[GORT]

I was there for the Sunday lineup and must say all in all it was a good day of music. It started off with Indukti. I enjoyed this set, it was IMO a strong performance, and Ewa's violin playing was tremendous. The second band to play was La Maschera Di Cera. It was a little more reserved that most of the stuff I was used to hearing and they played very well. Allesandro's vocals were very strong, what a voice ! Next on the bill was Robert Rich, an artist I was not very familiar with. At this point I had already gone about 24 hrs. without sleep. This was a dangerous situation for me for he plays spacey electronica stuff. It was VERY cool and relaxing. The next band up was Pure Reason Revolution. I was very impressed with the young group. They were a refreshing surprise and I think that they will draw a larger following in the near future. The night finished off with Magma. Now I know there is divided opinions on Magma, but you have to take them for what they are...a very talented group of musicians and vocalists who's music has a strong freeform jazz influence. They're not for everyone, but there is much to appreciate in what they do. I'm not saying that they're a favorite of mine by any stretch, but I do find them interesting. The best part of NEARfest was meeting so many MOONies for the first time, it was an amazing experience. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.