The Steve Bonino Project "Stargazer 2"

Springtime greetings fellow progheads!  Hard to believe the search for all things prog has crossed over the threshold into the spring equinox--2019 continues to sail on!  Now that the tundra is not quite so frozen I am finding a lot of great new growth in the prog garden.  This week's journey led me to a musician who has connections with many other members of the prog world--but in and of itself that is not so unusual.  The prog umbrella has expanded over the years while the prog community remains a tight knit one...

Steve Bonino is a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist who released his latest album, "Stargazer 2"  under the guise of The Steve Bonino Project.  A concept album dealing with a dystopian future where man has failed to care for the planet to the point Earth is no longer inhabitable, "Stargazer 2"  is a bit dark perhaps, but when the curtain is pulled back one never knows what lies on the far side, so hand me that rope, would you?

The album opens appropriately enough with "The Grand Finale."  Beautiful piano interlude leads you down an alley of uncertainty; the tempo is akin to running in the dark as you dart under spotlights  catching you stop-motion like.  The song moves quickly and despite opening on the gloomy side of town it manages to cross over to a brightly lit boulevard, careening through a world of mayhem...or is it just a dream?

The next song to pour through the headphones is "City Out Of Time."  We begin to look into the eyes of despair with this cut as clouds continue to roll in blocking out the light.  You feel a sense of relief as guitars begin to penetrate the haze and drums resonate around the room, but then the darkness begins to swallow you again...

Liner Notes...a native New Yorker currently based in sunny California,  Steve Bonino is the driving force behind The Steve Bonino Project, although the album was produced with some very accomplished, well known musicians joining in to add their talents to specific cuts.  The who's who runs deep; Peter Matuchniak  and Erik Johnson on guitars, Seth Lewis on backing vocals, and a drum corps that includes Mike Lewis, Jimmy Keegan, and Marco Minnemann.  I would say a few valedictorians in that class.  Heading out on the road Steve is keeping Peter and Jimmy on the team while adding Jonathan Sindelman, Mike Keneally, and Seth Romano.  Another stellar group with lots of A-List experience; this tour should be on your summer "must-see" list.

Another choice morsel spinning around the turntable is a song called "Broken Record" with a  melancholy opening that flirts with your moral compass.  Top notes of a 10cc/Gentle Giant  melange, the tune emits shards of light--hope--on the dystopian world we turned Mother Earth into while at the same time lamenting the continued shortcomings of even the best intentions; life is a broken record indeed...

Steve has been around the prog garden a few times.  Fans will remember he was part of the 2018 breakout band Bomber Goggles and their debut release, "Gyreland."  Steve has done extensive solo work, performed with many artists, and was involved with several groups having roots that run deep through the prog garden.  You can learn more about Steve and his pedigree at Steve Bonino.  There you will find links to this album and all of his music.  You will also find Steve on Facebook and Twitter @trippyone.

The listening portion of the blog this week is the final cut, "Fear."  Just as everything seems to be fading from sight this tune opens at high anxiety level; you're being trailed by an unknown evil you know is there but can't see.  The strings start to pull at your nerves while they seep into your consciousness..and the tension builds steadily.  The Steve Bonino Project comes full circle on the concept with this cut; the idea that man as a species mucks up everything he touches only to attempt half-hearted justification for all the wrongdoing.  The question of what to do next is always open-ended and while the song breaks through the veil in your mind separating logic from emotion, it leaves you with a sense of uncertainty--and isn't that the point?

                      

I enjoyed this album as much for the music as I did for the introspective lens it offers the listener to view it through.  Entertainment is the main goal of listening to music, but the beauty of prog is that it goes a step (or two) further.  Many of the standard bearers--and up and comers of today--make you think.  This album does both, entertaining you while urging you to use your cranium.  I put The Steve Bonino Project on a par with Seconds Before Landing, Scarlet INside, and Servants of Science for their ability to tap into the listener's cerebrum...

I hope this week's stroll through the prog garden did as much to relax and entertain you as it did to enlighten and excite you.  The Steve Bonino Project for me is a prog band that takes you on a journey and explains the sights along the way.  Speaking of which, the search for all things prog makes another stop on the journey soon...until next time...