Beardfish Swim Into Bethlehem; NEARfest Takes A Quantum Leap
Date: Friday, September 19 @ 08:00:00 UTC
Topic: Festival News


Here we have a pair of NEARFest announcements. The first: NEARfest '09 is very excited to bring to the NEARfest stage, Beardfish. Hailing from Sweden, Beardfish are a prime example of an archetype of an exceptionally expressive prog rock act. Building on the strength and power of previous releases such as The Sane Day and Sleeping In Traffic: Part One, their current album, Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two, features quotes from almost all eras of music history, blending them into an unmistakable sound. Beardfish's music has depth and substance without overtaxing its listeners with overly intricate structures. A distinct sense of Zappa-esque humor pervades Beardfish's music and lyrics.

Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater said about Beardfish: "Sweden's Beardfish are my favorite 'new' band with an 'old' sound. Utilizing all of the classic styles and sounds of the original progessive rock bands of the 70's (mellotron, hammond organ, leslies, clean guitars, dry organic drums, etc.), these guys are making music for the folks who truly miss the classic bands that started this whole genre." Prepare yourselves to welcome Beardfish to the NEARfest '09 stage.



Secondly: The NEARfest New Guard are proud to announce the appearance of Space Rockers, Quantum Fantay. Hailing from Belgium, Quantum Fantay begins when two crazy friends, Pieter Van den Broeck (Pete Mush) and Wouter De Geest (Jaro), combine their musical visions and creativity. The result is the music of Quantum Fantay and their brand of liquid space rock. Drawing influences from, without being derivative of, bands such as Ozric Tentacles, Hawkwind and Hidria Spacefolk, Quantum Fantay create soundscapes and rhythms that wholly draw in the listener. Using hypnotic waves, atmospheric soundscapes, psychedelic synths, haunting melodies, woody groovy basslines with energy driven and experimental drums, a Quantum gig is a show to remember. To make the band live breathable and even more interesting the two neighbors attracted drummer Gino Verhaegen, guitar player Dario Frodo and flute-player Karel Slabbaert (Charles Sla). Quantum Fantay, a name that came out of a typing error for the word fantasy, was on it's way.

The year 2005 saw them release the album, Agapanthustherra to critical acclaim while 2007 saw the release of Ugisiunsi, their second studio album recorded at "Pete's Mushroom Land" recording studio. This creation was a step further in terms of production and playing. Two Thousand and Eight has been an exciting year for the band as their first album has been re-released and a new live album, titled From Herzberg To Living Room, are added to their catalogue and recordings for the next studio album are fully on. We here at NEARfest are thrilled to present as our Sunday morning surprise, the Space Rockings of Quantum Fantay.

[Source: NEARfest]







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