A reward has been offered for a giant inflatable pig which floated into the Californian desert during a concert by ex-Pink Floyd star Roger Waters.

Organisers of the Coachella Festival have put up a $10,000 (£5,090) bounty, plus tickets for life, for its return.

The pig, which is the width of two buses, has a checked ballot box for US presidential hopeful Barack Obama painted on its underbelly.

Waters said “that’s my pig” as it drifted away during Sunday’s gig.

The animal’s flanks bear the slogans “fear builds walls” and “don’t be led to the slaughter”, with a cartoon of Uncle Sam holding two meat cleavers.

Coachella spokeswoman Marcee Rondan said: “It wasn’t really supposed to happen that way.

“People are putting search teams together to find this pig.

“But it may never be seen again,” she added, saying the inflatable was likely to lose air as its journey continued.

The pig was tethered to the ground with ropes and floated away as Waters was playing one of the versions of Pink Floyd song Pigs.

The group have used inflatable pigs during their concerts in the past, and the lost animal was the same prototype as all the others, according to Ms Rondan.

The festival are asking for anyone with any information about the pig to contact them on lostpig@coachella.com.

The Par Lindh Project Live in Poland DVD will be released worldwide in May of 2008 by Metal Mind Productions. The all-instrumental set was recorded live in Katowice, Poland in November of 2007. The show features both classic as well as new PLP material. Metal Mind will also be issuing a deluxe package of the DVD that comes with an audio-only version of the concert on CD.

The line-up on Live in Poland is:
Par Lindh, keyboards
William Kopecky, basses
Svetlan Raket, drums

Contraphonic is pleased to announce the launch of Little Hell - phase two of our Chicago Sound Series. Little Hell, the companion component to the Sound Series’ “A Lot You Got to Holler” section, brings together Chicago-based musicians and artists to create works that focus on a particular place, event, neighborhood, or moment across Chicago’s broad history. The end result is a portrait of Chicago through the medium of sound.

For the first Little Hell release, Contraphonic presents Apathy of a Cow: Chicago’s Little Hell: a musical meditation on the historic Little Hell neighborhood by Chicago-based drummer and composer Frank Rosaly. A stalwart on the Chicago Free Music and Free Jazz scenes, Rosaly has performed with the likes of Peter Brotzmann, Ken Vandermark, Jeff Parker, Von Freeman, Tobin Summerfield, Mantana Roberts, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, and a multitude of who’s who of the modern avant-music scene.

For Apathy of a Cow, Rosaly presents electroacoustic sounds and manipulated field recordings that evoke the simmering intensity of what was once known as Little Hell - Chicago’s roughest late 19th-early 20th century tenement. Available as a digital-only release, and for sale now in the ContraStore (iTunes coming soon), Apathy of a Cow comes with a free downloadable booklet with an accompanying history of the neighborhood and exclusive photos. Read, listen and learn why this neighborhood was feared as the “the plague spot of North Division.”

News from John Bollenberg regarding the Symforce festival:

It is with great pleasure that I can announce you the final two names which will perform at the 2nd edition of the Symforce festival to be held at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland

First of all the rumoured “mystery act” which will play it’s world premiere at the festival is the band PBII. This new band consists of three ex-members of the Dutch band Plackband augmented with a new bassplayer. After no less than thirty years Plackband has played it’s final concert on4th april as support to Arena. Although still using Genesis and Yes influences, also tendencies towards Frost and Mahavishnu Orchestra will be added to the new approach. For the very first time ever PBII will take to the stage, an opportunity not to be missed

With their debut album “Building an empire” pencilled in for a 19th may release, French band Demians sets out to become one of the major new discoveries of the last ten years. Spotted by an enthusiastic Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Blackfield), interest in this band has risen tremendously. And rightfully so as their music really covers lots of ground showing great depth and professionalism throughout. In fact Demians is the nom de plume for Nicolas Chapel who writes all of the music, plays all the instruments and even goes as far as to mix and produce the album and even draw and design the artwork for the sleeve ! For live purposes Nicolas brings along three extra ace musicians so they can easily deliver their outstanding music. Demians will perform in between Textures and Pain of Salvation in the main hall

So the full line-up for the second edition of the Symforce festival looks as follows :

Main Hall :

Opeth (sweden) (play exclusive full two hour show)
Pain of Salvation (sweden) (play exclusive full two hour show)
Demians (france) (first every appearance in Holland)
Textures (holland) (play an exclusive progressive set)

Small Hall :

Alquin (holland) (sold out the small hall by themselves in 2007)
Magic Pie (norway) (first ever concert outside of Norway with the new singer)
The Watch (italy) (bring real Moog and Mellotron)
PBII (holland) (hot in the footsteps of Plackband this fourpiece delivers it’s world premiere)

Batcave :

