Cirdec’s Log (Progstock 2023 Edition)

OCTOBER 6, 11:16

Williams Center. Rutherford, New Jersey

PROGSTOCK, DAY 1: Into the Progosphere

I’ve been meaning to restart the diary for months. I’ve been through some stuff. But there’s no time to go into that now. But if I’m gonna restart this, I may as well put it around something. Progstock seems like a good place to start.

We’re nearly six hours from seeing the first band at this annual progressive rock festival that originated in ‘17. I was invited to come here a couple of months ago. After a little negotiation, I was talked into it.

So, yesterday after a 03:00 wake-up, I was off to O’Hare for a plane to Newark.

I hadn’t flown in six years, which stunned me to think about. All the traveling I’ve done and no planes? Nope. Cars and trains. But I love to fly, so it was (mostly) nice to make a change. I say mostly because clearly airliners are packing people in closer on their flights. I had a middle seat between a large-ish man on my right and a smaller Asian on my left. That made me a little cranky at first, but I fell asleep within 10 minutes of takeoff and I woke up about 15 minutes before landing. Problem solved.

I landed right across the bridge from New York City, where I’ve never been.

I’ve decided to stay for an extra day-and-a-half to go over and explore. But that’s obviously for later.

I have a roommate at my hotel (the festival is trying to minimize expenses), but Brian Kovacs is a great guy. I fact, we’ve chatted on social media before. I just didn’t recall it. Shame on me. But we get along swimmingly.

Bryan Kovacs, my Progstock roomie and overall cool dude.

I got in a day early (yesterday), so I spent the afternoon after my arrival driving in virtual circles picking up artists from the airport with Chris and Rita Kay Drew. One of them was Chester Thompson, one of my favorite drummers. He played with both Frank Zappa’s “Roxy” band and with Genesis on tour, particular on the Seconds Out LP. It was great to make a little small talk in the van with him.

A legend and some dude standing next to him.

Next thing I knew, the four of us were having lunch. Then, Chris and Rita had to leave briefly. Now I’m having lunch and chatting with one of my favorite musicians. He’s an incredibly nice man. And that’s one helluva way to start the weekend!

We also picked up keyboardist Patrick Moraz, who had played in Yes and the Moody Blues, to say nothing of a pair of duet albums with Bill Bruford, my favorite drummer. He just walked by and we had a brief chat. An interview with his is just down the road. I hope.

Let’s face it (and I say this in a way that should make you laugh): I stick out like a sore thumb. There are next to no black faces here. And I don’t care. I love this music. I’ve already had at least eight people walk up to me and introduce themselves as followers on my Facebook group and/or purchasers of my book. It’s nice to feel popular. And I’m easy to find.

17:05

The Theater

The Williams Center is a fascinating building. There are auditoriums everywhere, upstairs and down. The show itself is confined to one, while the lectures take place in a different spot nearby. And it is adorened with some lovely Picasso-esque artwork.

I asked a friend if they thought the theater would missone of the paintings if it made its way to my home. For some reason, they seem to think the degree of possibility is quite high. So, the art stays where it is.

The show is running late. The music was supposed to start five minutes ago. I hate late. But what can I do?

Had a lovely lunch/dinner with my friends Rhea and Roy. We used to meet up at prog-related shows (especially anything involving Adrian Belew) in St. Louis, but they have moved to Philly, their original home. And I have since relocated to Chicago. It was good to see them.

Roy, that one dude, and Rhea, Concert Buddies 4-eva!

Before that, Patrick Moraz gave a nice talk about his experiences with Moog synthesizers. He’s both chatty and funny. A nice combination.

He was joined by Michelle Moog (as in the synth company) and Larry Fast, aka Synergy.

Make no mistake — this was Patrick‘s show. Larry and Michelle barely got a word in edgewise. And it would seem that Patrick loves the word “UNBELIEVABLE!” He’s a real crowd-pleaser.

17:33

The soundcheck is finally complete. We might actually get some music.

Ad Astra will lead things off. I have interviewed their guitarist, Joe Nardulli. He’s a really cool dude. And now the doors are open and the audience is making its way in.

23:44

The Lobby

What a day! A lot of talented musicians busted their butts to make for a great first day. Unlike Progtoberfest, there weren’t a bazillion bands to keep track of, forcing me to catch partial sets. Instead, I got to see all of everything. Very nice indeed. I certainly don’t mind seeing a ton of bands, but having a little breathing room in between makes for a more pleasant experience.

