Be Prog! My Friend - Special Issue by Revista Rock I+D

ROCK I+D MAGAZINE | SPECIAL ISSUE BE PROG! MY FRIEND

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Xisco García CONTENT EDITOR Fernando Acero CONTRIBUTORS Marina RF Montse Galeano COORDINATOR Andrea Muñoz (Madness Live!) COMMERCIAL María Far COVER & ART Smoke Signals Studio http://smokesignalsstudio.com/ DESIGN & LAYOUT David M. Mulero TRANSLATION Aïda Domínguez Puig Ainara Fernández

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Welcome once again to Be Prog! My Friend. This year we celebrate the year when Be Prog! has become the most important progressive music festival in our country; thanks to all of you for your support and your trust, and also thanks to the fantastic bands that will join us in this edition, the one that made possible we still can offer you the best festival of this genre. It has not been an easy way forward – in fact we still are not done yet. Madness Live! keeps growing as a company thanks to those who love the music and trust in our work. In this third edition, just like always, we try to mix the classical side of the progressive music – with the French band Magma – all together with the modern sound of Between The Buried And Me or Textures and consolidated artists and bands which, somehow, are considered the kings of prog: we are talking about Opeth and Steven Wilson, of course.

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And all of them playing in a venue that left amazed Devin Townsend himself: Poble Espanyol of Barcelona. It’s simply the perfect place to hold Be Prog! My Friend.

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We really hope that Be Prog! becomes a great party once again, where assistants not only enjoy the best music, but also the fellowship and celebration environment that has always reigned in our festival. See you the 1st and the 2nd of July!

opiniones de sus colaboradores y/o de sus lectores, así como del material escrito o fotográfico reproducido, y remitido a esta revista. Rock I+D. Todos los derechos reservados. Alguno de los contenidos publicados puede contener una licencia Creative Commons o similar, permitiendo su libre reproducción, difusión o derivación de acuerdo con la misma.

The team of Be Prog! My Friend… & Madness Live! Prods.

THE

NEVER ENDING

STORY OF

It is 2016 and we are still here, seeing how a genre that became a massive hit - over forty years ago - is still present in rock music. We can say without beating around the bush that progressive rock is part of us. A genre, a style or a point of view and a feeling that has remained in the memory of thousands of people over the years. It is worth to point out that “progressive rock”, those two words together, may not have much sense today, and even more if we associate it with bands such as

PROGRESSIVE

R O C K

Tool, Meshuggah, Muse and many others. It seems that things have changed or rather evolved. Since the late sixties, legendary bands of the likes of Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Genesis, to name some of the most prominent, marked the beginning of a genre called to reach the highest levels of popularity. Along the way, they gifted us with albums that are already part of the annals of music. “The Dark Side Of the Moon” or “In the Court of the

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Crimson King” are good examples of it. And that’s the way it was until the middle of the next decade, which not only by their own but also other people’s incidents and misfortunes, (and we are all aware of them) the progressive rock was replaced by a new music, more rudimentary but not less effective as it was punk and not much later, by the most refined post-punk. This did not mean, in no way, that progressive rock was lost among dusty boxes where old vinyl records were stacked, just as a reminder that transiently we would turn to by simple nostalgia, none of that; the genre continued its course in another direction, and Krautrock, the scene of Canterbury and the “neo progressive rock” took the stage. Away from the spotlight of the public, with the tools that new technologies offered to some eager and creative musicians, there appeared gemstones like Can, Caravan or Marillion. However, the progressive rock that slowly got away from the top now occupied not only by musicians with backcombed hair and androgynous image, but the new hard rockers - was slowly marketing. The greatest ones (Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, ELP, Yes, Queen) continued to be unbeaten, but due to significant absences (Peter Gabriel left Genesis) and new trends (new wave), they let themselves to be beguiled by the songs of the sirens of the mainstream and their

music was marketed. We will not assess here the pros and cons of what I have just said, but it is worth mentioning that during the eighties, after all is said and done, some themes have become classics, like Rush’s “Subdivisions”, Genesis’ “Home by The Sea (Parts I & II)” or Yes’ “Changes”. At the verge of the new millennium the “third generation of progressive rock” shows signs of rejuvenation, both compositionally and interpretively speaking. Tool, Porcupine Tree, Opeth or Dream Theater are the standard bearers of this new wave in which the progressive rock is diluted and intermixed with other genres in a way that had never occurred before, and sometimes it is shown as an essential influence on such diverse styles as the post-rock, power metal or death metal. We no longer speak of “progressive rock”, we rather say that the “progressive rock is present in all genres and music”. If we go back to the past, it is true that the progressive rock passed away. But if we cling to the present, we can proudly claim that progressive rock is more alive than ever. And Be Prog! My Friend is a good example of it...

Xisco García Director de Rock i+D

THE NEVERENDING STORY OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK | 5

MONSTERS OF PROG

OPETH

SATURDAY | July 2nd | 20:50 h.

If we had to mention any prog legend whose influence has been transcendental in the 21st century, one of them would be for sure Opeth. The Swedish band have represented for two decades one of the most elegant proposals of the genre, doing a mix between classical prog and extreme metal. Their controversial change in 2011 with “Heritage” represented an inflection point in the reception of their compositions, making them even more popular than they were before. Silence has surrounded them along the last year and we haven’t known anything about them since then. We contacted Fredrik Åkesson to clear the thick fog that wraps the band.

Your last release has been the remixed version of two of your classic albums: “Deliverance” and “Damnation”. Why these two albums and why now? “Well… Actually I didn’t participate in those albums. I have no power of decision about that material at all. I think Mikael [Åkerfeldt] wondered how they might sound with a less aggressive sound. But if I have to be honest, I still haven’t heard any of them, so I can’t tell which the difference is yet. [Laughs] I don’t have an opinion yet. But I will listen to it, I’m

really curious. However, I think one of the main reasons is the contractual thing with the seal.” Do you think you will do something similar in the future with some of the works you’ve been involved in, like “Watershed”? “Absolutely! That’s an option that is always there. I’ll talk about it with Mikael.” Talking about “Deliverance” and “Damnation”, will you play any song of these albums during your performances in 2016?

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“We always try to play different songs in our shows. Our general rule is to play at least one song of each album – and not much more, because our songs are really long. Of “Deliverance” we play the title track, which is our “Smoke On The Water”.” [Laughs] Anyways, I think there are lots of great songs we haven’t played in a while, so probably we will bring back some of them. If I’m not wrong, last time we came to Barcelona we played “Deliverance”, so we will play some different song this time. We still haven’t decided anything yet, but we’ll see.” You won’t play “Black Rose Immortal” every night, of course. “Of course. [Laughs] Although I bet we’ll have to do it someday, maybe for a special show. But as you say, to play a twenty minutes long song isn’t feasible.” “Of course. [Laughs] Although I bet we’ll have to do it someday, maybe for a special show. But as you say, to play a twenty minutes long song isn’t feasible.” “We want to do something really special, like we did in “Ghost Reveries” shows, but it all will happen once we release the new album, which is our main priority right now. So we’re not really sure at the moment, because we’re focused on the recordings we’ll do in May. We usually plan our shows a year in advance, but it’s hard for us to

think about it right now. We’ve got a lot of work before that.” What can we expect of this one? Will it follow the line of “Pale Communion”? “We want to make something different this time. It won’t be in any case like “Deliverance” or records like that, but personally I think it sounds really fresh. I’d say it’s a more energetic, heavier style. However, it still will sound like Opeth, even though we always try to break the limits of our own sound. Mikael is really keen on not repeating himself and searching new ways of innovating without losing our essence. It won’t leave anyone indifferent.” Maybe that’s a topical question, but will Steven Wilson work in this album as it had happened several times before? “He works really well and he’s brilliant in so many ways, you know, but I think it would be okay to try something different. Now we will record again in Rockfield Studios and we will work again with Tom [Dalgety] as a producer. He has worked with productions with a really British sound, like The Hives or Royal Blood, so I think he might do a good work with our mix.” Should we expect then Opeth sounding like an indie band? “I don’t think that will happen. [Laughs]” MONSTERS OF PROG | 7

As a guitar player you come from extreme music genres. Will we find in this new album any allusion to the days when you played death metal? “We’ll be focused on tricky riffs, but I don’t think we will come back to that. And I like it, but that’s not how the new Opeth will sound like. It will have more progressive elements than death metal; we’re now oriented to progressive heavy metal or hard rock, maybe with allusions to Black Sabbath’s music, but I don’t think it has anything to do with extreme metal. It’s more about bands like Meshuggah, but you know, most of those sound the same to me and we try to make something different. And of course we’re real metalheads, but we also like other stuff.” Nowadays there are lots of bands that are heavily inspired by early Opeth stuff. What’s your opinion about nowadays progressive metal? Would you like to highlight any particular band? “I normally listen to classic bands like Accept, Iron Maiden, Yngwie Malmsteen or Judas Priest. But if I had to recommend any band it would be Mastodon. I think they have really interesting material with a strong personality. And also Gojira. But the most shocking album I heard recently is the last Megadeth record. His new guitarist has done an amazing job. I’ve also been listening to Jethro Tull music,

