Ascending Dawn

Once again I feel I must thank you the proghead faithful for coming back to the Concert Closet week after week.  Although without you I would probably still write this blog, it would not be nearly as much fun or meaningful.  And with that hanging in the air, I am off across the pond yet again for a visit to my second favorite "prog country," Great Britain.

Having spent the past few weeks meandering through the cerebral/instrumental/post-rock/ambient sections of the prog garden, I am feeling like I need to break out and blow an amp.  The urge to scratch that itch landed me in the afore mentioned London area where I have been bathing my ears in the prog metal sounds of Ascending Dawn.

Ascending Dawn refers to themselves as "...progressive/melodic/ambient/metal..."  Someone is obviously stalking me and inserting adjectives in conspicuous places, 'cuz I gotta check out just exactly what melodic ambient metal is! So let us make our way to the progressive buffet for serving number one...a song called "All In Now."  A quick adjustment of the headphones as I hit play and suddenly it is "thrusters on."  The guitars leap at you full force and the drums wrap around the entire song like a force field.  The vocals manage to rise above the chaos to complete the ensemble. Ascending Dawn has set the tone for a strong week; let us now keep that momentum going...

Serving number two is a tune called "Cannonball."  The song comes right at you from the start as it grabs hold of your head like a thick sable hat.  The synchronicity is very good; everyone is playing at the top of their game.  Ascending Dawn hits hard but luckily the blows are non-fatal...they simply careen around inside your skull.  The vocals rise from the center of it all...gently at first as a false sense of serenity forms around a base of solid drum work, lifting guitars up and over the top. Another solid melodic/ambient smack down for those of you at home keeping score.

Liner Notes...Ascending Dawn is Marlain Angelides on vocals, Owen Rees on guitar, Constanze Hart on bass, and Mark Weatherley on drums.  Coming together in 2013 with members from three corners of the planet, Ascending Dawn now calls London home.  A pleasant surprise to find a prog band with two female members--Marlain is the one with the heavy hitting vocals while Constanze reminds me of an angst-filled Tina Weymouth on bass.

Serving number three is a song called "Inside The Silence."  As seems to be their trademark, Ascending Dawn smacks you with a hard-hitting drum riff at the drop of the stylus...and the guitars jump right in as Marlain fills the rest of your ear canal with her trademark vocals.  Ascending Dawn knows who they are and what they want to accomplish; more bands should be so confident.

The clip below is the earlier reviewed "Cannonball."  I thought a taste of a relative new comer to the prog scene would whet the appetite just enough...draw the listener in with a firm grip on the listening center of the brain.  Ascending Dawn has broken ground in the metal section of the prog garden and planted some strong seedlings.  Only time will tell if they take root and mature into healthy growth...but so far the signs are good.  Learn more about Ascending Dawn at http://ascendingdawnband.wordpress.com/.  You can also check out their FaceBook  page  at https://www.facebook.com/ascendingdawnband

OK fellow progheads, I think a hit of metal to the upper cranium was just what the doctor ordered this week.  The world of progressive music continues to expand and the garden is producing a healthy crop of new bands, while the standard bearers continue to raise the bar.  The soil is rich and the bounty plentiful; my search for all things prog continues to lead me all over the world--and it is always harvest season somewhere.  Now seems like a good time to change up the US/UK cycle...until next week...

An Interview with Aaron Clift

Welcome back once again fellow progheads!  You are probably checking your calendars, thinking it can't possibly be Tuesday already...and you would be right.  Two firsts tonight in the Concert Closet; a blog post on a Monday and  an interview with Aaron Clift.  Aaron is the founding member, lead song writer, vocalist, as well as the keyboard player for The Aaron Clift Experiment.

Tonight the Concert Closet makes a return trip to Austin TX to dig a little deeper into the mind of Aaron Clift and learn about the making of the band's second album due for release in 2015.  It is comforting to know that progressive music continues to attract new innovative musicians and song writers.  The Aaron Clift Experiment's debut release, "Lonely Hills"  is an excellent work and well worth the price of a download.  I am extremely energized to get my ears on their second album due next year...please to enjoy...

Closet Concert Arena: What influenced your decision to become a musician, and why did you choose symphonic progressive rock as the musical style for your band?

Aaron Clift: I was exposed heavily to music at an early age; my dad’s side of the family is full of classical musicians, and both my parents used to play lots of records for me when I was very little.  My mom says that I tried to sing along to music she was playing in the car even before I was old enough to speak!  During my younger years, I was heavily involved in classical music.  Viola was my first instrument; I sang for years in different choirs, and I studied performance and composition at Tufts University.  Rock music was also a big part of my life growing up.  I used to listen a lot to my parents’ record collection (my first recollections of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Jethro Tull), and I used to hang out with my friends at summer camps and have music listening parties.

When I was a teenager and first starting listening heavily to rock, I always wondered if there were any bands that mixed rock and classical music because I loved both forms of music equally.  Around that time, one of my friends gave me a copy of “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd and I was immediately captivated by the album’s sound and structure.  After listening to DSOTM, I went online to All Music Guide (in those days a relatively new web site) and did some research on Pink Floyd to find out if there were other bands that played this style of music.  That was when I learned about progressive rock.  At last I had found a style of music that mixed up classical and rock!  Pretty soon, I was making my first purchases of bands like Genesis, Dream Theater, and The Moody Blues.  After hearing “Selling England by the Pound” for the first time, I knew immediately that I wanted to be in a rock band someday that would play this kind of music.  As fate would have it, all of us in The Aaron Clift Experiment come from classical music backgrounds, and we each like to bring that style into our songs.

CCA: Who are the bands/artists that have had a hand in steering your writing ways?

AC: I have so many musical influences that it’s hard to narrow them down, but I’d say my favorite artists are those who have had a combination of outstanding songwriting, musicianship, lyrics, and emotional impact on me.  Those artists include: Genesis, Rush, Kate Bush, Marillion, Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains.  In classical and jazz music, I’m influenced a lot by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, Debussy, Bartok, Shostakovich, and Reich.

CCA: Which musician(s) would you most like to cut an album with?

AC: I would love to work with Steve Wilson or Devin Townsend.  To me, they are the pinnacle of well-rounded musicians; both are excellent guitarists, vocalists, songwriters, arrangers, and producers.  They are not only extremely knowledgeable about music but also just seem like really cool people who would be fun to hang out with.  I know I would learn so much from working with them.

CCA: Your first album “Lonely Hills” has a somber, dark feel.  Where did you go emotionally when writing the songs on that album?

AC: When I wrote the music for “Lonely Hills,” in 2009 – 2011, I had just emerged from a very difficult period of my life in which I felt very uncertain about my direction in my life and about who I wanted to be.  I had dealt with depression and anxiety and wanted to find a way to document my experiences.  So, the songs on “Lonely Hills” all in some way describe the struggle I went through.

CCA: I understand that you’re currently working on a second album.  What can listeners expect on the new album?

AC: When forming The Aaron Clift Experiment in early 2012, I conceived of the outfit as more of a solo project than a band, and I think the solo artist approach comes through to a certain extent on “Lonely Hills.”  But after The Aaron Clift Experiment started playing lots of live shows, more of a band dynamic emerged, and I felt that this should be our future.  When Eric Gutierrez joined us on guitar in 2013 (replacing our original guitarist), he brought a heavier sound and virtuosity to the band that’s spilled over into our songwriting.

The songs for our second album are going to be livelier and more energetic than anything we've done to this point.  We definitely sound like a real band now!  If “Lonely Hills” was our “Foo Fighters,” then our second album will be our “The Colour and the Shape.”

Eric has also partnered with me on a lot of the songwriting for the second album, so there’s more diversity to our sound than ever before.  On the lyrics side, I've branched out into a lot of different topics, but one of the central themes running through this album is power dynamics and conflict between the individual and the group.  I've been keeping a blog on our web site that has more information about the writing process for the individual songs on the album.

CCA: I know you are currently using the fan funding site Kickstarter to help fund the recording of your second album. Can you tell me about it and why people should help support your project?

AC: All of us in the The Aaron Clift Experiment are very excited about the new music we’re creating.  We’re enlisting Matt Noveskey (bassist for Blue October) to produce and record the album at his amazing new recording facility, Orb Recording Studios.  We’re also increasing the recording budget and time for this album – all with the goal of creating a really solid classic progressive rock album.  We think that the progressive rock community is going to be blown away with our second album, but without the funds to cover our recording costs, we won’t be able to bring our vision to life.

 We know that the progressive rock community is full of great people who are true music fans, and that’s why we want to involve the community in helping us reach our goal.  Our Kickstarter campaign runs from September 15 – October 14 and is live at www.aaronclift.com/kickstarter.  The campaign has some really awesome rewards for those who contribute, and any contribution helps.

So c'mon fellow progheads, take advantage of this opportunity to be  part of the prog process and what is sure to be a remarkable prog album!  You can find out more about The Aaron Clift Experiment at http://aaronclift.com/ and follow them on Twitter at @AaronCliftMusic.  Most importantly, click on that link to the Kickstarter Campaign and help make this album a reality! You can always tell your friends you helped produced a progressive rock album--how cool is that?!

The Aaron Clift Experiment...tell your friends you knew 'em when and helped produce their second album!  Progressive music and her fans...there is nothing better...until next week...

The Clouds Will Clear

Good evening fellow progheads and thanks for taking another trip with me in the Concert Closet!  Recently I have been hopscotching "across the pond;" alternating jaunts between the USA and UK with a few side trips to Russia, Finland, and other prog hotspots just to keep fossil fuel consumption high. This week we make another tangent--to Germany--for a week of crazy weather as we check out The Clouds Will Clear.

The Clouds Will Clear hail from Frankfurt and classify themselves as an "...instrumental postrock/ambient band."  Being a Brian Eno fan from way back, I am quite intrigued to hear musicians refer to their music as having an ambient sound.  This was the hook that caught my attention and suddenly the calendar was filled for the next seven days...

Being relatively new to the prog garden, The Clouds Will Clear offer up but a few delicacies for the buffet this week...but quality will always trump quantity.  Let's begin this feeding frenzy with a song called "It Makes Tomorrow Alright."  Imagine a door in your mind opening slowly as you cross the threshold into a dimension not quite psychedelic and not exactly psychotic...just on a plane skew to everything you knew up to this point. Think Under the Psycamore meets Be Bop Deluxe and you are traveling in the correct stratosphere.  The music is soothing and alarming all at once.

Serving number two is a tune called "Nobody Nowhere."  Another opening like a walk into a third dimension...The Clouds Will Clear views prog through an entirely different lens than most I suspect. The guitars and drums come together as if pureed in a blender; they bleed through each other almost seamlessly.  The background vocals seem to be coming from a source outside the realm of the music...this is a section of the prog garden I have not spent much time in--until now.  I can say with utmost certainty that I will be pitching a tent and camping in the "avant-garde/space prog" section of the garden for a little while.  If Klaatu took a more somber approach to their music and were able to join forces with Syd Barrett, The Clouds Will Clear could easily be their backing band.

Liner Notes...The Clouds Will Clear is amazingly a two-man group...Angelo plays guitar, synthesizer, and samples while Tobi plays drums and bass.  As mentioned earlier, The Clouds Will Clear got together in Frankfurt, Germany in 2013.  Angelo held open auditions and Tobi fit right in behind the drum kit.  The Clouds Will Clear is still looking for a third member to round out the band...any bass players out there reading this?  Might be worth giving Angelo and Tobi a call--if Germany is on your commuting schedule.  If it ain't, perhaps you want to roll that map out one more fold...

The sound Angelo and Tobi created flows with an ethereal resonance hard to pin down.  The guitars are light as they float over the top of the sound, giving the drums and synthesizers balance.  A light, airy feel is countered with the heavy, authoritative/mechanical vocals that pepper the songs.  The Clouds Will Clear has extended the boundaries of the prog garden--which should intrigue even the most traditional proghead...

My final selection from the buffet this week is called "Amygdalae."  As expected by now, The Clouds Will Clear open the song in surreal fashion, soothing the listener into a sense of inner peace. While the calm never gives way to anarchy or chaos, the smooth exterior is almost eerie as it slowly coats the inner lining of your ears.

The clip posted below is called "Solar Eclipse."  The opening may make you question the intention of the band, but fear not--it moves slowly and purposefully to a smooth union of guitars, drums, and synthesizers.  Learn more about The Clouds Will Clear at  https://www.facebook.com/thecloudswillclearmusic/info?ref=page_internal and hear more of their music at http://thecloudswillclear.bandcamp.com




Well fellow progheads, I hope you enjoyed this week's review.  The Clouds Will Clear are unique in their own right and tilling some stimulating acreage in the prog garden.  Few bands may tread the ground they walk, but someone has to sit in the front of the bus.  The Clouds Will Clear are welcome members to the prog family as there is always room for innovation and a new interpretation of what prog is.  This is but more proof positive that progressive music is not only alive and well, it is thriving.  The pulse may vary, but the heartbeat is strong...and the search for all things prog continues.  Until next week...

Ephemeral Sun

A humble and heartfelt thank you for coming back once again fellow progheads!  Last week's visit to Russia was quite enjoyable and extremely special.  For me there is great pleasure in discovering prog bands that bring so much to the genre.  In my quest for all things prog I have taken the Concert Closet to numerous places near and far, exotic and lackluster--but most importantly filled with great prog.  This week proves to be yet another long distance voyage as I head back to recognizable food, street signs I can read, and the familiar sounds of domestic chaos...welcome to Virginia USA and the sounds of Ephemeral Sun.

Ephemeral Sun calls themselves an "...exercise in contrasts...music that balances elements both cerebral and visceral in nature."  Fellow progheads know I could never drive by that lead-in without at least a taste of what was behind the curtain, so let us now hit the headphones for what I anticipate to be an excellent week of ear feasting...

We start the prog buffet this week with a song called "Memoirs."  A very nice piano opening; mood is set with dark tones yet the ambiance is rather peaceful...however; I smell storm clouds.  The air is filled with aromas of Marillion and just a touch of "Funeral for a Friend."  The guitar picks up the tempo a bit and sways the mood away from the precipice while drums enter the cerebellum just enough to carry the weight. While the storm never quite pounds the shore that is the inner lining of my skull, I sense Ephemeral Sun has many a mood swing in its playlist...

Serving number two is a piece called "Prism."  The song starts out strong as the drums lay a foundation on which the guitars start to build.  I pick up very strong scents of Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment.  Keyboards are added and the song begins to intensify...but not in a menacing way. I get more of a victorious vibe...a sort of "Good vs. Evil" mood with Good winning out in the end.

Liner Notes...Ephemeral Sun is John Battema on keyboards, Charles Gore on bass, Brian O'Neill on guitars, and Allen Lind currently on drums.  Laurie Ann Haus peppered the band's debut album with great vocals. Originally formed in 2002, Ephemeral Sun is the offspring of doom metal band Rain Fell Within. Releasing their first album in 2004, Ephemeral Sun began to explore other areas of music, melding bits and pieces of jazz, prog, avante garde, symphonic, and even some experimental sounds into their own style. While spreading roots mainly in the symphonic section of the prog garden, Ephemeral Sun has sown seeds throughout the entire acreage.

My final selection from the buffet this week is a tune called "Discovery."  A much darker piece, this is from Ephemeral Sun's first album.  I sense walking through a tunnel and rapidly descending into an earlier time. Laurie Ann's vocals haunt throughout the song, helping create an atmosphere that wants to draw you into the past while feeding off that same energy to strive forward.  Some top notes of Tool and Beardfish run through this song; Ephemeral Sun has unquestionably grown up prog.  Learn more about Ephemeral Sun at
http://www.ephemeralsun.com/index.html

The clip below is called "Winter Has No Mercy."  Another selection from the dark metal side of prog...but Ephemeral Sun does a lot with it.  The almost military-like rhythmic drum in the beginning sets a mood that takes one deep into the inner sanctum of an otherwise casual mind.  The tempo swings back-and-forth and there are moments of sheer gloom and upbeat hope strung together like so many pearls on a sparkling gold chain. Ephemeral Sun is able to run the gambit of emotions while performing, whether it be in a studio or on stage live.  

One more week and one more prog band uncovered for your listening pleasure.  The Concert Closet has logged many summer miles; now that the sun is beginning to set around dinner time, the morning air has a bit of a nip in it, and the "dog days" are behind us, I am excited to discover what autumn has in store as I continue my search for all things prog.  Time to get some laundry done, load up on canned goods, and clean out the Concert Closet...until next week...   

 

  

Echoes and Signals

Welcome back once again fellow progheads!  As summer starts her 2014 swansong I decided to go crazy and take the Concert Closet on a "virgin voyage" in my quest for all things prog, traveling to previously uncharted territory (at least for me).  So with excitement and anticipation in the air I head to Russia and the progressive sounds of Echoes and Signals.

Echoes and Signals hails from Tula, Russian Federation.  They describe themselves as a three-piece instrumental band, "...mixing post-rock with post-everything."  Currently the band is working on a concept album; always prog music to my ears.  Listening to Echoes and Signals this week makes me believe that if Putin would just settle down and turn up the volume there would be less problems and better international relations around the globe...Glasnost indeed...

The long travel from the US to Russia makes me hungry for this prog feast, so I jump in right away with a tune called "Memories."  A very striking instrumental piece; robust drums with guitar intertwined such that you feel yourself being pulled inside your own head.  I get a strong sense of Alan Parsons Project's "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" and some Atomic Rooster oozing through as well.  While the music is on the dark side of the spectrum, I don't get an ominous feeling of danger...rather I sense a dim light trying to burn away the darkness.  Halfway through that light is almost blinding as it peels back the gloom and the music settles over everything as if it were your favorite blanket.

Serving number two is called "Moons, Seas, Constellations."  This is a very moving piece; you can feel yourself being swept up in emotions as the music builds toward a climax right from the onset.  The drumming and percussion is so raw it is almost primitive...a la Jamie Muir in early King Crimson.  Echoes and Signals play what I call naked music--no fancy gift wrap, no auto-tune, no light shows to make the listener ooh and aah...just music at its core.  This is a song to put on replay a few times so it can wash over you the way scotch washes over ice...

Liner Notes...Echoes and Signals was formed in 2012 in the aforementioned  Tula, Russian Federation.  The original line-up consisted of Fedor Kivokurtsev on guitar and sound producing, Alexey Zaytsev on bass, and Vladimir Pozdyshev on drums...however; after recording tracks for the new release Vladimir was replaced by Yaroslav Egorov.  Echoes and Signals started as an "improvisational playground" for Fedor, Alexey, and Vladimir...but it didn't take long for talent to get noticed, a concept EP to be released, and the making of a "real band" to get underway.  2013 saw Echoes and Signals sign with a label and start a tour.  Currently working on their third album, Echoes and Signals has begun to establish deep, strong roots in the prog garden.

My third selection for review this week is a song called "Comma."  I get an instant mind flash to the Yes "Fragile" album, and Echoes and Signals dances through most of that vinyl masterpiece in six minutes plus.  They top it off with  a touch of early Pink Floyd just to keep it appealing.  Many bands try to wear the "progressive music" moniker; perhaps they believe it will make them sound smarter or attract a more diverse audience.  Echoes and Signals wear it because that is truly what they are--a progressive rock band--not afraid to step outside the paradigm and experiment a little.  I believe Robert Fripp would be proud.

The clip posted here is called "Equinox Part II."  A slight bit heavier sound coming through the headphones, but I think you can handle it.  Echoes and Signals defines the term "post-everything."  I pick up strong traces of Gentle Giant, Tool, and the Adrian Belew/Bill Bruford era King Crimson.  Echoes and Signals are students of the progressive genre who studied tenaciously.  Listen and enjoy like that scotch I poured you earlier...sip it slowly and take it all in.  Learn more about Echoes and Signals at http://echoesandsignals.com/music/

Hope you have enjoyed the progressive view from Russia fellow progheads; it has been quite a journey. One more push pin on the map as another country is accounted for in my quest for all things prog.  Echoes and Signals are able to cross boundaries and avoid getting lost in translation because prog music has a way of penetrating barriers the way dryers lose socks...it just happens.  Do yourself a favor and avoid multi-tasking for the next hour or so...sit back, dim the lights, and just let Echoes and Signals pierce your auditory canal...you're welcome.  Being so far from home I need to find another stop for the Concert Closet as I work my way "stateside" in my quest for all things prog...until next week...

Lifesigns

Once again a heartfelt thank you to my fellow progheads for returning one more time!  I have been looking over my recent posts and one thing tends to stand out...my alternating between prog bands in the UK and the USA.  The cycle continues for another week as I have been on a new quest in my search for all things prog.  I set out these past seven days to find a band that is so much larger than its following; I wanted to find a band with the talent, ability, and stamina to hold their own with the bigger names of the genre.  Lo and behold I believe I hit pay dirt when I took the Concert Closet back to the UK for a long listen to Lifesigns.

Lifesigns is "...an English progressive rock band from the heart of rural England..."  Simple, allusive, teasing, and dead-on all at once.  Now I am compelled to have at least a little listen, just to satisfy my curiosity. Lifesigns stakes out a section of the prog garden few could survive in--accolades well deserved.

The first song I grace my ears with from the buffet this week is called "At the End of the World."  A beautiful opening; very serene...the understated drums flow effortlessly through the guitar and keyboards while backing up the vocals like an old friend.  I pick up scents of Marillion and a touch of latter-times Genesis,even perhaps a top note of The Moody Blues.  Lifesigns has a full sound that surrounds the listener while allowing the peanut butter smooth vocals to drape over you.

Selection number two is called "Lighthouse."  Visually, the song opens at dawn at the end of a storm...you can feel the air stirring as the tension breaks and the mood shifts to an upbeat tempo.  The vocals cut through and suddenly the mood and tempo swing again.  I need to remind myself more than once that Lifesigns is not eight musicians.  Lifesigns has a sound that is distinct and sharp, much like the sun reflecting off a mirror.  The neo-progressive movement is alive and well, continuing to innovate and hammer the inner lining of every eager listener's head.  There are definite aromas of Spock's Beard and IQ wafting through what truly is superb prog.

Liner Notes...Lifesigns has a very interesting lineup... current members are John Young keyboards and vocals, Jon Poole bass and vocals, Frosty Beedle drums and percussion, and Niko Tsonev guitars and vocals.  Lifesigns also credits Steve Rispin for engineering and production and Nicky Beggs for recording sessions on bass, chapman stick, and vocals.  The list of guest musicians includes Steve Hackett and  Jakko Jakszyk on guitar, and Thijs Van Leer on flutes.  OK; that makes for a crowded recording studio--and it explains without question the quality of the grooves pressed into the vinyl.

Moving back to the prog buffet, selection number three is a tune called "Fridge Full of Stars."  Lifesigns seems to enjoy leading into a piece of music ominously, only to pull the ol' "bait 'n' switch" with music and lyrics that dance through your head like so many focused ballerinas.  This piece has a lot going on; deep vocals, a hard driving beat, time, tempo, and mood swings that swirl around like smoke on the horizon in a windstorm, and some impressive flute...thank you Thijs Van Leer; flute has not been this cool since Chris Wood in his Traffic days.

The clip posted below is called "Telephone."  This is a good piece with which to familiarize yourself with Lifesigns...everything fits like a well worn leather jacket. The guitars flow through the drums which highlight the vocals, and the vocals wend their way through the keyboards delicately enough to not leave permanent marks.  Spend the next nine minutes plus on a long distance call that will soothe and satisfy...learn more about Lifesigns at facebook.com/signslife. 