Hypnos 69 (belgium) (no doubt one of Belgium’s best kept prog secrets)
Solstice (england) (going strong for over 20 years featuring stunning female vocal acrobatics and fiddle)
Quantum Fantay (belgium) (they continue where Ozric Tentacles left off)
Kriminal Hammond Inferno (belgium) (Hammond & drums dressed to kill whilst focussing on Italian underground themes. Morricone eat your heart out)

News from the band Frogg Cafe:

“The original line-up of the band is in the studio right now recording our 4th studio album. Last month we laid down the foundation tracks for tunes called Terra Sancta (Sussman), From the Fence (Lieto), and Move Over I’m Driving (Lieto) and in mid-May we are going to attempt to lay down guitarist’s Frank Camiola’s latest epic called Belgian Boogie Board. You won’t be spinning “Boogie Board” at your grandmother’s 90th birthday party unless you tragically want it to end early. Hold onto your Charles Ives knickers for this one.

“This is the longest break we’ve ever taken from playing live shows and we definitely miss it. But it has given us the freedom to concentrate on this CD which we are having a blast creating for you. I’m sure that once this CD is done we’ll be able to play some shows as long as we get some prog fans who don’t mind changing a diaper or two for us in the parking lot. And NO, it’s not for our drummer. How dare you. He may be old, but he is spry.”

When the lights go up, the hum of the endless road is lost to the unmistakable strains of those twin-lead guitars and the cheers of the crowd. Life on the road has seduced Andy Powell and Wishbone Ash for 39 years. The band is in the midst of a six-month tour to promote two releases: The Power of Eternity, a studio recording featuring the current lineup; and a DVD and double-live CD soundtrack, Wishbone Ash Live in Hamburg, recorded in 2007 at Germany’s famed club, The Fabrik.

Dubbed the “Eternity Tour,” it has brought the band to many familiar stomping grounds in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. The upcoming leg of the U.S. tour begins on May 4 at the Rites of Spring prog-rock festival in Phoenixville, PA. Other dates include a live performance from the XM Satellite studio in Washington, D.C. and an encore appearance at the Ramshead Tavern in Annapolis, MD, before the group heads West to Las Vegas, California and the Pacific Northwest, finishing with a stop in Vancouver.

The lineup of twin axemen Andy Powell and Muddy Manninen, bassist Bob Skeat and drummer Joe Crabtree will deliver performances chock-full of current and future classics, including tracks from The Power of Eternity, released in the United Kingdom on Talking Elephant Records and worldwide through Sanctuary Records. Recently, Talking Elephant released two compilations from its Wishbone Ash catalog: ‘Tough,’ showcasing the rockin’ side of the band; and ‘Tender,’ featuring mellow tunes for when it’s time to unwind.

Wishbone Ash Live in Hamburg is the band’s ultimate video performance to date. The DVD clocks in at more than two hours of concert performance, plus an extensive interview with founding member Andy Powell joined by Muddy Manninen.

Formed in October 1969, Wishbone Ash was gigging by 1970. The band garnered notice in the early days for a unique blend of blues, jazz and English folk. But it was the way the guitars played melodic leads together that would become Wishbone Ash’s trademark, inspiring such bands as Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden. Throughout the years, many notable musicians have contributed their talents to the band, including Asia’s John Wetton, Trevor Bolder from David Bowie’s Spiders From Mars and Uriah Heep, and Laurie Wisefield, who would later play guitar for Joe Cocker and Tina Turner.

Wishbone Ash has released nearly 40 albums and six DVDs, performed on five continents, and received worldwide acclaim. The band regularly plays more than 150 shows a year, delivering the goods to an ever-growing number of appreciative fans of all ages.

Michael Piper, a longtime fixture on the progressive music scene via his New York-based music mail-order service The Wild Places, passed away recently after a lengthy illness. Michael also was known for his support of and connections with the band Porcupine Tree, from the group’s formative stages through present day. Additionally, Michael was one of the few Americans to be closely connected with “Mr. Doctor” of Italian progressive project Devil Doll. He will be missed.

The pioneering music group Curved Air is reuniting for a tour in 2008. A series of concerts have been arranged from June and include the Isle of Wight Festival on Friday, June 13. The lineup sees iconic vocalist Sonja Kristina teaming up again with other founding members Darryl Way and Florian Pilkington Miksa.

Curved Air, originally formed in 1969, was a groundbreaking progressive art-rock band renowned for the showmanship of individual musicians. Each member pushed the boundaries of possibilities for rock music performance; Darryl Way, with his flamboyant virtuoso exploration of electric violin, Francis Monkman’s brilliant innovative sound manipulation of synthesizers and fiery intricate guitar playing, and Florian’s expressive approach to rock drumming. Vocalist Sonja Kristina won the hearts of a generation of music lovers and was voted top British Female Vocalist of the 70’s.
Three ‘top twenty’ albums that this lineup released are generally regarded as classics, with “Back Street Luv” reaching the ‘top ten’ singles chart.

