Danny Bonte

Rock On! Wednesday, 18 January – Iron Butterfly, Spooky Tooth, The Pretty Things, Traffic, Humble Pie & Ultimate Spinach

Psychedelic, heavy, prog and more innovating sounds spanning the late 60s and the early 70s – Wednesday September 15th. Dan’s pick of the week: Iron Butterfly (In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida), Spooky Tooth (The Last Puff), Traffic (John Barleycorn Must Die), The Pretty Things (Parachute), Humble Pie (Rock On) & Ultimate Spinach (Ultimate Spinach).

Ultimate Classic Rock: “Over the years, Iron Butterfly’s most famous song, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” has become a comedic punchline, a whipping boy for the overblown and pretentious aspects of rock ‘n’ roll. But strip away the years of abuse and there’s a classic.

Iron Butterfly grew out of the Los Angeles scene of the mid-’60s. Their sound blended the dramatic sense of the early Doors with the garage spirit of the Seeds and the Music Machine.

Read more...

Art Rock Show – Bigger on the Inside (Week 3)

De Californische artieste Rachel Flowers laat met haar derde soloalbum zien dat ze, zoals de titel al aangeeft, “Bigger on the Inside” is. Als componiste verweeft Rachel naadloos elementen van progressieve rock, jazz, klassiek, en popmuziek met filmische orkestraties, stijgende melodieën, en virtuoos spel.

Prog Archives review: “This album, I suppose that it is easier to say that it is a very personal album, and she sings it with a conviction that is very strong, and the music is not afraid to show it even more. So in the piece “The Darkness”, another very personal song, she unleashes a metal edge here and there, and the funny thing … it’s not out of place, and shows very clearly how one can illustrate a lot of words and not fail to create something that could easily be thought of as just a solo.… Read more...

Art Rock Show – Skallagrim – Into The Breach (Week 2)

Er zijn maar weinig bands die zo productief zijn als de Amerikaanse groep Glass Hammer. Ze leggen de lat wel erg hoog voor zichzelf en verlaten regelmatig de gebaande wegen…

Pete Pardo van Sea of Tranquility: “Skallagrim – Into The Breach, is part two of 2020’s Dreaming City, the latest concept epic from Tennessee’s progressive rock veterans Glass Hammer. As we saw with Dreaming City, the band have taken a turn into much darker & heavier sounds, leaving behind the Yes influenced style that they were known for in place of a riffier, harder rocking approach, which, seems to fit the nature of this sword & sorcery saga written by the bands bassist Steve Babb. One listen to the crushing guitars of “Sellsword” and you instantly know that Glass Hammer are here to rock your face off, and though there are still plenty of Hammond organ and synth tones on the album courtesy of Fred Schendel and Babb, the meaty guitar & bass riffs throughout Skallagrim really are the star.… Read more...

Rock On! Wednesday, 5 January – Far East Family Band, Speed, Speed; Glue and Shinki, Arzachel & Grobschnitt

Psychedelic, heavy, prog and more innovating sounds spanning the late 60s and the early 70s – Wednesday September 15th. Dan’s pick of the week: Far East Family Band (Parallel World),  Speed; Glue and Shinki (Speed; Glue and Shinki ), Arzachel (Arzachel) & Grobschnitt (Ballermann).

Het album Parallel World werd in 1976 uitgebracht en was ook de laatste plaat van de legendarische Japanse space/psych-rockers Far East Family Band. Toetsenist van dienst was Masanori Takahashi, die later new age roem en fortuin zou vinden onder de naam Kitaro.

Rich Morris van SoundBLab: “Even considering how obscure the 70s Japanese psych scene is now, Far East Family Band are one of the less well-known groups. Formed in a Tokyo commune in the early 70s and led by guitarist/vocalist Fumio Miyashita and synth wizard Kitaro, the band adopted an all-white uniform.… Read more...