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

Torman Maxt

Torman Maxt is a progressive metal outfit out of Southern California. Three brothers make up the band: Tony, Vincent and Dominic Massaro. Only musicians that grew up together could perform music with this degree of precision. This is that incredible band you knew existed, but have yet to discover. The band has three albums in their resume and can be found at their official website, MySpace, iTunes & Rhapsody.

The band started out in the early 90s in Ft Myers Florida, shortly thereafter moving to Southern California where they recorded their first album “Just Talking About the Universe... So far”. The debut album did well for an indie release and set the tone for future releases by this prog-rock group. Next up was The Foolishness of God that found guitarist Tony Massaro at the vocal helm. Their latest release, The Problem of Pain, Part 1, is a rock opera that will be released in two segments (hence the title “Part 1”). Look for this newest release in 2008.

The undeniably enticing characteristic of progressive metal or hard rock music is the roller coaster ride the music will take you on. At the risk of sounding cliché, torman maxt's music is a thrill ride of ups, downs, twists, turns and jolting compositions sure to leave you beaten as well as strangely lifted up.

Tony Massaro, the band's guitarist, while maintaining his identity, as quickly as you hear a straight-ahead metal part, you will be thrown back with a very angry punk type of riff. Other times you will hear a piece that is nothing short of a classical masterpiece and then other times you'll hear what sounds like an interpretation of what the guitar arrangements might have sounded like in antiquity, almost medieval pieces with single acoustic notes dancing above the movement.

Dominic Massaro on bass and keyboards. Not your average rock bassist, he has an unorthodox approach to technique. It's evident that he is not content with being the background rhythm section accompaniment. At times his bass seems to be “singing” and other times a sound is utilized on parts that dominate the piece. He is locked in with the band's sound and convinces the listener he knows what he is doing. The keyboard textures Dominic provides are a continuation of that compositional understanding.

Vincent Massaro is the band's drummer. He displays an ease of versatility on drums. Not simply a drummer keeping time, his feel for the setting can be heard when he either backs up the band with a straight from the gutter beat or dazzles the listener with intricate time signatures. What makes Vincent unique is his sensitivity to the compositions.Vincent is intimate with the song, understanding it's motive and mood. He knows when to attack and when to lay low.

Visit the links below to hear torman maxt

As is always the case here at TheProgFiles, we are all about the artist. Whatever we can do to facilitate a direct interest in the musicians is in everyone's best interest. Having said that, if you are interested in Torman Maxt's music, we encourage you to buy from them direct. You can do so by visting the links below.

www.tormanmaxt.com
MySpace
CD Baby download tracks at iTunes & Rhapsody