“Stormwatch”. Mikael introduced me to their albums and I realized about its influence on Opeth’s music.” You were the headliners of the festival Be Prog! My Friend two years ago in its first edition, and this time you’ll repeat as headliners. What does this festival represent for you? “I think it’s really beautiful, I love that venue, the old town at the top of the mount. How do you call it? “The ancient town”?” Yes, kind of. In Spanish it would be something like the “Spanish Town”. Poble Espanyol. “Yes, that’s it. I love the ambience, you don’t have the chance to play in places like this every day. It’s wonderful to be back in Barcelona. In some way we have a strong connection with Spain, so I hope we can spend some time there doing a bit of tourism. And well, it will be a pleasure to see bands like Magma. We already shared a tour with Textures and Between The Buried And Me in the United States, so it will be nice to meet again.”

Opeth | Pale Communion 8 | ROCK I+D MAGAZINE | BE PROG! MY FRIEND

STEVEN WILSON

SATURDAY | July 2nd | 23:20 h.

We have no doubt that, looking the history with some perspective, Steven Wilson is one of the most influential characters in progressive music. And that’s not because he’s one of those who rely on showy effects or empty shredding; none of that. The reason of his prestige has to do with his incredible capacity to overhaul the patterns of the genre in his brilliant productions, and also for following one and only rule in his life: to be a selfish artist, someone who just follows the lead of his extremely delicate feelings. Maybe selfishness is a word that sounds bitterly authoritarian, but the truth is his antecedents – and their success – talk by themselves. Since he started

his professional career with Porcupine Tree in the late eighties, his musical evolution has gone from the most strident psychedelic rock to the heaviest progressive metal, going through the density of his electronic project, Bass Communion, the hurtful melancholy of the first Blackfield albums, the abstraction of Incredible Expanding Mindfuck or his gloomy incursion towards the darkness of Storm Corrosion along with Mikael Åkerfeldt. If that was not enough, his task goes beyond his own compositions: the tireless British genius has been the producer of bands like Opeth, Marillion, Anathema, Orphaned Land or Paatos in several occasions – not to mention MONSTRUOS DEL PROG | 9

his work remixing classic progressive rock albums such as “Close To The Edge” by Yes, “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull or the debut album of King Crimson “In The Court Of The Crimson King”.

from The Aristocrats, Guthrie Govan and Marco Minnemann, who previously were part of his band. We’re simply in front of an unique human in the whole history of the genre.

His long path has culminated with his solo project, where the eclecticism of his songs flees of any tag. His most successful works so far, “The Raven That Refused To Sing” and the overwhelming conceptual journey “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” are a good representation of a music that is twenty steps further than any other mortal man – even though a part of this success hinges on musicians like Dave Kilminster, Nick Beggs, Adam Holzman or the flamboyant musicians

Steven Wilson | 4 1/2

MAGMA

SATURDAY | July 2nd | 19:20 h.

Recommended by Steven Wilson himself, and knowing that Mikael Åkerfeldt is equally excited about sharing the bill with them, French band Magma, one of the founders of the progressi-

ve genre, will be one of the main acts in this new Be Prog! My Friend edition. All of you who haven’t been seduced yet by Magma’s mad-

ness and its particular universe should start the beginning: 1970’s Kobaïa – originally released as Magma. Magma’s catalog is extensive, but here you’ll find the genesis, a double album that goes in depth into the kobaïan universe, a planet (with its own language) created by Christian Vander - drummer, leader and main songwriter - to which planet Earth’s population runs away after witnessing the destruction of its original environment. Magma is born in France in the late sixties as the bizarre idea of a group of musicians – musicians that existed in a scene removed from the mainstream of the time and led by Christian Vander. They decided to gather together to create something different from their usual style – pop and rock music. Since Vander’s and his musician’s main influence was free jazz, Magma started taking many musical liberties. The instruments they played, their long instrumental passages and their sci-fi landscapes and themes were the elements that eventually linked them to progressive rock – despite Vander’s rejection of this label. Their presence in this scene inspires the birth and development of other musical subtypes, such as Rock In Opposition. With the years, pop and traditional rock’s influence filtered into their music. Vander,

being the only unceasing member in the line-up, was the one that opened the kobaïan cycle and then finished it in the mid eighties, changing their language back to English –though he went back to it later on- and putting an end to this interstellar tale. However, he never stopped the band’s activity releasing new albums regularly not far away from the original path. Today, Magma is an institution and its engines are still going full force with an apparently restless Vander that – without compromising his ideas- has been taking this now 8 piece line-up on a worldwide journey. Next July, this huge spaceship will be landing in Poble Espanyol.

Magma | Rïah Sahïltaahk MONSTERS OF PROG | 11

THE NEW PROG

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

SATURDAY | July 2nd | 17:50 h.

Wild, eclectic and radical; beyond any creative boundary. Those words might be in most of the heads of Between The Buried And Me fans, one of the most groundbreaking progressive metal ensembles on the last decade. After the brutality of their albums like “Alaska” or “Colors”, the band took an unexpected turn on their style in 2015 with their opera rock album “Coma Ecliptic”. We talked about this with Dan Briggs, the bassist of this promising group.

How’s the tour going? “Pretty well, it’s being a long tour. We started in mid-February in Japan, then we went to Australia and now we’ve toured around America over the last six or seven weeks. We’ve got two weeks left and we’ll have two months off; we’ll have our energies charged then for sure.” Let’s talk about “Coma Ecliptic”. The lyrics seem to be inspired by Ayreon’s “The Human Equation”. Does Arjen Lucassen represent an influence for you? “No. I’ve never heard it. This album has been inspired by works

like “Operation: Mindcrime”, “The Wall” or “Quadrophenia”. That was the next step of the band, we wanted something more theatrical, something a bit more dynamic, and we wanted to make the music more dramatic through the story.” You’re talking about bands such as The Who or Queensrÿche. Have you ever thought about recording a second part of your cover album “The Anatomy Of”? “No. It was kind of fun when we did it ten years ago, but you know, cover songs must be something special enough to be done. Now we’ve done some

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arrangements of “Bohemian Rhapsody” for this tour, which I really dig and enjoy playing. It’s a genius song.”

Your compositions are becoming more solid and less chaotic. Which will be your next step?

Let’s go back to “Coma Ecliptic”. Which was the role of Tommy [Giles Rogers] in this album? Is he the main responsible of the concepts or do the rest of you help with this process?

“I don’t know. I don’t usually feel ready for the next step until I’m not tired of what we’re doing in that moment – and I’m not even remotely tired of these songs. In any case, it’s exciting to think about where we can be in a decade. We’ll do whatever we feel more natural. We’ll see.”

“No, it’s totally his idea. He came to us with that when we had a few songs written and we thought it was a good idea, to explore different characters through his vocal range.” Many of you are implied in much different kind of side projects: electronic music, deathcore, jazz fusion... Do your points of view clash when you have to work in new songs? “Not really. We work as a whole, we all advance in the same direction and we go on together.” Between The Buried And Me seems a band focused on creating intense concept albums. Have you ever thought about taking those concepts and turning them into a live show? “We have already tried it in our shows in America, though it would be expensive for us if we had to do it beyond the ocean. It’s funny to see how the images and the story fuse with the music.”

How’s been the reception of “Coma Eclipitc”? Do you ever worry about being considered “less authentic” for this kind of music conceptions? “I don’t know, I think it’s boring to do the same things over and over again. If someone likes an album that was released ten years ago and nothing else, well, at least they have that album. We always try to evolve being true to ourselves. That’s what we’ve done all along our career.” Classic prog fans usually find it hard to get in music like yours. What would you say to encourage them to listen to your music? “We, ourselves, have got the influence of that material, some of which is more than forty years old, and the idea of the genre is to evolve. I think that’s what I would tell them. If they don’t like the aggressive sound, well, then THE NEW PROG | 13

I don’t know what I’d say. I think there are lots of musicians doing really interesting things mixing classic and modern sound.” You’ve been through many really long tours around the world, as you said previously. How do you manage to stand so much time on the road? “Well, I guess you just do it, it’s something normal in our lives. I joined the band when I was twenty and now I am thirty-one, and that’s the only thing I know. Fortunately now we have the chance to tour a little bit less. Ten years ago we used to spend eight months on the road and now it’s only four or five and I think that’s great. Many of us have a family and are married, so I like to be home and also to have the chance to create things.” Talking about tours, you’ve been out there with bands like Dream Theater, Enslaved, Haken or Animals As Leaders. Which is the one that made you enjoy the most?

You’ll be playing in Be Prog! My Friend after the spring. What’s your opinion about it? “We’re really excited. Personally I really want to see Magma, I’ve always wanted to share the stage with them. They blow my mind. I hope we have time to see them playing.” You are a flagship of the prog genre nowadays; what’s your opinion about the evolution of it? “There are bands that are doing really interesting things, like for example Enslaved. Black metal mixed with Pink Floyd, what the hell? It’s great, it sounds really good. I like to see bands inspired by so many different things. Progressive music is about that energy. It has nothing to do with the sound; it’s about the wish of being constantly evolving.”

“It’s curious because many of them are your greatest fans, and it is more than seeing your favorite bands playing every night. We toured with Opeth and Dream Theater, which is great, we’re really lucky. In general all the bands we tour with are full of good people. When you spend so much time on the road with the same people they become your family.” 14 | ROCK I+D MAGAZINE | BE PROG! MY FRIEND

BTBAM | Coma Ecliptic

TEXTURES

SATURDAY | July 2nd | 1:50 h.

It was the year 2001 and the influence of Meshuggah was undeniable. About to publish one of their best albums, “Nothing”, the djent genre started to pop up, thanks to a handful of bands who took over a different style of interpreting progressive metal. Alongside Sikth and Mnemic, Textures consolidated at the cutting edge of progressive metal in the early twenty-first century, with a debut album “Polars” (2001, Listanable Records) which would break the mould. Groove metal with similarities to metal developed during the nineties, but with a melodic and progressive sensibility that would create school for gifted students such as TesseracT or Periphery. Since then, the race of the Danish began to gain momentum, being recognized as one of the leading bands of the genre.

essence. The addition of Daniel de Jongh and Uri Dijk, raises the compositional complexity of songs that expand into uncharted territories. The brutality of “Polars” is still valid, but now has to get along with melodic passages of a stunning expressive force thanks to the contributions of their brand new additions and the undoubted work of Stef Broks with the drumsticks in one of his best works so far. However, it will be with their previous work “Silhouettes” (2008, Listenable Records) with which they will reach the highest levels of popularity. Not only general media and specialized ones, but also the metal community itself, welcomed this album with open arms, allowing them to leave the Netherlands and perform a world tour that would take them to India to perform in front of 5,000 fans. Today they are presenting their recent work “Phenotype” (Nuclear Blast), which will be completed in 2017 with “Genotype”, both produced by their former guitarist Jochem Jacobs.

In 2011, they published “Dualism” (Nuclear Blast) - in its new home, Nuclear Blast - and their proposal changed without losing their Textures | Phenotype 16 | ROCK I+D MAGAZINE | BE PROG! MY FRIEND

BREAKING STEREOTYPES

IAMTHEMORNING FRIDAY | July 1st | 20:00 h.

Russian neoclassicism. If these two words remind you Igor Stravinsky, probably this is not the right magazine for you; we’re talking about Marjana Semkina and Gleb Kolyadin, the magical duo from St. Petersburg named Iamthemorning. Their melancholic music – a mixture between chamber music and defeatist progressive rock – conquered the hearts of half of the European continent through their relentless sweetness – and Gavin Harrison, Colin Edwin and Mariusz Duda can easily tell about that charm as they’re part of the spectacular symphonic new album, “Lighthouse”. Her charismatic frontwoman tells us the sad story behind this.

Marjana Semkina – or as Prog Magazine says, one of the best female vocalists on nowadays prog rock. How do you feel about it “I don’t know! [Laughs] This is something really satisfying and flattering. It makes me feel really good to know that people think that about me – although I don’t agree with them. In fact it’s okay to get titles like “the second best female vocalist” or whatever, and at the same time I think it’s a great responsibility. Being surrounded by some of my idols like Anneke [Van Giersbergen], Kate Bush or Lee

[Douglas] of Anathema provoke me strange and contradictory feelings. It’s like “oh, yeah, I’ve done something good with my life!”. But it’s not something that came out of nowhere. We’ve been working many years really hard and it’s not like if no one knew us and then I’m the second best vocalist of prog. When you live surrounded by this, everything’s much more natural than it seems from the outside.” And talking about working hard, you only have to take a look to your own discography: “Lighthouse” is your third album in only four years.

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How do you manage to get all these good results in so little time? “The answer is “deadlines”. When you work with deadlines you have good motivations. In fact, we didn’t plan to work in “Lighthouse” until Kscope told us to do it in half a year – and it was like “okay, why not?”. When you have so little time all your processes become more practical: you don’t waste time whining about the time you don’t have. You just do it. With “Lighthouse” was different than with the rest of the albums. We were really inspired and focused in the final result. We had a demo since the very first moment, so every little detail in the arrangement, every instrument, was measured. It was easier than when we wrote “Belighted”, because it was like a jigsaw, we worked with really tiny fragments and we didn’t have any idea of which would be the next one. So I’m really happy about the result of “Lighthouse”. Gleb and you are the only Iamthemorning members. How do you usually work on the songs? “The decisive factor is if we’re on the same country or not. This time I’ve been traveling a lot, so we’ve worked on the distance. Gleb is a really self-sufficient musician, so he had some drafts with the main contents of the songs, mainly taken from his improvisations. He sent me all those little piano pieces and then I chose the most righteous ones and I composed the vocal li-

nes. Finally we met in person, we tried it and we decided the structure of the songs. It’s not always been like this. In the previous records, Gleb sat on the piano and I started improvising until at a certain point I saw something and I said “we can make a song of this”. That’s how we wrote “Chalk And Coal”. It was done in half an hour.” It’s a curious way of working if we have a look to the final results of this. “I think nowadays internet allows you to be in contact with the rest of the world and work easily even if you’re far away. I think this will be the future of music – especially when it’s so hard to find musicians in St. Petersburg.” Gavin Harrison has worked in two of your albums, “Belighted” and “Lighthouse”. As he’s one of the best drummers in the world, do you think you will easily find someone who’s able to play your songs? Have you ever thought about an actual rock band format? “Honestly I don’t think we’re interested in that. Our chamber format is what our music asks for, that’s what makes us special. I don’t think there’s any other band that plays in the same delicate way we do. And I think that’s exactly the point. I think we manage to get the attention of the crowd and we invite them to listen to us. So answering to your question, it’s not in our plans. But our plans keep changing constantBREAKING STEREOYPES | 19

ly, so you can never tell. Maybe we could add some wind instruments or a choir, because playing live an album like “Lighthouse” is not easy.” This is the first time you work in a concept album. Tell us about the story behind “Lighthouse” “It’s about the progression of a mental illness. There’s a protagonist, a heroine, who tells in first person the different stages of her illness. She tries to find her place on the world, she tries to cure her insomnia, she tries to drown herself in the ocean, until she fails having a rehab in “Chalk And Coal”. Inspiration came from some of the books I read lately, like the ones of Virginia Woolf or Sylvia Plath.” Something interesting about this album is the amount of celebrities it relies on: Gavin Harrison as I said, Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree as a bassist and Mariusz Duda is featuring the title track as a vocalist. How did you come up with such an ambitious idea?

So I couldn’t think in anyone else. He was pleased to help us.” You don’t usually hide yourself as a groupie when it’s about some prog bands. What does it represent for you to play in the same stage where Opeth and Steven Wilson will? “It’s very exciting. Actually I was planning to come anyway as a fan until the organizers invited us. I’m really nervous because we will play just before Agent Fresco and it will be a radical contrast. It will be a really valuable experience.” Will there be any special surprise in your show? “A British percussionist who was part of the musicians of “Lighthouse” will join us in this performance. It will be something really different to what we’ve done before, with a more “ethnic” approach. We’re so eager to do it. Oh, by the way! We will be in the signing session of the festival. Come and say hi, we’re really friendly and we’ll have hugs for you all.”

“It was really natural. Gavin was the most obvious choice, and Colin came with him as we needed someone who played the bass. And actually Mariusz was an obvious choice too – I know I’m boring –, but we’ve been friends for some time and I love his voice. Since we started composing the title track we had the idea of inviting a male vocalist. I sing really high and we needed a stronger range. 20 | ROCK I+D MAGAZINE | BE PROG! MY FRIEND

Iamthemorning | Lighthouse

Between 1995 and 2007, Anneke made a name for herself within the prog scene as The Gathering’s singer and main songwriter, besides also joining actively many other projects and collaborations –one of the most notable ones being with guitar player Devin Townsend. That’s how she first collaborated with Arjen Anthony Lucassen, by being the

ANNEKE

VAN GIERSBERGEN FRIDAY | July 1st | 16:30 h. voice of one of his characters in conceptual album “Into The Electric Castle” (1998), the first chapter of a musical union that has been alive until today and has evolved until it created something completely new. Since her departure from The Gathering, Anneke has developed her solo career diving into alternative rock and acoustic music, so The Gentle Storm means also her partial return to metal. “The Diary” includes the same songs twice, an acoustic version and an orchestrated one with Lucassen’s metal blueprint through and through that will surely take over her next July’s setlist. According to some recent interviews, she will probably play some Gathering songs, Ayreon’s and even Devin Townsend’s.

The Gentle Storm | The Diary BREAKING STEREOTYPES | 21

FOTO: TIM TRONCKOE

One of the few female names in today’s prog scene – although we could extent that to the whole history of this genre that is, such as many in rock, predominantly male- is Dutch’s Anneke Van Giersbergen, one of the few vocalists being so treasured by prog rock’s fans that has cultivated such a solid, coherent and bold career with successful incursions in many other genres. Her latest adventure is called The Gentle Storm and it has been a shared project with her fellow multi-instrumentalist compatriot Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon) since 2014. The agreement between them states that he will stick to the studio – he did play live exceptionally for the debut’s presentation- while she’ll be the one taking this music to the stage. This is what will be the opening for Be Prog! My Friend’s second day, Anneke will go back to 17th century Holland using folk, rock, metal and many classical influences from the album “The Diary” (2015) as the main bulk of her show.

FOTO: ROB MONK

ON THE MARGINS

THE PINEAPPLE THIEF FRIDAY | July 1st | 22:50 h.

Bruce Soord would have never imagined in 1999 that a movie quote would define his life. Soord was in his twenties and was about to launch his musical project until the pineapple thief from the independent film “Eve’s Bayou” gave him the inspiration he needed. What Soord thought it would be a temporary musical adventure became The Pineapple Thief, a hybrid band between progressive rock and indie rock. Their sound came directly from the prog rock old school, from those bands that defined the seventies music history as Pink Floyd and Supertramp. Moreover they are no strangers to the music that has seen them grow as musicians; as Beck they drain their songs in all those indie rock sounds of the late nineties.

attention and gave the band the impact they deserve is “Someone Here is Missing” in 2010. Their love to bands like Radiohead and Porcupine Tree is palpable in album full of instrumental layers, as songs come from the darkest places to transcend into vibrant and energetic melodies. Since then they didn’t stop: from more ambitious string parts and electronic vibes of his “All The Wars” in 2012 until the approach to alternative rock in 2014 with their latest “Magnolia”. Following the pattern of putting out an album every two years, the band is ready to release his new album this summer. “Your Wilderness” promises to be a record that reconnect with their classical roots with collaborators including John Helliwell of Supertramp, the actual former drummer of King Crimson and ex Porcupine Tree Gavin Harrison and also Geoffrey Richardson of Caravan. Until August the 12 we won’t be able to see which will be future direction of the band from now, but their performance on Be Prog! My Friend first day could anticipate.

Since their first album was released in 1999, his best bet has been those soulful melodies, imaginative and colorful born from introspection. Pure heart and soul that comes from Soord’s own experiences. The Pineapple Thief career is long, but if there is an album that finally managed to capture international 22 | ROCK I+D MAGAZINE | BE PROG! MY FRIEND

The Pineapple Thief | Magnolia

Agent Fresco might be one of the big names to discover in this year’s edition of the festival, although in their native Iceland are one of their greatest references. Their mix of prog, art, pop, math and rock alternative makes them one of the most eclectic names of this year, a number of influences that go beyond the new djent trends. Their songs are a constant game of light and shadows, where fear and anxiety are the first steps to create absolutely brilliant melodies: rising from the ashes. In 2010 these contrasts became their first LP “A Long Time Listening”, an experimental album in which melancholy is their trademark work. It took 5 years before seeing a new LP from the Icelanders with “Destrier”, this time with a much more mature sound but without losing their stylistic diversity. According to Arnór Dan, lead singer of Agent Fresco, their goal is always to create something beautiful from the darkest places. From mourning the death of his father he made up the lyrics of “A Long Time Listening” and the anger and anxiety result from the assault he suffered in his own city (Reykjavik) greatly inspired the lyrics of “Destrier”. Demolishing and yet full of hope, endless melodies and mixed

AGENT FRESCO

FRIDAY | July 1st | 21:25 h.

raw emotions. One can’t avoid thinking about Radiohead while listening the falsetto of Arnór Dan, as well as is impossible to forget bands like TesseracT when their riffs start invading the audience’s ears. Their technical ability and versatility are the two main reasons why everyone is pointing Agent Fresco as one of the greatest promises of the genre in Europe. But the story of Agent Fresco is yet to be written: after giving their first concerts in the United Kingdom last year they first arrive to Spain. If you have not heard them, leave the clichés gender aside because Agent Fresco may be quite difficult to label.

Agent Fresco | Destrier ON THE MARGINS | 23

SOUNDS FROM SPAIN

EXXASENS FRIDAY | July 1st | 17:30 h.

Exxasens is the revelation group of Be Prog! My Friend. Its proposal has gone beyond the boundaries of the genre, being considered as one of the most relevant international bands in their own style in the last three years. Acclaimed by the media and their audience, their space post-rock will flood Poble Espanyol and it will transport us beyond the imagination. Let’s take off.

What does being part of a festival like Be Prog! My Friend means? “It means a very important step forward for the group, on the one hand, due to the quality of the artists involved; for instance we are very fans of Steven Wilson, Textures or The Pineapple Thief. On the other hand by the fact of keeping on in terms of confirmations of festivals; it was first Dunk Festival! Which is a festival specialised in instrumental music. After that it came the Prog Power, specialised in progressive music and now Be Prog! My Friend, that would be the culmination in terms of progressive

music festivals. Finally in August we are going to the British Arctangent, which is the most important festival in instrumental music.” “Back to Earth” is your last album. How is it working live? “Great, this album is fully played live and we believe it is the one that sounds best. We started to play the songs long before the disc was launched and it is now working all the better. The live output is getting better and better, partly thanks to our sound technician and producer Sergio Picón. In almost every concert, we have been con-

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gratulated for the performance, the dedication and the spectacularity in terms of image and sound.” What would you highlight from this piece of work regarding the previous ones? “It is an earthlier album, partly because all the components have participated in the recording and three themes have been composed by the whole group. The production carried out by Daniel Gil (7Barbas Estudio) is to be highlighted, he is an incredible professional who has managed to get the essence of Exxasens sound.” You’re in the post-rock genre. Can instrumental rock fans be attracted by progressive rock? “Indeed, but adding some nuances is a must. In our case, the progression of the themes does not follow the classic post-rock type, where generally the dynamics of the songs are very linear in structure and progressive in intensity. In the case of Exxasens, the songs bring up the structure from a more dynamic point of view, perhaps not as rich from the technical point of view, but if we try to get to the point and leave the listener in suspense trying to make them get a story in every song relying if necessary on images.” Apart from music, are you going to use audiovisual help,

lights or something of the like at your show? “As far as possible and whenever the organization and the logistic allow us to do so, the visuals accompanying each of our themes will be shown.” Do you want to transmit something to the public of Be Prog! My Friend? “We want to show our heartfelt appreciation to the festival organizers for trusting in our proposal that, although not sounding like a pure progressive band, we may bring something different to one of the most important festivals of the genre. On the other hand, we want to encourage people who may not be very keen on the instrumental genre, to give us a chance by trying to enjoy the proposal leaving tags aside and giving preference to the music.”

Exxasens | Back To Earth SOUNDS FROM SPAIN | 25

FOTO: SERGIO ALBERT

OBSIDIAN KINGDOM FRIDAY | July 1st | 18:40 h.

It’s pretty common to hear that in the music business no man is a prophet in his own land, especially in those cases when we realize what we have at home because of someone from the outside pointing it out. This could be Obsidian Kingdom’s case, but luckily Be Prog!’s organization hasn’t missed the chance of having this Catalan quintet in this third edition of the festival. No wonder, since this year will be definitely affected by the absence of summer that we will suffer thanks to the quintet’s new album. They are definitely in a crucial moment of their career. Obsidian Kingdom will play on the first day, at Poble Espanyol at last. The Obsidian Kingdom experience goes beyond the music, and you’ll need the appropriate place so the band can display all their weapons – not only sound-wise but also visuals. That is to say, a combination of elements given not only by the musicians abilities and emotion, but the dedication and trust in a catalog that comes to life when played live and explodes like a supernova. The band themselves

have worked in the visuals that will go with their show linking them to “A Year With No Summer” songs, design and conceptual aspects. “Mantiis” (2012) - the act’s first LP - had already sketched some aspects of the Obsidian Kingdom we know nowadays, but that wasn’t more than a first incarnation of an entity that has evolved again from that modern and experimental black metal foundation. It was certainly a magnet for all the post-labels, that adds elements from different styles such as extreme metal and electronic, creating sounds which are perfectly connected as a whole. If the band still needed to go a step further to reach the vigorous state in which they are right now, their time has come. And although many would be perfectly okey with that first entity, I’m sure they still have a long road ahead from them to explore. Obsidian Kingdom might be at the bottom of this year’s bill, but they’re definitely going to be one of the shows you can’t miss during this new Be Prog! My Friend edition.

Obsidian Kingdom | A Year With No Summer

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+ INFO

WHERE

DISABLED There will be a zone enabled. To access it will have to present the card. The festival security staff will help you.

POBLE ESPANYOL Avda. Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 13 08038 BCN

UNDER 16 YEARS All children under 16 must be accompained by parent or legal guardian and complet document to be presented at the box office. DISCOUNT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 13 YEARS May only buy tickets at box office (enough quota allocated to this task is saved) with a 50% discount. ID will have to be shown at the box office both at the purchase and at the access lane for minors. UNDER 5 YEARS, FREE ENTRANCE Kids under 5 years don’t have to pay any ticket. AMENITIES AT THE FESTIVAL Restaurants (various types, vegetarian options). Drink Festival Bars (recommended consuming therein). Prohibited the sale of alcohol to under 18. ACCESS POLICY Once you have accessed the festival will not be allowed to leave.

Enter with drinks is forbidden except water (without stopper).

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Be Prog! My Friend takes place in the heart of Barcelona and with an airport only 12 km away, regular, cheap flights make it an easy festival to get and from the UK. Bands will start playing from mid/late afternoon each day which will also mean visitors have plenty of time to explore the stunning city of Barcelona while they are there www.barcelonaturisme.com

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