amount of work to make ProgDay the best it can be.

Of particular importance are our day-of-event volunteers. The people that direct you to parking, take your ticket at the gate, empty the garbage, and do the scores of other things that keep ProgDay moving, are all volunteers. They've bought a ticket to the festival just like you, but they are donating part of their ProgDay experience to helping out.

Over the years ProgDay has hosted many memorable and important performances. ProgDay is responsible for the first American appearances of many bands from progressive rock's "golden era" including Kraan (Germany), Samla Mammas Manna (Sweden), Arti é Mestieri (Italy), Shylock (France), Ain Soph (Japan), Trettioariga Kriget (Sweden) and Tempano (Venezuela), as well as US debuts by later bands like Beardfish (Sweden), Uzva (Finland), Naikaku (Japan), Accordo Dei Contrari (Italy), Panzerballett (Germany), Necromonkey (Sweden), Yang (France), Apocalypse (Brazil), Kotebel (Spain), Cabezas De Cera (Mexico), and many others. ProgDay presented the first major US appearance of the Muffins after their reunion in 1998. It was only their second time in the US when Pain Of Salvation and The Spacious Mind played ProgDay. ProgDay also has a tradition of showcasing outstanding newer bands like Squeaky Feet (US), PAKT (US), Tu-ner (USA/Germany), INfiNieN (US), Sonar (Switzerland), Pixie Ninja (Norway), Marbin (Israel/USA), We Used To Cut The Grass (US), Hoffoot (Sweden), and Bent Knee (US).

During the Covid shutdown of 2020, ProgDay became a virtual event showcasing bands from across the globe that would have found it difficult or impossible to physically appear on stage in North Carolina under normal circumstances. Unfortunately in 2021, while live music opportunities slowly reappeared, ProgDay was unable to complete a roster of bands that were rehearsed and ready to once again perform live. With that exception, ProgDay has been held every year since it's birth in 1995, making it the longest running progressive rock event in the world.

B.

In 2017, Musical Arts Progressive Society, Inc. (MAPS) was formed. MAPS is a North Carolina company organized as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation to support musical artists of national and international origin who are creating progressive and innovative music. ProgDay is a non-profit cultural event and an official production of MAPS.

The folks at ProgDay have once again worked hard to bring you the best in progressive music. We hope that you'll join us this year for another great weekend of music, friendship and fun.

ProgDays Past

Click on the links below to get more information on past ProgDays:

• ProgDay Overview 2021-2024

• ProgDay Overview 2016-2020

• ProgDay Overview 2011-2015

• ProgDay Overview 2006-2010

• ProgDay Overview 2001-2005

• ProgDay Overview 1995-2000

Band Statistics

• Performers at ProgDay as of 2023: 207
Of those performers:
• First performance at a North American prog festival: 161
• First performance in the United States due to ProgDay: 42
• Number of countries represented at ProgDay: 24

