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
SOULJOURNERS
A Southern California band, Souljourners have caught the attention of music fans seeking something new & exciting. The industry should stand to attention when confronted with this group's own brand of progressive metal. TheProgFiles had the distinct pleasure of catching them at a recent show in Orange County. We instantly got the feeling that we were witnessing the next phenomenon in prog. With their impressive compositions and virtuosity, you are immediately drawn in and find that you cannot look away... and that's just the live experience. Souljourners now have a new CD that is equally mind blowing.
The band consists of Michael Couts on guitar and vocals, Scoops (David Brockenborough) on bass, Paul Ellingson on keyboards, Jackson Heskett on drums. CATCH these guys now. Discover what you've missed out on thus far and count yourself among the growing list of die hard fans before you become one lost in the sea of fans they will have before you realized what happened... because they are going to take over the world.
Voted the Best Live Band 2007 at the Inland Empire Music Awards. "A band Destined for Stardom" says Martin Brown, Southern California Awards show producer. Known for intense stage presence and musicianship Souljourners has been tearing California open with their unique blend of Progressive Rock/Metal. Souljourners has shared the stage with nationally know acts including Dick Dale, Jonah 33, The Young Dubliners, Holy Soldier, and many others. Voted Best High School Band by the Southern California Music Awards in 2006 and recently nominated by the Inland Empire Music Awards 2007 for 3 awards and took home 2! Souljourners is featured on many radio stations and on line stations across the United States. 2008 promises to be exciting as the band is gearing up for their debut album release of “Mind Control” a musically rich concept album produced by Frank Gryner (A Perfect Circle, Bon Jovi, Train, Rob Zombie) and Karen Stever. This album also features guitarist Phil Collen from Def Leppard on the song "Crazy Times". Souljourners has gained the attention of prog and rock fans around the world and will be touring in 2008. Check souljournersband.com for more information on their upcoming album release and tour.
Forget the fact that this is a young group of guys and hold them under the same microscope that you would for Dream Theater, Galactic Cowboys or even Voi Vod - Souljourners will most certainly emerge from the test as true blooded rockers with a sharp mind for progressive arrangements. Hear it for yourself by visiting their MySpace profile.
