Progressive Palaver

Episode 29 – Rush Part 4, Hemispheres Paul, Ken, Tom and Joe move into the culmination of the most progressive part of the Rush catalog with Hemispheres. The album fares well in the Palaver estimation. Joe has a moment (or several) discussing the title track in the face of some opposition. Circumstances is given high marks while the merits of The Trees is duly considered. And for what it’s worth, the Palaver feels that La Villa Strangiato is NOT self-indulgent. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

Bonus Episode – Spot the Drummer Paul, Ken and Joe attempt to play a game involving Rick Wakeman’s Six Wives of Henry VIII. Noting that of the six tracks two featured Bill Bruford, three Alan White and one a third drummer, Joe challenged Paul and Ken to “spot the drummer.” The idea was to play a snippet of each song and have the guys decide which drummer was playing on the track. Things went off the rails pretty early on but we think the final outcome is quite fun regardless. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

Episode 23 – Rush Part 3, 2112 & A Farewell to Kings An almost full cast of Joe, Ken, Paul, Tom and Jay continue on with the palaver on the early Rush catalog. In this episode we cover 2112 and A Farewell to Kings. Joe opens the discussion by confounding the rest by admitting that he just doesn’t “get” the song 2112. Despite the group’s best efforts (Ken is particularly eloquent in his defense of the song) he remains unswayed. The group, as a whole, is more aligned with the rest of the album. A Farewell to Kings is generally recognized as a key step in Rush’s maturation as songwriters and musicians. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

Episode 27 – Rush Part 2, Fly By Night & Caress of Steel Ken, Paul and Joe continue on with the palaver on the early Rush catalog. In this episode we cover Fly By Night and Caress of Steel. The overall theme of our first Rush episode continues with some happy discoveries of some unexpectedly wonderful moments. Fly By Night generally fares better than Caress of Steel in our estimation but we definitely enjoy delving into these early albums. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

Episode 26 – Rush Part 1, Overture & Rush Ken, Paul and Joe move into the Canadian prog scene and one of the all-time great bands, Rush. This series on Rush starts with the usual overview of our feelings on the band and how we each got into them. Ken’s tale of recording Exit Stage Left off the radio is both nostalgic and inspiring. From there we go on to consider Rush’s self-titled debut album. This album is not something with which most of us were familiar yet we found much here to enjoy. Rush, as a band, were certainly in there infancy but there were certainly some unexpected gems. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

The Palaver closes out the King's X catalog with Ogre Tones and XV. The conversation centers around what it is to "be" King's X and where these albums fit into the overall catalog of the band. While some strong feelings are generated, the Palaver is left wanting more like Gretchen, Dogman or Mr. Bulbous. Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala Instagram: ProgPala / Progressive Palaver YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

The group continues with the King's X catalog moving onto the follow up to Mr. Bulbous, Manic Moonlight which fails to capture the progressive and experimental nature of the former. Black Like Sunday ends up being somewhat controversial in the Palaver with Tom being firmly against and Joe reveling in what this album reveals about early King's X. Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala Instagram: ProgPala / Progressive Palaver YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

Bonus Episode – Palaver Mailbag, Late Delivery The group goes into the mailbag and responds to some questions and comments through the various social media sites. A short, fun conversation. We are looking forward to more so please keep them coming! Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala Instagram: ProgPala / Progressive Palaver YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

SCS6 – Marillion – Dallas, TX A Special Concert Series edition! Ken and Paul travelled to see Marillion with Joe at the Granada Theater for the band’s first performance in Dallas, TX. The show was sublime (with the notable exception of certain audience members who wanted everyone to sit down) and the band fully justified the required travel. The Palaver covers the set list (Kayleigh into Wave, opening with El Dorado, Invisible Man as an encore) as well as the stellar performance. The Palaver also managed to get some quality band interactions with the band after the show. To give a spoiler, this show was exceptional. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala Instagram: ProgPala / Progressive Palaver YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt

Episode 23 – King’s X Part 4, Tape Head & Please Come Home… Mr. Bulbous A lean Palaver continue on with the King’s X catalog with the Tape Head and the very surprising Please Come Home… Mr. Bulbous. Continuing with the ongoing theme, the idea of better alternatives for a single are explored. The big surprise of the episode was the discovery of much to like on Mr. Bulbous. The group, as a whole, are surprised and delighted to find that Mr. Bulbous is an engaging, entertaining and, dare we say, progressive album that cements King’s X’s place as a progressive metal band. Twitter: @progpala Email: progpala@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3D8wbv-AcJ_7Z__w/featured Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt