ETTORE SALATI

This month's Artist in Spotlight is Ettore Salati from Italy. Ettore is a sought after session guitarist by many prog musicians not just in Italy but all around the world. He started playing piano at a very young age (mostly classical music) but when he became a teenager and discovered the world of Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and 70's rock in general, he was immediately fascinated by guitar... more

KAT EPPLE (Emerald Web)

KAT EPPLE, flautist and composer, is our interview guest this month. She has won 8 Emmy awards, was nominated for a Grammy and she has released 18 albums internationally. Most of you know her as the other half of the legendary ambient/new age duo EMERALD WEB. She has a very large collection (over 200) of flutes that she gathered from all around the world during her travels. Kat composes original New Age/Jazz/World/orchestral music and has produced film scores and television soundtracks for National Geographic, Nova, CNN, Carl Sagan, Another World, The Travel Channel, Turner Broadcasting System, History Channel, HGN, The Guiding Light, PBS, and NASA among others, and was Music Director for the feature-length film, Captiva Island. She also owns a record company and works on both sides of the music industry as a musician and as a business woman... more

New Grass Revival / On The Boulevard

New Grass Revival are one of the pioneers of progressive bluegrass. Formed in 1971 by Sam Bush (mandolin/vocals), Curtis Burch (guitar), Ebo Walker (bass) and Courtney Johnson (banjo), they immediately got the attention from the industry both in a good and bad way. First of all, they were often told that their music was not bluegrass, and they knew it wasn’t “bluegrass” in its traditional sense, and it wasn’t what they were trying to achieve anyways. They were blending rock, soul and blues rhythms with the traditional bluegrass music. They were not wearing suites, but instead they had a more casual style along with long hair... more

Interview with David FREMBERG (ANDROMEDA) by Dale JUDAY

ANDROMEDA was formed around 1999/2000 in Sweden. In March 2000 Andromeda entered the studio to record their first album with producer Daniel Bergstrand. The album was heavy, and got the attention from the media pretty fast. In the spring of 2006, they released "Chimera", their 3rd album which, as the band describes it, has a more "in your face" approach. About one year later, they released a live DVD which also received great reviews from all over the world. This new DVD is called "Playing Off The Board" and includes 12 songs like "In the Deepest of Waters", "Eclipse", "The Hidden Riddle" and "The Words Unspoken". It also has a lot of bonus materials like interview with Johan Reinholdz and Martin Hedin, three days in Poland etc. We are very glad to have the opportunity to interview David FREMBERG, their vocalist, as the band is getting ready to play at the Progpower USA Festival this year in Atlanta, GA (Sept 26-27, 2008).

TPF: Your myspace lists two dates for ProgPower in Atlanta - will you be playing both dates?

DF: No, but we don´t know which of the two dates we will play yet! Hopefully we will get to stay both days so that we get to enjoy the event.

TPF: You're obviously anticipated by the fans when they attend Prog Power... but whose shows will you be sure to catch when there in September?

DF: That´s great to hear. I hope we get to see as much as possible of the other bands.

TPF: Many times when bands are invited from over-seas, the logistics of bringing merchandise to sell is pretty restrictive. Will Andromeda be bringing Playing Off the Board, t-shirts or any product?

DF: Sure, we will bring as much as possible. We just got back from a concert in Moscow two days ago and for that we had to bring as much merchendise as possible. We filled our own suitcases with the stuff.

TPF: When someone searches the internet for a history of David Fremberg, they will be left wondering if this incredible vocalist was just dropped off on this planet as a gift to earthlings - you seem to come out of nowhere! What was your experience before joining up with Andromeda?

DF: Hehe... well I´m not brought here by aliens. Prior to Andromeda I have been singing and playing guitar for several other bands for lots of years. I happened to get hooked up with Martin, our keyboard player, through Malmoe Academy of Music where we both studied at the same time. We were both involved in doing an album with a band called Dame Wiggens where I was playing guitar. He found out about my singing skills and asked if I wanted to try out for the position of vocalist for Andromeda. I did and have been with the band ever since! The Dame Wiggens album finaly got released, long overdue!

TPF: I understand you also sang for the band Bloom, but there is some confusion if it the same Bloom that was known as a trip-hop group - is it the same band?

DF: No, I was the guitarplayer for that band. It wasn´t a trip-hop band, more like commericial rock I would say. It was a fun sideproject to Andromeda for me. We recorded one album that I think sounds great in its gengre.

TPF: Is there a singer that you like that most people would be surprised to hear you listen to?

DF: Good question... I enjoy lots of singers in different styles, but I love big bluesy voices. I really like Paul Rogers, he´s got a lot of soul.

TPF: Last I heard, the band members were not able to call music their full time work - what are your regular jobs?

DF: Our drummer is a floor carpenter. The rest of us teach our instruments.

TPF: Explain the progressive metal scene in Scandanavia?

DF: You don´t get to be a prophet in your hometown. In Sweden, interest in progressive music is very poor compared to other european contries. But on the other hand we have a lot of prominent bands in the gengre that come from here. I guess it evens out...

TPF: It isn't a surprise to have a jazz inspired bassist in a progressive band, but for those that listen to Andromeda for metal, it might come as an odd match - what does Fabian Gustavsson bring to the group as far as creativity goes?

DF: He is the one that is the least involved in the actual making of the songs. But he brings his own playing style to the songs and is always steady as a rock!

TPF: Typically, labels have constraints on bands to record in a certain amount of time, budgets etc - Do you feel you had all the time you would like to record Chimera?

DF: Yes, since we recorded it ourselves. Martin is an educated producer, so it makes perfect sense for us to use his skills. It gives us the chance to record at a nice pace and to not let anything go until we are pleased.

TPF: Will you handle the recording of the new music any different?

DF: No, we haven´t changed our procedures. Our forth album is finished and the final mix is to be done in two days actually!

TPF: Thanks a lot David for taking the time to answer our questions. We can't wait to see you guys at the Progpower USA this fall, and we wish you all the best for the upcoming album as well!

ANDROMEDA's Official Website: WWW.ANDROMEDAONLINE.COM