Of the reunion, Darryl said, “I’m very excited to be performing again with Sonja and Florian and looking forward to meeting faithful fans and maybe creating some new ones along the way.”

As for future plans, he continued, “Curved Air in the early 70s was very much at the cutting edge of new technologies for the production of music, with its use of synths and sequencers. Since that time, music technology has developed and matured in almost unimaginable ways; it should be really exciting and great fun to come back after all these years and have so many new toys to play with.”

Sonja Kristina, who is currently recording and performing with composer Marvin Ayres as MASK, (www.myspace.com/maskuk) is honored to re-unite with her Curved Air band mates to celebrate the legend and legacy of their unique sound and times. A new Curved Air CD produced by Darryl Way will be released in June 2008 including fresh recordings of classic and new tracks. Also, plans to tour Japan in the autumn are currently in the works.

For more information:
www.CurvedAir.com

ProgDay is proud to announce one of the leaders of the Midwest American progressive rock scene, VonFRICKLE, to the Storybook Farm stage. Hailing from the Illinois heartland, VonFRICKLE have become a staple of the Chicago area progressive rock underground, as well as playing shows throughout the country.

The band’s influences include KING CRIMSON, early PINK FLOYD, THE RESIDENTS, PRIMUS, JEFF BECK, late 70s early 80s RUSH and FRANK ZAPPA, but they create a brand of music that is all their own. Veteran musician/composer AL KOOPER says, “Just when the words ZAPPA, ELO, and DIXIE DREGS start to escape the vocabulary, here comes this Illinois instrumental band that is not afraid of time signatures, keys or tempo changes.”

With seven studio albums to their credit, VonFRICKLE are also known for their theatrical live shows featuring energetic readings of their recorded works. This year saw the highly anticipated release of their first concert album, “Live: The Forty Fingers of Doctor V,” which nicely captures the excitement of a VonFRICKLE performance.

After impressing fans at PROG IN THE PARK in 2006, VonFRICKLE are excited to make another east coast festival appearance. This is your chance to hear what all the buzz is about. Don’t miss it!

Announced bands so far: AIN SOPH (Japan), CHEER-ACCIDENT (US), HOLDING PATTERN (US)
ProgDay, the world’s longest running progressive rock festival, takes place August 30th and 31st at Storybook Farm near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Please visit our website at http://www.progday.com for more information.

GOURISHANKAR 2003 CD CLOSE GRIP AVAILABLE APRIL 15 2008

The Gourishankar have made their entrance in the Progressive Rock world with a BANG with the release of 2nd Hands on Unicorn Digital in 2007. The Band had previously recorded and independently released an album called Close Grip in 2003. CLOSE GRIP will be re-released on UNICORN DIGITAL on the 15th of April 2008. The album contains 7 songs plus a Bonus Track. The Band is currently looking for a new Singer and work for a new CD is in the work.

Close Grip Available April 15th 2008

QUEBEC PROG BAND DIRECTION SIGNS WITH UNICORN DIGITAL

Unicorn Digital is proud to announce that Quebec Progressive Rock band DIRECTION has just signed a deal with the label for the release of their new album entitled “EST” This is the fourth album by Direction and it will be released on may 10th 2008.

SNARLING ADJECTIVE CONVENTION JOINS UNICORN DIGITAL

The first CD from Snarling Adjective Convention entitled Bluewolf Bloodwalk will be released on Unicorn Digital April 25th 2008

Snarling Adjective Convention was originally the brainchild of William Kopecky and Roger Ebner. During listening sessions for their dark ambient project Yeti Rain, the duo discussed the possibilities of forming a sinister avant-garde funk ensemble that would combine elements of free jazz, metal, prog, ambient, and groove. The band also features Joe Kopecky on guitars, Craig Walkner on drums and Dan Maske on keyboards, trumpet, flute and percussion.

SPACED OUT TO PLAY FMPM 2008

World-class fusion trio Spaced Out will hit the stage this September at FMPM 2008. Formed by bassist Antoine Fafard and originally having the name Cortex, several different line-ups came and went before the group were signed to Unicorn Digital to release their first (self-titled) album in 2000. They were the first band on Unicorn Digital, apart from label founder Michel St-Père’s own Mystery, and are to this day one of its most popular and best-selling groups. Drummer Martin Maheux has been there since 1998, while guitarist Mark Tremblay has been with the group since the live dates following their second album, entitled Eponymus II. Two studio albums have followed in recent years, 2003’s Slow Gin and 2006’s Unstable Matter, which was the heaviest to date, allowing touches of metal to fuse with the jazz and rock influences already present. During this time the group has stayed active in a live setting, performing at NEARFest, as well as the Crescendo Festival in France. Two live DVDs are available to demonstrate their prowess. The music of the group is a heavy instrumental fusion that is compared to everything from Return to Forever to Planet X, with Fafard’s own bass style reminiscent at times of Jaco Pastorius.

