Suzanne Calling

One of my most favorite shows of the 2014 Cruise to the Edge was performed by Lifesigns.  As soon as we were back home, I ordered their CD and it is easily the most played disc in the car-one which Ed and I each choose a different harmony line and sing along while we're driving along. When the group announced a crowd funding campaign to record new music at a concert in January, we jumped on board.  Even though we were wishing we lived in the UK to attend (and regularly wish we could teleport to all the European shows), it seemed a good alternative to relive the enjoyment of that Black and White lounge show.  If we move to the UK after my Ph.D, it is likely that we'll do a lot of exploring based on band appearances! Anyway, the other day John Young shared this teaser from the DVD and it has me happy to see that the same energy and cohesiveness we saw that April day once again. Check out "Different"! It is also making me antsy for November to get here, so we ca...

Our first night aboard the Cruise to the Edge, as pink badge attendees (more details on that later), we had a relatively light schedule. We attended the Saga Sailaway show, enjoyed some time aft on Deck 15, watching Miami fade into the distance, had a nice dinner in the Black Crab dining room, then attended a show by Italian Proggers PFM ( Premiata Forneria Marconi ), as both of these shows did not require a pink or blue badge. Afterwards, we wandered around. I'd had some video recording duties, but the venue I was going to after the PFM show was way too crowded for me to get in amidst all those attending to set up tripods and gear and sit on the scooter, so we headed to the Golden Lounge. Within moments of arriving, Ed had the surreal moment of witnessing Eddie Jobson introduce Gary Green to Patrick Moraz. Yes, I understand that means nothing to you, but here is the moment. While this was going on, there were many other performers in the lounge, and we hung out for a...

View of Miami-lunchtime, aft Deck 14 View of Miami-Saga Sail Away on Deck 14 Just exiting the channel from the Port of Miami-aft, Deck 15 Look the water is blue! 1 mile off South Beach, aft, Deck 15 Pilot boat dismissed, returning to Miami, aft, Deck 15 Moored in Cozumel, from Deck 14 Moored in Cozumel, from Deck 14 The MSC Divina, from Cozumel Coconut palms, in Cozumel's only mall Sunset over Mexico, Wednesday night Setting sun, leaving Cozumel, Thursday night Understanding why people enjoy cruising so much, Thursday night I think I took too many pictures,but I don't care Best Vacation EVER, Thursday night Detour on the way home, Saturday morning

Honesty first: This will be a brief overview that will eventually link to more in-depth posts about some of the bands that performed on the 2014 Cruise to the Edge. Just figured I'd get that out there first, okay? If you look at this 'poster' for the event: You might recognize one or two bands that performed. Recognize five or more, then hello there, fellow prog fan! Yeah, so this means that it was not going to be your ordinary cruise and it was not going to be populated with those who have a preferred station on the radio that plays all their favorites, all the time. Nope, prog fans are used to not seeing their favorite bands play sellout crowds in arenas, or hell, even getting to see their favorite bands perform live. As a result, this cruise was like Mecca-the opportunity to have all prog, all the time. On the DEFCON scale, Ed would be one of those solid 5's-he is well versed, keeps up on the new releases, who is playing with what band nowadays. He...

Yes, I took an extended break from blogging, my first since October 31, 2007. It was for a good reason-I was out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, on a chartered cruise liner, enjoying the second Cruise to the Edge . We've been off the ship for 36 hours, and I'm still blown away by the experience. Everywhere you went on the ship, progressive rock played overhead or live, by groups I'd been listening to for years (and some by musicians I've been hearing since infancy). The bill featured 26 musical acts, I saw eleven-and if time had allowed, I would have attended more. We met many other devotees of this musical genre and many of the musicians, too. Over the next few days, I'll recap some of the shows and introduce some of the bands we enjoyed, as well as give as much feedback as I can about the ship, which has been berthed in Miami since November. The experience was far better than we ever could have dreamed. For anyone considering this type of event...