A Nearfest 2000 Review

The 2nd annual North East Art Rock Festival (Nearfest) added a third day this year, with France's Priam and the return of Echolyn capping off the 12 band event. For the uninitiated, Nearfest was started as a means for fans of progressive music, which is currently experiencing an unexpected resurgence in the US (due in large part to events like these), to have access to bands that can often only be seen in Europe and South America, or cannot find appropriate venues in the States. While bands like Marillion, Yes, Dream Theater, Kansas and others have continued to find marginal success Stateside, it is really their overseas (and Japanese) following that has kept them afloat. Seeing the Zoellner Arts Center, which holds over 1000 people, packed to capacity for two days raises an eyebrow, that perhaps there is something larger behind this after all.

France's Priam kicked off the Friday night event (held at the oppressive Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown) with a very solid set of instrumental acrobatics. Bordering on pretension (but let's be honest, the entire movement borders on pretension), they were grounded by the fusion of guitarist Chis Casagrande and keyboardist Laurent Lacombe-Columb. After two encores, the excitement began to peak with the return of Echolyn. After a five year absence, one of the only progressive bands in the last decade to ink a major label contract was back with their strongest material. The aptly named Cowboy Poems Free was the source of about half the band's 90 minute set, and served as a powerful return to form for a group that the prog community had largely written off. The new influences acquired by the band in their hiatus were evident as strengths- the acoustic side of Brett Kull was in full form, replete with a little country twang that would heretofore have been considered prog heresy. Co-vocalist Ray Weston sang with cathartic abandon throughout the night, as if exorcising the ghosts of the last half decade. Despite the overbearing heat of the venue, the overcrowded and poorly designed room, the band's energy and the inexpensive beer combined to make an uplifting experience of it all.


Never before have two venues been as diametrically opposed as The Crocodile Rock Cafe and the Zoellner Arts Center. The latter was a beautiful, well-cooled, acoustically perfect, elegantly-designed venue that served to force one to focus on the music in front of them. There is literally not one bad seat in the house. Pennsylvania's own North Star kicked off the weekend with their first show in 17 years. It was a powerful, rousing set, led by the imposing Joe Newnam whose voice seemed like a powerful evolution from Genesis-era Peter Gabriel with a touch of Gentle Giant. Their intricate songs were evident, especially in keyboardist Kevin Leonard's neo-classical arrangements. All in all I was impressed that the promoters could start such a long event with such strength. Italy's DFA did not let up. Playing a genre-bending set that ranged from almost Prog-metal to fusion to Robert Fripp-tinged guitar acrobatics, there were many who found DFA to be the most impressive act of the day. With the exception of the unexpected arrival of Il Balletto Di Brozno vocalist Gianni Leone, who burst in dressed like a twirling genie and threw the entire set into creative disarray, I would concur that DFA rocked. Iluvatar, who are somehow from Baltimore, but sound every bit like a classic European prog act, followed. They played a very solid set that drew from their four CDs but surpassed them in terms of effectiveness. Vocalist Glenn McLaughlin has a classic prog voice, and serves as powerful frontman for this class act. Sweden's Anekdoten followed, and for me this was the highlight of the entire event. If King Crimson had taken Red and evolved from there, tossed a little cello and keyboard into the mix and stepped back from the microphone, one would have arrived at Anekdoten. Their set was note perfect, with Nicklas Berg simply shredding on guitar, and drummer Peter Nordins, bassist Jan Erik Lifestrom and cello/keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg cranking like a careening machine. They were truly something to behold. Headliner Happy the Man followed, playing only their second show in twenty years. They were a huge hit with the crowd, many who had come expressly to see this reunion of prog giants, who had in large part reformed specifically due to the inertia of the Nearfest promoters. I have to admit not being familiar with the material, but they looked and sounded great, and their set made it clear that they have been the influence for a lots of the sounds that were bouncing around Zoellner that weekend. For many attending the event, Happy the Man were the obvious high point.

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