by Michael Popke — It’s April, and that means it’s almost time for the curtain to rise on one of the most musically accessible progressive-rock festivals in the United States. The Rites of Spring Festival — RoSfest, for short — kicks off its seventh year April 30-May 2 with a strong lineup featuring Renaissance, Magic Pie and Pendragon, plus Ajalon, DeeExpus, Gazpacho, Days Before Tomorrow, Manning, Mystery, Unitopia and the Von Hertzen Brothers. Held in Gettysburg, Pa., the event seems to have forced the hand of organizers of the granddaddy of all prog festivals, the North East Art Rock Festival (NEARfest) in Bethlehem, Pa. That event, slated for June 18-20, includes more diversity and greater appeal than ever this year with Steve Hackett, Riverside, The Pineapple Thief and Astra.

Unfortunately, I live half-a-country away from Pennsylvania and have never attended NEARfest. I did, however, take in RoSfest 2007, when the headliners included Spock’s Beard and a Starcastle reunion. But the highlight for me had to be the California-based symphonic band Rocket Scientists, with special guest Lana Lane, in the 11:30 a.m. slot on Sunday. Back then, RoSfest was held at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pa.; it moved to the Keswick Theatre in Glenside the following year and finally to historic Gettysburg’s Majestic Theater for this year’s event.

The fact that RoSfest has transitioned to increasingly larger venues three times in the past four years is an excellent sign for the event, the industry and the music. The Three Rivers Progressive Rock Festival (3RP) in Pittsburgh will move from a two-day format to “special event” status in August with the Yes tribute band Going for the One on Aug. 13 and a four-band bill the following day headlined by Syzygy. But metal festival ProgPower USA, originally held outside of Chicago and based in Atlanta since 2001, is still going strong a decade later. This year’s lineup includes Kamelot, Hammerfall and Nocturnal Rites. I’ve been to three ProgPower USA weekends and was overwhelmed by the camaraderie among attendees — just as I was at RoSfest. It was as if we were all part of one big happy proggy family…

If you live in the areas in which these and other prog festivals are held — or have the time and financial means to travel — please consider attending one or more of them. They are well worth it, as many of the bands on the bills rarely perform in the United States. Plus, your presence will help keep alive a scene in which we all steadfastly believe.

by Michael Popke

If you frequent online progressive-rock communities, you’ve no doubt seen the question “What is prog?” posted countless times. The responses typically range from the overly intellectual to the downright offensive. So it is with extreme humbleness that I suggest there really is no “right” or “wrong” answer. We like progressive music because it affects us in ways far deeper than practically any other genre (save, perhaps, classical). It can incite an abundance of emotions, including passion, fear, joy, sadness and violence – sometimes all in the same song.  It forces us to move beyond the mainstream and actually think about what we’re hearing. At its core, “prog” means whatever we want it to mean.

When I was young, my dad would sit with me in my bedroom and listen to selections from my latest album purchases (usually by such artists as Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Loverboy). But among the last titles I remember us sharing together was Asia’s self-titled 1982 debut. I was 14 years old.

While Asia’s epic synthesizers, grandiose orchestration and Roger Dean artwork may seem hopelessly dated now, it remains a classic album that – despite that dragon on the cover – brought the pretentiousness of Seventies progressive rock to a mainstream audience with a combination of accessible melodies and often-lofty lyrics. Today, Asia isn’t even considered prog in some circles. But for me, it was my introduction to an expansive world of music, one in which long songs about the apocalypse were not only permitted but encouraged. So long, Loverboy.

Prog enthusiasts can argue the merits of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Marillion, Gentle Giant, Kansas and Camel for years – and they have. Throw some metal into the mix (Queensryche, Dream Theater, Rush and Iron Maiden), and you’ll incite some real heated debate. Queensryche’s lead vocalist Geoff Tate, during an interview with me several years ago, refused to acknowledge that his band played “progressive” music — even though renowned music  journalist Paul Gargano wrote that Queensryche defined “the parameters of progressive rock for mainstream America” in the liner notes to the then-new Live Evolution album.

But if these bands and all of their descendants – Spock’s Beard, RPWL, Pain of Salvation, Opeth, Magic Pie, DeeExpus, Ayreon, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Symphony X and even Phish and Umphrey’s McGee among them – introduce new ways for us to hear music and provide enjoyment long after we think we’ve heard it all, then we certainly can call them “progressive.” They are advancing our understanding and appreciation of their art.

One of my most recent prog discoveries is Zevious, an aggressive New York City-based instrumental trio that tears a huge hole in the logic of labeling genres. On the band’s 2009 CD, After the Air Raid, Zevious takes influences from contemporary jazz artists like Vijay Iyer, the polymetric metal of Meshuggah, the vintage fusion of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and the avant-garde attitude of Magma. Challenging and not always easy to listen to, After the Air Raid defines adventurous music.

I’ve been in relentless pursuit of the adventure since I dropped the needle on side one of that first Asia record almost 30 years ago.