Now, I wait for my ride back to the hotel.

Somewhere outside, someone is playing a Jean-Luc Ponty album. Yep … this is my kind of crowd.

OCTOBER 7, 12:27

PROGSTOCK, DAY 2: The Journey’s Middle

The Black Box

There’s an area right behind the main stage where I see yet another stage. But it’s not being used for that today. During the festival, this section (painted black) is for art and “meet and greets” with the bands. I’ve taken in some fascinating work here, including some of the most intricate pumpkin carving I’ve ever seen.

The theme today is, again, “late.” I overslept and had to skip breakfast. I got to the venue at 11:45 For a 12:00 show that’s still in soundcheck as I type these words. Everyone has a pliable relationship with time. Normally, this would make me crazy. But I’m tired. So I’ll let it slide.

Plus, it gives me a little time to talk about yesterday.

The first notes were played by NYC’s Ad Astra, whom I saw some three years ago at Progtoberfest. A great band and great people. They certainly helped establish the mood for what was to come.

Next up was the Travis Larson Band. Wow, did they smoke!!! I’m officially a fan. Tht’s an interview I need to run down.

Finally, the Mahavishnu Project closed out the show by celebrating the 50th anniversary of Birds of Fire. They peeled the paint off the walls and ripped out ear hairs (as Mr. Fripp might say).

They even brought out the great keyboardist Rachel Flowers to lend a few notes of her own.

(Side note: I took a TON of photos, and I want to show many of them on this site. I’ve decided do create a separate post dedicated to that purpose. I’ll dig into that soon enough.)

Now, it’s waiting for Randy McStine to take the stage.

But he did show up, and it was worth the tardiness. I’ve interviewed Randy as well. Another great dude to chat with.

19:34

Upstairs

It’s an hour until the final two sets. I’m grateful. I can use the breather.

Aside from a couple shoppers, I have lots of space to be alone for a minute. I’ve been stopped and identified at least two dozen times now. It’s incredibly flattering and I’m happy to talk to my … fans? Really? I guess so. Someone called me an “internet celebrity” on my Facebook page. My brain couldn’t process it. I’ve been called an influencer before. But I’ve never really bought into it. But if someone buys a record or explores an artist because I dig them, well … I appreciate it.

And sure enough, I got roped into a conversation. Well, that’s how networking is done.

OCTOBER 8, 11:56

The Black Box.

PROGSTOCK, DAY 3: The Final (and Tardy) Journey

Useless fact: Rutherford, New Jersey calls itself “The Borough of Trees.” How interesting. And yes, there are trees all over the place.

I’m exhausted. But it’s about time to suck it up and get going. The bigger names are coming out today, even if my back is killing me.

But first, yesterday.

The evening sets wrapped up with Rachel Flowers putting on a lovely set that was probably more jazz than prog. No matter, she’s very good and a couple of her CDs made their way into my backpack. (She’s pictured above No need to repeat myself.)

The grand finale was Dave Kerzner and company. He played some material from his new album before launching into Dimensionaut, the album he made with Sounds of Contact, a real favorite of mine. The album is celebrating its tenth anniversary, so the choice was appropriate. The vibe and sound wasn’t quite the same as the album, but there were different players. So, what could one expect?

Today, we await the appearances of the likes of Chester Thompson and Patrick Moraz, among others. It should be a remarkable day.

Even if we are late.

16:14

The Theater

Mystery was supposed to go on at 4. Raise you’re hand if you think that happened. It’s okay … my back needs a breather.

Eventually, Mystery took the stage. And now I have another Canadian prog band to drool over.

Today’s first set was a good one featuring Dave Bainbridge and Sally Minnear. They played lovely tunes with an Irish lilt that captivated us from the beginning.

Sally’s singing voice is absolutely AMAZING and David is quite the guitar/bouzouki/keyboard player. And they’re very nice people.

From there, I went outside to catch an extraordinary keyboard player who calls himself Robeone. With the aid of a rhythm track, he made his keys do wondrous things.

Sometimes he attracted a little up close and personal attention.

It’s time for what’s next.