The 2008 edition of the FMPM will take place September 13th and 14th of next year at the Salle Pierre-Mercure of the Pierre Peladeau Centre, in Montreal. Musique ProgresSon (ProgQuebec) and Unicorn Digital are now pleased to present the complete lineup for this year’s edition, which includes four international groups: Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (Italy), Univers Zero (Belgium), Riverside (Poland), and Knight Area (Holland), and three groups from Quebec: Charles Kaczynski, Spaced Out, and Interference Sardines, all performing on Saturday September 13 and Sunday September 14, and also Premier Ciel who are performing on Friday September 12, as part of the FMPM pre-show. More info at www.fmpm.net

Source: www.progmontreal.com

The material for the next Spaced Out studio album has been composed and is now being recorded. The new pieces will offer the high energy music that you might expect from the band. Funky elements are more present than ever and the production will be at a top level. The album will be released by the end of 2008.

www.spacedoutmusic.com

JELLY FICHE RELEASES FIRST ALBUM

It was with much anticipation that I went to see Jelly fiche at the Lion d’Or on Tuesday, March 18 2008. Mid-week shows are always a bit complicated for me to attend, but I would not have missed this one for the world! This performance was in honor of the official launch of their first album, entitled Tout Ce Que J’ai Rêvé. I was looking forward to see what the Jelly fiche folks had in store for us. All I can say is that I wasn’t disappointed because It was just a magnificent concert… but I expected no less from them, judging by the quality of their acclaimed performance at FMPM 2007. I was most happy to see the Lion d’Or packed with over 150 people, the atmosphere was truly electric!

The evening began with the opening act, renowned pianist André Delage, playing Genesis classics on the piano. He presented only three numbers, One For The Vine, Firth Of Fifth and The Musical Box, for a mesmerizing half-hour that was worthy of an enthusiastic standing ovation from the crowd at the end. André played with passion, giving his own twist at times to the legendary tunes. What a great start to the evening!

Around 8:30, time for Jellyfiche, two screens with back projection at each side of the stage, presenting spellbinding images throughout the performance. They performed their new album in its entirety, including Tout Ce Que J’ai Rêvé, Les Arbres, Caché au Fond Plus Haut, Source Infinie, In Vitro, Dans La Peau D’un Autre, parts 1 & 2, La Fontaine and La Cage des Vautours/Liberté. A brilliant performance from the very theatrical Syd, wearing different costumes that represent the various themes of the songs. Their music, highly melodic, psychedelic at times, is inspired by the songwriting of Harmonium, and the eerie musical arrangements of Pink Floyd. The musicianship is impeccable, from Éric Plante’s exquisitely precise keyboard and saxophone work, to Jean-François Arsenault’s Gilmour-inspired, blistering guitar solos and Syd’s powerful and emotional vocals. Kudos also go to Sylvain Auclair on bass and Matt Bergeron on drums for their excellent work accompanying the trio. One of the few prog bands in Quebec to sing in French, Jellyfiche brings back the glorious atmosphere of the era when Harmonium, Contraction, Morse Code, Maneige and Pollen were masters of the airwaves, packing auditoriums where they played! What a satisfying show, and what a privilege to have seen the band bring all these songs to life in front of us! This is a show you have to see!

Source: www.progmontreal.com

MYSTERY PREPARES 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF DESTINY?

This summer will be the 10th anniversary of the release of Destiny? The third album by Montreal band MYSTERY and last one recorded with singer Gary Savoie. After the release of MYSTERY’s latest album Beneath the Veil of Winter’s Face, Tracks from the Destiny? Sessions were transferred into Illusion Studio’s computer and the new mix was in the work. Michel St-Pere says about this project: Not only this album brought MYSTERY to a new level, but it also started the whole Unicorn Records adventure. But I was not satisfied with the mix and after mixing Beneath the Veil of Winter’s Face, I knew I could bring Destiny to a new level. The new mix sounds great and this album deserves to be heard the way it was meant to be. The 10th anniversary edition of Destiny will be released in the summer of 2008, while the band is recording a new album and prepares to do some live shows.

CELESTIAL OEUVRE NEW CD

New York band Celestial Oeuvre’s new studio CD is being mixed right now at Studio Illusion by Michel St-Pere. The mix is almost finished and the CD entitled “This Mortal Coil” will be released in the summer of 2008. Celestial Oeuvre first CD Second Chance released independently was very well received in the Progressive Rock Community. More news about this new Celestial Oeuvre CD coming soon.