The New Guest Vocalist For PROG...
Last night The Dulcinea and I went to the High Noon Saloon and caught Madison's progressive rock cover band, PROG, in action. It was a fun, spirited show that was heavy on the Genesis. The band added 3 new songs into the setlist: "Get 'Em Out by Friday" & "IT" by Genesis along with Rush's "YYZ". All were a hoot and bassist Gordon Ranney hummed the bass solo bit in "YYZ" which humored me greatly.
I had taken a nap prior to heading over to the High Noon so I was in a bit of a daze and I found my mind wandering at times during the show. One example was during "Get 'Em Out by Friday". The song is ostensibly about a future in which people are evicted from their homes while others are genetically engineered to be shorter so more of them can be crammed into tenement housing.
[John Pebble of Styx Enterprises]
"Get 'em out by Friday!
You don't get paid till the last one's well on his way.
Get 'em out by Friday!
It's important that we keep to schedule, there must be no delay."
[Mark Hall of Styx Enterprises (otherwise known as "The Winkler")]
"I represent a firm of gentlemen who recently purchased this house
and all the others in the road,
In the interest of humanity we've found a better place for you
to go, go-woh, go-woh"
[Mrs. Barrow (a tenant)]
"Oh no, this I can't believe,
Oh Mary, they're asking us to leave.
"Now, aside from the goofy sci-fi premise, it made me think about the folks here in Madison on Allied Drive who are being evicted.
Another thought that occurred to me was that it would be fun to have PROG as a wedding band. I mean, most of my friends are complete and total nerds and a good many of them would be able to name the tunes with only a note or two. And I could guarantee that a rendition of "Squonk" by Genesis would inspire an infernal chorus of off-key singing, the likes of which has never been heard in all of human history. I am deadly serious. My mother got a hint of what this atrocity would sound like a few years ago when she, my brother, and I went to see Blue Man Group. During one part, the Blue Men played Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" on their PVC percussion and encouraged the audience to sing. And so my brother and I obliged. Our mom has not been the same since. The unholy trio of "Squonk", beer, and my nerdy friends (& brother) would make for a wedding reception which would live in infamy.
The band played "And You and I" much to The Dulcinea's delight and closed the show with "Würm", the final section of Yes' "Starship Trooper". Afterwards, I did my best pedantic prog fan imitation and explained to her that the guitar riff was taken from "Nether Street", a song by the band Bodast which featured a young Steve Howe before he joined Yes. Having relayed this tidbit of info, The Dulcinea immediately dashed off to join Gordon, the bass player, at the bar. I think she is attempting to be the Pamela Des Barres of prog but I won't get worried until she starts stocking up on Plaster of Paris.
Although PROG won't play again in Madison until the spring, expect a vernal dose of side-long epics at their next gig. You will witness Apollo and Dionysus fight it out in Rush's "Hemispheres"; have flashbacks to reading War and Peace in high school with Yes' "The Gates of Delirium"; and get a dose of New Testament eschatology with "Supper's Ready" by Genesis. Oh, and if they do "Los Endos", I get to sing the one line of lyrics! Into a Playskool microphone. That's not plugged in.
I had taken a nap prior to heading over to the High Noon so I was in a bit of a daze and I found my mind wandering at times during the show. One example was during "Get 'Em Out by Friday". The song is ostensibly about a future in which people are evicted from their homes while others are genetically engineered to be shorter so more of them can be crammed into tenement housing.
"Get 'em out by Friday!
You don't get paid till the last one's well on his way.
Get 'em out by Friday!
It's important that we keep to schedule, there must be no delay."
[Mark Hall of Styx Enterprises (otherwise known as "The Winkler")]
"I represent a firm of gentlemen who recently purchased this house
and all the others in the road,
In the interest of humanity we've found a better place for you
to go, go-woh, go-woh"
[Mrs. Barrow (a tenant)]
"Oh no, this I can't believe,
Oh Mary, they're asking us to leave.
Another thought that occurred to me was that it would be fun to have PROG as a wedding band. I mean, most of my friends are complete and total nerds and a good many of them would be able to name the tunes with only a note or two. And I could guarantee that a rendition of "Squonk" by Genesis would inspire an infernal chorus of off-key singing, the likes of which has never been heard in all of human history. I am deadly serious. My mother got a hint of what this atrocity would sound like a few years ago when she, my brother, and I went to see Blue Man Group. During one part, the Blue Men played Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" on their PVC percussion and encouraged the audience to sing. And so my brother and I obliged. Our mom has not been the same since. The unholy trio of "Squonk", beer, and my nerdy friends (& brother) would make for a wedding reception which would live in infamy.
The band played "And You and I" much to The Dulcinea's delight and closed the show with "Würm", the final section of Yes' "Starship Trooper". Afterwards, I did my best pedantic prog fan imitation and explained to her that the guitar riff was taken from "Nether Street", a song by the band Bodast which featured a young Steve Howe before he joined Yes. Having relayed this tidbit of info, The Dulcinea immediately dashed off to join Gordon, the bass player, at the bar. I think she is attempting to be the Pamela Des Barres of prog but I won't get worried until she starts stocking up on Plaster of Paris.
Although PROG won't play again in Madison until the spring, expect a vernal dose of side-long epics at their next gig. You will witness Apollo and Dionysus fight it out in Rush's "Hemispheres"; have flashbacks to reading War and Peace in high school with Yes' "The Gates of Delirium"; and get a dose of New Testament eschatology with "Supper's Ready" by Genesis. Oh, and if they do "Los Endos", I get to sing the one line of lyrics! Into a Playskool microphone. That's not plugged in.
posted by Palmer at 1:16 PM
2 Comments:
Yes. Nothing impresses the ladies more than when you try to explain music to them. Especially if you don't play an instrument.
I am also guilty of planning the wedding band in advance in my head. Which is extra sad/ironic since I'm nowhere near having a girlfriend.I am torn between Frogwater (an acoustic duo I sort of know) and Knuckel Drager. I think masks and pyro would make the reception a lot more bearable.
Knuckel Drager would be a hoot as would Droids Attack. Curiously enough, my girlfriend was thinking how fun it would be to have PROG at our wedding as well. This and her love of "And You and I" are just 2 of the reasons I love her so.
Post a Comment
<< Home