19:00

The Theater

My mind has been blown by a Chicago band called Aziola Crying. Their instrumentals are about as heavy as they come, even when they’re not that heavy, I have yet another band to follow. Lucky for me, they’re close by.

OCTOBER 9, 01:32

Room 533

Late.

Unbelievably late.

I’ll get into it later. I’m going to bed.

13:10

Room 533

I’m supposed to be wandering around New York City taking in a place I’ve never been before. Instead; I’m in bed, too tired to do much of anything. New York will have to wait until tomorrow.

Patrick Moraz was set to go onstage at 20:30 last night. Apparently, there were some kind of technical issues, so he didn’t go on until 22:45 or so. But he did finally make his way to the stage, where he did a fine job indeed.

Naturally, this mean Unitopia (featuring Chester Thompson) was also late hitting the stage. After some additional technical issues, the set finally commenced. It was quite good, even if it didn’t come to a close until after 01:00. I didn’t hear the final notes. I was done. I went back to the hotel.

As I made my way to the door, I bumped into Patrick again, which I seemed to do all weekend. On the plus side, he remebers my name, even. ifI do feel like the little stalker that could.

Since I was part of the group that picked him up from the airport, there was something poetic about him being the last musician I saw.

October 10, 19:05

Flight 2270

It didn’t even occur to me to look out the window on the way to Jersey. This time, I’m seated there, so I might as well take a peek. It is a glorious view indeed.

How to describe my New York City visit? Well, the phrase that keeps coming up in my head is “from sugar to shit.”

To wit:

Things started out incredibly well as I navigated my way from Port Authority to Ground Zero, where I sought to pay my respects to those lost on 9/11. It is, to say the least, quite moving. Starting with before I even got outside.

I simply couldn’t believe I was standing where the towers fell. I found myself standing in the spot formerly occupied by Tower 2, where what I believe are girder remnants from that tower have been adorned with metal boards and decorated with art.

I was so taken aback by the art, it didn’t initially occur to me to look up. That’s when I realized I was right next to the Freedom Tower. It was a most glorious sight indeed.

Everywhere you looked, there was something to move you or just make you reflect.

I almost felt guilty taking photos there. It feels like I was stealing a bit of sacred ground. I took two “selfies,” but I’ll be keeping those to myself out of respect.

I was saddened, but glad to have had the experience. Alas, it was all downhill from there. I’ll let my Facebook post do the talking.

“I had everything under control until I left the 9/11 memorial.

I tried to walk to the train station that would get me to Times Square, but my back decided that it was done for a bit. This brace is feeling pretty damned useless.

So, I decided to rent a CitiBike. I wasn’t ready for the weight of the motor in front. Hell, I wasn’t even *thinking* about a motor. I took a little tumble. The good news is that I was stationary and thought I hurt my pride more than anything else. A few blocks later I realized my left brake handle was smeared with blood. *And* it was running down my hand. I had split my finger open. Damn.

I found Times Square, but I wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be. There was no time to find it.

I needed to get back to the Port Authority. Traffic was at a standstill and I was weaving in and out to find somewhere to return my bike. I finally found a slot, but the rack wouldn’t take it! I eventually got it worked out with Citi.

That little adventure made me miss my shuttle bus back to Jersey. I was gonna grab the next one, but I got bad info on the gate. And there’s NO WAY I could run to catch it. Two buses missed.

So, one very expensive cab ride later, I was at the hotel grabbing my bags. One expensive Uber ride later, I was at the airport. Luckily, I planned ahead and I wound up here two-plus hours early.

My back brace is a royal pain to put on. So OF COURSE the TSA made me take it off for their security check. (This didn’t happen at O’Hare.) Now I’ve got to wrestle with this thing in men’s room to put it back on.

And now I’m at the gate (another painful walk) awaiting my flight.

The thrill is gone now. I want to go home.“

I’m not sour on NYC. There are already plans in motion to go back. The key, I’m sure, is to allot more time to get things done. I really wish I’d had the energy to go Monday. But it wasn’t in the cards.

I paid extra for a bulkhead seat, which claimed to offer more legroom. And it does. What it doesn’t do is give me any more elbow room. My neighbor and I have been in a struggle to establish dominance over the armrest. I’d say we’re even for now. Eventually, we struck up a pleasant conversation that started with that view from the window.

I can’t wait to get home.

21:15

Home.