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

SENNI ESKELINEN & STRINGPUREE BAND

Stringpuree Band plays 100% progressive "Kantele" music. This three piece Finnish band comes from the Northern Savo region with a very unique instrumental sound mixed with traditional and contemporary elements including psychedelic and progressive spices topped with jazz and folk. What brings out this unique sound is of course the band's lineup which consists of electric kantele, bass and drums. All original music reflects the roots of Finnish folk music and Scandinavian prog and psychedelic sound.

Kantele is a plucked string instrument of the zither family and it is also part of the Baltic psalteries. The oldest form of the instrument had 5 or 6 strings but today it can have up to 40 strings. Although Senni plays electric Kantele on the album she is a student at the Sibelius Academy of Folk studying the traditional kantele. Her style is a blend of this: contemporary meets traditional. Her kantele has 39 strings and it is her biggest passion.

The members of the Stringpuree Band come from different backgrounds. Their music has elements of these different backgrounds like folk, rock, jazz and even some classical. Some parts (especially with percussions) almost sound traditional Jewish or Middle-Eastern. Niko Votkin is doing a great job on drums and percussions, however Stringpuree Band is not his only project. He is also part of the bands Cosmo Jones Beat Machine and Knucklebone Oscar.

The bass on this CD will absolutely fascinate you. The man who plays this instrument is Kalle Ylitolo. He also plays slide guitar and is a member of the bands Trembling Old Man, Dragging Spoons and Saa Sayed besides the Stringpuree Band.

The band's CD came out a couple of months ago. It is pure instrumental music, with 9 songs. The opening track "Embers" has some sort of a Medieval feeling with strong bass lines. "Little Fish" will most definitely be one of your favorites not just because it has a great fusion of different genres like prog rock and oriental, but it also stands out with Niko's percussions. The band members added some notes to the booklet which you will find interesting to read. The first one of these notes is Senni's childhood memories about trees in their yard dying before they even grew. She says back when she was a kid, they all died in winter since the winters were a lot colder then they are today. The song "Dying Appletree" is about that with a nice pop-jazz touch.

"Dead Man's Dance" and "Nightmare" are two waltzy songs with psychedelic influences. The first one starts off as a waltz and then turns into a heavy, deep Pink Floydish sound and ends up a waltz. "Nightmare" which starts off the same way becomes a very nice oriental sounding tune with some odd time signatures.

"Fastfood Agent" also has some "in your face" odd time signatures and it comes with Niko's notes in the booklet: "Like a mindless lunatic / Runs across heaths, jumps in the trees / He is happy / Worries don't bother him / The quick detective of the forest / Thinks he is looking for the / Chosen one of his heart."

Stringpuree Band bring a refreshing sound to the instrumental music scene especially with the electric kantele as their leading instrument. The band members have great knowledge of their traditional music, it is very obvious. What makes them really unique is the way they bring their traditions together with today's sound. This CD will definitely be one of the most popular ones here at TheProgFiles.

Visit the band's website at: www.myspace.com/stringpureeband

Visit Senni Eskelinen's website at: www.sennieskelinen.net

Purchase the band's CD at: www.jukeboxshop.net. This website is specialized in Finnish progressive and folk music along with jazz. Very good resource if you are looking for something new to discover.