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Festival News: ProgDay - Flash At ProgDay! Presenting Shadow Circus!

Posted on Saturday, August 07 @ 18:03:58 UTC by nightowl

Catching up with the latest additions to the ProgDay 2010 line up, we start with their announcement regarding Flash:

In 1971, Colin Carter, formerly lead singer with Peter Barden's Camel, initiated an idea with Peter Banks, recently the first ex-Yes guitarist, to form a new band. Musician Ray Bennett had previously met Banks while staying with Bill Bruford, Bennett's former bandmate from The Breed. Recently returned to London, Bennett arrived right on time to fill the bass spot. Mike Hough, a hard working drummer with a jazz, rock and big band background, was discovered by Carter and Banks playing in a ballroom in London. Together they formed Flash.



In the early 70s Flash put out three albums on EMI/Capitol Records, had the hit single "Small Beginnings" (#28 Billboard), and toured Europe and the USA four times. They even made it to Australia. But after two and a half years, Flash disbanded. All four members later reunited in various combinations during the late 70's and early 80's. But by 1982 the Flash members had gone their separate ways.

In 2002 all four original members made contact again and were initially enthusiastic about a Flash reunion. Now spread out across the globe, plans to get together were discussed over several months. However, in the end, Banks and Hough failed to commit. In late 2004 it was Flash songwriters Ray Bennett and Colin Carter who began working together again. They discovered that the old chemistry was still there and in 2005 they officially re-launched their musical partnership as Flash.

2009 saw the almost miraculous resurrection of the fully realized Flash. Gibson Guitars listed Flash's In The Can as one of their top 10 vintage classic prog-rock albums. Also in 2009, all of their albums were reissued. Now, with a spectacular new 5 piece line-up and a studio album of new material in the works, these prog-rock pioneers set sail again with renewed vigor and their hallmark originality, ready to continue their saga. Advance copies of the new album should be available in September at Progday.

The second addition to the line up is Shadow Circus: For 15 years guitarist John Fontana played in numerous bands on the NYC music scene. Then he set out to create music on his own that recalled his progressive rock roots. During the process he met four other musicians who enthusiastically embraced the developing music, and Shadow Circus was born.

Often inspired by literary works from the likes of Ray Bradbury and Stephen King, the music of Shadow Circus pulls from the progressive past, yet is firmly anchored in today. The symphonic label with which their recordings are usually categorized only serves to indicate a small portion of Shadow Circus's diversity of musical exploration. Epic tracks, ballads, theatrical presentations, in-your-face rockers and everything in between are all delivered with impeccable musicianship and style. While bands like Spock's Baerd, Styx, The Tangent, and Crack The Sky are sometimes used to reference their sound, Shadow Circus' personal mix of adventurousness, accessibility, drama and fun carves out its own place in the world of modern prog.

ProgDay will be held the weekend of September 4 - 5, 2010 at Storybook Farm in Chapel Hill, NC. The line up also features Half Past Four, Mahogany Frog, Mars Hollow and The Muffins.

[Source: ProgDay website]

Posted in Festival News