Countries And Bands At A Glance

• BELGIUM: Quantum Fantay
• BRAZIL: Apocalypse
• CANADA: Half Past Four, Karcius, Mahogany Frog,
Miriodor, The Rebel Wheel with Guy LeBlanc
• CHILE: TRYO
• DENMARK: Secret Oyster
• FINLAND: Höyry-Kone, Uzva
• FRANCE: Clearlight, NeBeLNeST, Mörglbl, Nemo,
Pascal Gutman Trio, Shylock
• GERMANY: Kraan, Panzerballett
• INDONESIA: Discus, simakDialog
• IRAN: Mavara
• ISRAEL: Marbin
• ITALY: Accordo Dei Contrari, Alex Carpani Band with David Jackson,
A Piedi Nudi, Arti é Mestieri, Consorzioacquapotabile, Deus Ex Machina, Finisterre, Malibran, Mary Newsletter, La Maschera Di Cera, Sensations' Fix
• JAPAN: Ain Soph, Ars Nova, Naikaku, Providence, Qui
• MEXICO: Cabezas de Cera, Cast, Luz De Riada
• NETHERLANDS: Focus
• NORWAY: Pixie Ninja
• PANAMA: Equinox
• SPAIN: Amarok, Galadriel, Kotebel, Psicotropia
• SWEDEN: Beardfish, The Flower Kings, Freak Kitchen, Pär Lindh,
Pär Lindh Project, Mats/Morgan Band, Necromonkey, Pain Of Salvation, Qoph, Samla Mammas Manna, The Spacious Mind, Trettioåriga Kriget
• SWITZERLAND: Sonar
• UK: Flash, Landmarq, Nektar, Ozric Tentacles,
Thieves Kitchen, Wishbone Ash
• UNITED STATES: 3RDegree, Abigail's Ghost, Ad Astra, Advent, After The Fall, Alaska, Avant Garden, Azigza, Aziola Cry, Bent Knee, Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic, Boud Deun, Brave, Bubblemath, Canvas Solaris, Cheer-Accident, Barry Cleveland's Hologramatron, Consider The Source, Corima, Crucible, Dark Aether Project, Dave Kerzner Band, Deluge Grander, Djam Karet, Discipline, Doctor Nerve, Dreadnaught, Nick D’Virgilio, Eccentric Orbit, Echolyn, Edensong, Ephemeral Sun, Eye, Far Corner, Farmhouse Odyssey, Farquhar, Fibonacci Sequence, Forever Einstein, French TV, Frogg Café, The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, Glass Hammer, Hamster Theatre, Hands, Happy The Man, Hedersleben, Helmet Of Gnats, Herd Of Instinct, Holding Pattern, House Of Usher, Illuvatar, iNFiNiEN, In The Presence Of Wolves, IZZ, Jack O' The Clock, Jon Stickley Trio, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, King Llama, Kopecky, Karmic Juggernaut, Mike Keneally Band, Mike Keneally with Andy West, Krakatoa, Brett Kull, A Light Sleeper, Bon Lozaga, Lux Terminus, Mahavishnu Project, Mars Hollow, Mastermind, The Mercury Tree, Mirthrandir, Moon Letters, The Muffins, Oblivion Sun, Out Of The Beardspace, Ovrfwrd, Ozone Quartet (aka Cloud Nine), Matthew Parmenter, Fernando Perdomo & The Out To Sea Band, Perfect, Shawn Persinger, Persephone's Dream, Glenn Phillips Band, Pinnacle, Polydactyl, David Ragsdale, Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores, Red Fiction, Jimmy Robinson, Salem Hill, Scale The Summit, ShwizZ, Skeletonbreath, Smokin' Granny, Shadow Circus, Sigmund Snopek III, Soften The Glare, Sonus Umbra, Soundscape, Squonk Opera, Spiraling, Strange Changes, The Tea Club, Ten Jinn, Thank You Scientist, Three, Tiles, Timothy Pure, Thinking Plague, Travis Larson Band, David Torn, Tristan Park, Tu-Ner, The Underground Railroad, Us Today, Ut Gret, Valence, VonFrickle, Volaré, We Used To Cut The Grass, Woodenhead, Yeti, Yokeshire, You Bred Raptor?, Michelle Young, Zevious, Zombie Frogs
• VENEZUELA: Backhand, Tempano

VIRTUAL PROGDAY 2020

In response to the situation created by the Covid pandemic in 2020, the physical festival did not happen. Instead ProgDay was held as a virtual event that streamed performances from eight bands:

• CANADA: Les Évadés
• FRANCE: Ghost Rhythms, VAK
• ITALY: Mad Fellaz
• RUSSIA: Vespero
• SWEDEN: Hooffoot
• UNITED STATES: Gnarbot, Stop Motion Orchestra

ProgDay is a non-profit cultural event and an official production of Musical Arts Progressive Society, Inc. (MAPS). MAPS is a non-profit organization which advocates for, educates about and promotes national and international musical artists creating progressive and innovative music.