Rehearsal tracks from my new 70's-styled prog rock project. This particular cut is a story of one of the many Christopher Columbus voyages across the sea to the "new world." This is the proposed closing track for the album scheduled for release in 2016.

Yes!!!!

Great to see you posting here again !!

Wonderful track !!!

You've  gone pretty close to the edge here!!

Massive but still Fragile

Ticks all the boxes .... just hit my mood for (a) today

Great Work ..... complex... great recording...a wondrous story thanks!!!

Swordfish (not the museum one!!)
 

Wow! This sounds so effing great! It reminded me a lot of The Flower Kings with more interesting elements, specially on the keyboards. I actually loved the work on the keys! Who's playing?

Please keep this coming! I'll be waiting for the album release.

Once again, congratulations for this work!

          > Iz

Does the band have a Facebook fan page or something?

Thanks for listening! I'm glad you kind of threw up a comparison there. Actually, I'm a huge Flower Kings fan. I have a buddy that is an admin at a Prog Rock site. He told me it put him in mind of "Spock's Beard." Also a huge fan there. 70's Prog music has always been near and dear to my liking. I've been a fan since the 70's. Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, Kayak - bands from across the ocean have always been my favorite. I still own a lot of imported vinyl. As for the musicians, actually these are tracks I mapped out for the other musicians that will be working on the project with me. I played and recorded all of the parts myself in a spare bedroom in my apartment. I may have been a little pre-mature in previewing them just yet, because they're just mapping tracks, but this is a very cool forum and feedback along the way can be hugely useful in making decisions. The session drummer will be Peter O'Donnell (a longtime friend and former bandmate), Mike Bedik will be doing some key solos, and another friend will be working the shredding during the fast part toward the end. This project has just been a life-long ambition of mine, and I figured it is time to make it happen. I've made my living as a bar musician playing all the "favorites", recorded many radio and TV jingles, bumpers, etc. I just basically was looking to "check out" with something I can be proud to leave behind. This particular track is just a mapped out version for the other players to get familiar with the arrangement and maybe embellish a little on. The final recording will probably be done here in Vegas at The Boneyard, and the mastering farmed out to a mastering house. I have a friend who's an incredible artist for the cover art, logos, etc. I haven't decided on a producer because 9 times out of 10 in the past, it has taken me in the wrong direction, and I really don't want to compromise the direction on this. As far as whether there will be a hard copy available, that's still kind of up in the air as well. Nowadays, everything's done pretty much digitally online, so I dont know how much of an interest there would be in those - and I was thinking maybe a few copies in the form of vinyl for those extreme hard-core proggies. Yes, there will be web and S.M. links posted soon, and I'll surely let the good folks at BandAmp know that as soon as they become available. Great hearing from you again!! MC

So well put together melodic, execution & story , what a journey. True artistry .Thanks for sharing .Tops

Thanks yokoinc! I'm finally actually ENJOYING one of my musical projects. I did it for so long for the masses to make a living, I totally lost track of my creative side. Well, I seem to have found it so far on this project, and hope to have more posts up soon. Thanks for your compliments sir. You know how it is yourself with creating your own  art - Compliments and critique are as valuable as money. Keep the music alive! MC 

Thanks old friend. What a coincidence with the name, eh? Too funny. It never came to me until I posted the tune on here and remembered there was a "Swordfish" at BandAmp. If you'd like I can change the bands name to maybe "Blue Marlin Museum." Nevermind. That really doesn't sound too good. 

Also, I wanted to add that this cut is somewhat of a "suite" I guess, due to the fact that it has been built on several different themes - I just couldn't post the subtitles due to the lack of space in the "title" space. For those interested in such nonsense, here ya go. 

America:
      i) intro
     ii) the departure
    iii) mutiny
    iv) noreaster / the clearing
     v) the hero
    vi) the discovery
   vii) the landing
  viii) reprise

That experience reminds me of Jem Godfrey's Frost*. He was a pop producer who got bored of pleasing the masses and started making prog. You should check it out.

By the way, I have a bunch of your songs in my music player since ages so every once in a while one of the pops up.

Keep us posted!

           > Iz

I stumbled on those guys about 3 or 4 years ago. I've listened to it many times since then. 5he musicianship is amazing and I love the tunes. One of the most epic and inspiring prog tunes I've come across in the past few years was https://youtu.be/eYu8832UVpA

You seem to like a lot of the same stuff I do, so if you've never heard this piece, hang on to your hat. You'll surely be knocked back. It is the epitome of a great progressive work in my opinion.

Also, if you've never listened to a Swedish prog band called "Kaipa" that's another must. Roine Stolt of the Flower Kings was the original guitar player.   M

I know Kaipa. I used to listen to them a few years ago (specially one album I can't recall).

I'm listening to Unitopia's track right now and sounds really great! It has a lot of elements of most of the neo-prog scene I always liked.

There was a time I listened (and composed) mainly prog rock, since I was 15 to like 22 or so. After that I just passed to some  more mainstream music. Nevertheless I've always enjoyed prog (I mean, I still have eargasms listening to "Supper's Ready", "Close to the Edge" or "La Villa Strangiato"). Lately I¡ve digging some of the new prog scene. I listened to a lot of neo-prog and I really liked it but it never stuck (I think IQ's "Subterranea" is the only one I always go back to).

In case you are interested in the new sounds of prog, beside Dream Theater (which I think were great until "Train of Thought") and anything that Steven Wilson does (he's truly a mastermind when it comes to making prog and not-so-prog), you should check Haken. They are a bit heavier (heavy prog with even some djent here and there) but they are great composers and musicians. Here you have a few track you might enjoy by them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk9Wk96yzBY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjrcXCAeNe4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJUDk6a4GsI

PS: The ending of "The Garden" it's clearly a nod to the ending of "Supper's Ready". It's almost plagiarism hahahaha.

That's true. LoL! I think that singer even has a little of the same vocal tone remeniscent of Gabriel/Collins. I think there is even some live footage of them covering a Genesis tune - might have even been Firth - can't remember. Thanks for the links. I'll be checking those out!

Adventuring into new horizons - what a great story to put into a music production - Uplifting.....
There seems to be quite a lot of 70's style music being uploaded on the AMP recently - Is this a sign of a revival?
Great job on the vocal choir in the middle of the track, it breaks up the song nice.

Perhaps you and Iszil could do a collab? - I would love to hear that!

You know... that would be really fun!