Fortunately summer has not loosed her grasp on the season clock just yet...there is still daylight past 7:30, shorts are still the wardrobe of choice, and a glass of chablis hits the spot while listening to great prog.  Yes, life is good.  This search for all things prog has led me to many different facets of progressive music, and Lifesigns has brought the focus to yet another "uncrowded" section of the prog garden.  The ability to produce a sound so full while seeming to leave so much space for expansion is a rare thing. I recommend sitting down in a dimly lit room and enjoying the sounds emitting from the headphones purposefully.
Now the Concert Closet moves on, chasing a dream further down the galaxy...until next week...

The Aaron Clift Experiment

Here we go again fellow progheads; time for another dose of all things prog.  Specifically--and for a second straight week--all things symphonic prog.  Last week's taste from the "full sound" section of the prog garden left me with a hankerin' for more...so I took the Concert Closet on a trip to Austin, Texas this week for an alternate interpretation of symphonic prog with a band called The Aaron Clift Experiment.

Comparing themselves to scientists using knowledge to explore the unknown, The Aaron Clift Experiment
"...combines elements of classic and cutting-edge music into an innovative whole."  Never one to pass up an opportunity to grow both intellectually and musically, I am fervent to jump right in.  The energy level in the Concert Closet picks up a notch or two as I prepare the ears and mind for a week of schooling...

My first serving from this week's buffet is a song called "Staring at Fruit Out of Reach."  I will admit the title lured me in--but the music was worth taking the bait.  The opening starts out almost church-like with keyboards, drums, and percussion working together to build a background reminiscent of Supertramp in their "Crisis? What Crisis?" days.  I also pick up top notes of Gentle Giant and The Strawbs; a somber sound wrapped around lyrics that dig deep when you sit back and listen.  The Aaron Clift Experiment strikes a nerve right away; I sense a week of cerebral musical enjoyment--pleasing as well as entertaining for the ears and mind, a true prog experience...

Serving number two is a tune called "Arsonist Games."  The song opens in a dark mood, but that should come as no surprise.  Almost ominous as the curtain is drawn back, The Aaron Clift Experiment once again digs below the frost line with the lyrics, layering them with keyboards and guitars that drive right through the spine.  If Steely Dan alums Becker and Fagen were able to escape the pitfalls of ego and heroin at their peak and join forces with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson,  this might have been their sound.  Aaron Clift is quite adept at bringing a pulse to each song, giving the listener an opportunity to experience it coming to life.

Liner Notes...The current Aaron Clift Experiment is Aaron Clift on vocals and keyboards, Eric Gutierrez on guitar, Joe Resnick on drums, and Joe Green on bass.  As with many a band, there have been line-up changes...however this current quartet seems to have it dialed in.  Aaron has penned some very intense and deep lyrics, but what really makes it work is Joe, Eric, and Joe immediately grabbing the song by the heart and pumping life into it.  You can almost feel a presence in the room as sound emerges from the speakers. The Aaron Clift Experiment enters the prog garden from an entirely different vantage point.  I imagine the tape in a recording studio to be much like the canvas on an artist's easel with all the promise, vision, hope, and expectation about to be splashed upon it.  Ironically, what makes listening to The Aaron Clift Experiment stimulating is the peace I come away with afterward...

My third serving carved from this buffet is called "Seven."  Opening bolder than previous cuts, the song methodically curls into an emotional ball.  The band paints with some bright colors that go gray as darkness moves in and the mood turns cold and murky.  Although they never quite cross into the darkness of their other tunes, you get the feeling The Aaron Clift Experiment likes walking that fine edge.

The clip posted below is a live piece called "Shipwrecked."  Focused on the music--as most progheads
are-- you get a sense that The Aaron Clift Experiment is deceptively talented.  The keyboard opening feels like a storm about to hammer your living room, and then guitars move in with the drums to steady the ship and bring a bit of balance...nicely done.  Learn more about The Aaron Clift Experiment at http://aaronclift.com/

As school season creeps closer to the horizon, the Concert Closet will return to weekly postings.  Summer is but a short window and I have certainly packed a lot into it...continuing my search for all things prog staying high on the list.  The Aaron Clift Experiment was a fun stop on the journey, a band that comes at you with strong music and even stronger lyrics.  Now I must take the Concert Closet on another trip to search for yet another new prog adventure...until next week...