ProgStock 2024 Review: Day 1

Cedric and I sauntered over to the Williams Center from the hotel and it was a definite vibe change. The building was buzzing with activity- overflowing with that hyperactive pre-show energy. I was able to have some lovely conversations with different friends I had met at prior prog events. Like I have said before, the more you attend and support these events, the more you recognize people and the more they recognize you, so it turns to a happy reunion every time you show up. I was really pleased to see two such gentleman, Robert Schindler AKA Robeone and Jamison Smeltz, jamming in the courtyard. I profiled Jameson a few years ago, and want to definitely point out that Robeone dedicates all of his proceeds to the Robert Moog foundation, which recently faced some damage following Hurricane Helene, so please consider supporting!

Rachel Flowers

Is it really ProgStock without Rachel Flowers? If you’re not sure of the answer, it’s unequivocally “no”. Rachel’s participation in ProgStock since year one has always been something to look forward to, and she always surprises and delights with her otherworldly talent. Rachel started with a few tracks from her forthcoming album In The Moment, which features her charming, soulful compositions.

I really liked the Stevie Wonder-esque “Night and Day”, as well as the dramatic title track from the forthcoming album “In The Moment”, which definitely felt like a slight homage to Keith Emerson, who unsurprisingly was a huge fan of Rachel, for both her impressive technical musical ability and also her sweet charisma. Rachel closed her set with the debut of a lovely collaboration with Jann Klose, called “The Lost Kingdom”.

KYROS

KYROS took the stage next after a little bit of technical difficulties. After discovering them around the release of Celexa Dreams, they’ve been in regular rotation on my playlist. I adore their vibe and aesthetic choices, and have also enjoyed discussions with them throughout the years on the blog. If I didn’t love them enough already, they just enlisted Charlie Cawood, a dear friend of the blog and an absolutely brilliant musical mind, to play bass.

KYROS put on a marvelous show, complete with choreography, killer musicianship, humor, and at least one keytar. Their dense, 80s-friendly production translated incredibly well on stage, and after seeing the crazy instrumental passages from the album live, I was reminded of the complexity of their orchestrations, and was impressed at how well they pulled them off live.

I particularly loved the way drummer Robin Johnson integrated electronic drums into his playing, switching seamlessly between the two and creating massive, seat-shaking sounds. Charlie Cawood was a blast to watch, playing bass lines that were complex, yet funky as hell- reminiscent of Duran Duran’s driving bass lines, all while donning an overcoat that would’ve made Chris Squire proud. Shelby Warne’s vocals were on point and powerful, and her keys were lush and diverse, going from soaring to jarring to dreamlike in a matter of seconds. Guitarist Joey Frevola gave a tremendous performance, and it was an absolute thrill to watch every time he soloed, delivering some top-notch guitar pyrotechnics.

Mike Keneally

It’s no secret that we love Mike Keneally here at Proglodytes. He’s an incredible artist in every sense of the word, with prolific credits in so many genres and styles. My wife and I saw Mike playing with Devin Townsend at the DreamSonic tour and she commented that he radiated joy while he played. And it’s absolutely true, and was abundantly clear tonight.On top of his immense talent, his joy is infectious and he has so much stage charisma. He played a handful of songs, and each one bore his trademark sensibilities and charm. Keneally has such a gift for writing soulful, catchy, lovely, genuine tunes that are about as quirky and unique as they are palatable.

At the very end of his set, he had Matt Dorsey and Jimmy Keegan join him onstage and they had an incredibly fun jam session to finish things off. To sum it up, Mike Keneally’s brief set was like a hug for my soul, or a shot of the best espresso, and if you don’t like Mike Keneally, you are probably a bad person and I will judge you severely.

David Cross Band

The night finished with the David Cross Band. Cross is well known for his time with King Crimson during one of their most adventurous periods. His band features John Mitchell on guitar and vocals, longtime band member Mick Paul on bass and vocals, Sheila Maloney on keys, and Jack Summerfield on drums.

After the first few songs from both the David Cross Band and Crimson (such as “Red”) they launched into Larks Tongue in Aspic, which was absolutely as stunning and hypnotic and bizarre as ever, even many years later. Seeing that full album live was a first for me, and it truly is a monumental piece of music. Cross and his band gave a top notch performance that was utterly mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic, and a perfect balance of the vibe of that album; the utter brilliance that is just inches away from veering off a cliff at any given time. Even more straightforward tracks like “Easy Money” were slightly unhinged and full of electricity and fire.

Where I think this group excelled is their stage presence. The source material can be a bit brooding and heady on its own but they injected so much personality into their performances. I loved how they would smile at each other after a blistering solo or how glowingly David spoke of each of the band members. Yes, there was a reverence for the brooding and at times apocalyptic source material, but there was also an injection of fun and anarchy that I didn’t experience to this degree when I saw Crimson a few years back. Their set closed with “Starless”, which was obviously incredibly well received.

Day 1 in Prog Paradise is over. On to Day 2!