Rickter Scale Show 188

[Rick and Roll]

airing Sunday, July 27 from 8-11 PM EST and Monday, July 28 from 1-4 PM EST

Starting Wednesday, I will be away from all things internet until Sunday (that's why I posted this early). Sounds like a good week for a break, right? Not a chance...maybe soon. And all the music this week is not part of the "drive to 30,000" songs, so I had to upload them all. I will, however, be recovering from the hellish last few days of midnight work and the humidity of disc golf. Anyway, the music...

This week I'll be playing Disc 2 of Progday 2001, and four artists that I've recently been alerted to. All told, seven bands featured, some a bit more on the fringes of Prog, and had been requested by some listeners, some music with balls

A) Progday 2001 - Disc 2

Polydactyl - Altitude, Factory, Route 666

Three songs from an instrumental band - Wayne Leechford is the stick player here, who some may remember as being in Cloud Nine / Ozone Quartet. Good fusion.

Azigza - Distance, X, Zaman

Three more Progday performances - you'll like this band. Has a Middle East flair, a lot of depth.

Ars Nova - Holra Rising, Pairi-Daeza

Two from the lovely Japanese trio.

B) Pete Laramee - Childhood Memories (2008)

Arm or the Leg?
13 Stitches
Flagpole
Brain Freeze
Pinkeye
Running With Scissors
Saturday Morning Cartoons
Below the Belt
Snow Day
Red Rocks
Suspended By Rain
Dodgeball

Pete is a guitarist in the band Kurgan's Bane with his brother Jeff and his wife Lisa (who both also appear in Sonus Umbra). Sonus Umbra also has Luis Nasser. Luis and Jeff join Pete on this instrumental foray. Confused? Well add Michael Passen on bass on two cuts and Derek Sherinian on one, and you have Pete's new record. The songs are based on his childhood in Vermont...the liner notes are pretty funny. He's in Baltimore now, so I get to see him every so often. If you like chops, tastefully done, then this is for you.

C) Mark Florio Band - s/t

Soldier, Feels Alright, Disappear

Three from another Maryland-based guitarist. My friend Craig (I met in college) - his wife works for PRS and got Mark's CD. Not exactly progressive but an enjoyable disc.

D) Ego - Illage Vidiot, Starfish 117, Satyrclops, Ego Trip

These four are from Ego's EP in 2005. My friend Terri, who runs the merch for Rare Blend, gave me a ton of discs at Nearfest. This and the next band are two of these. Ego's from Cleveland, and is fairly heavy prog rock. Reminds me a bit of Headshear, with vocals.

E) Razor Wire Shrine - Going Deaf For A Living (2004)

Cracking Dementia
Architecture for the Tortured Soul
Thought Residue
To Strike A Personal Chord
All Shades of Bitter

This instrumental disc is bookended by "Shards", a power opening song, and "World of Hurt", a breakneck rocker. I only had time for the middle five cuts, and that's what we'll hear. From Erie, PA and with these song titles it's not for the faint of heart. But listen closely and there's a lot going on.

Next couple weeks will be more exploration into some of Terri's discs, then a 3RP and Progday spotlight, then off for Labor Day. September will bring shows for the fall that will emphasize a wide variety of music, not particularly focusing on any one theme.

Hope you enjoy some music not generally heard..."see you" in chat!

[roger]

I missed this show when it aired, Rick, but I saw that you friended Razor Wire Shrine on MySpace and man, they're great!