Kansas - The Absence Of Presence What an incredible album! The amazing thing about The Absence Of Presence is the band's presentation of a fresh take on the classic Kansas sound. The album effectively melds the sound of the band's 1970's symphonic progressive rock era with the mainstream rock driven sound of 1980's/1990's Kansas. Looking … Continue reading My Music Highlights From 2020
Many rock music fans know singer/songwriter John Elefante primarily for his work with the band Kansas. Elefante fronted the band from 1982 to 1984. His role included lead vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player. I am a big fan of the two albums, Vinyl Confessions (1982) and Drastic Measures (1983), that he recorded with Kansas. After … Continue reading Song Spotlight: Taken Down Below By John Elefante’s Mastedon
Solo careers are an interesting aspect of the music industry. As a member of a band a singer/musician/songwriter may experience a great deal of success. Once that same member launches a solo career it truly is a crapshoot. There are many examples of solo career success stories including Phil Collins, Sting and Don Henley. But … Continue reading Song Spotlight: Throw Me Down By Kerry Livgren
The latest album by Styx, The Mission, have been out for about two months now. The Mission is an album that was LONG overdue. After spending some time with this great album, here are a few thoughts. I will be totally honest, I did not think the band had it in them to produce new … Continue reading Album Spotlight: The Mission By Styx
What do you do if you have a divided musical heart? Half of you has a love for 1970's progressive rock and the other half heavy metal of the 1980's and 1990's. The solution is an easy one. You form the progressive metal band Shadow Gallery and equally indulge both sides of your divided heart. … Continue reading My A To Z Music Challenge: Letter S – Shadow Gallery
I absolutely love Navigator! I can not say enough positive things about this American progressive rock band. Their musical heart is planted firmly in 1970's progressive rock. But their sound and approach are thoroughly modern. https://youtu.be/-agLIYGweZg Formed in 1998 Navigator currently has released three albums of high quality progressive rock. The band's debut album, reEvolutionone, … Continue reading My A To Z Music Challenge: Letter N – Navigator
AD was Kerry Livgren's post Kansas melodic progressive rock band. The band consisted of vocalists Warren Ham and Michael Gleason, former Kansas bassist Dave Hope, Livgren on guitar and Dennis Holt on drums. Livgren, Ham and Gleason shared the duties on keyboards. Like many prog bands in the 1980's AD featured a streamlined and more … Continue reading Song Spotlight: Games Of Chance And Circumstance, By Kerry Livgren’s AD
Shades Of Noir 