When it comes to the heady art of improv, guitar legend Allan Holdsworth is a master without peer and his own worst critic
By JOHN COLLINGE, Progression Editor

Things you probably didn’t know about guitarist Allan Holdsworth yet never would have guessed:

He’s a rabid Star Trek fan and loves science fiction, but has been to a movie theater only twice since 1986.

Now 60, he sometimes feels uncomfortable performing to live audiences on what he considers “a young man’s instrument.”

And 90 percent of the time he leaves a gig feeling disappointed in his performance. (more…)

Surviving and thriving for 20 years as an independent progressive act
By JOHN COLLINGE, Progression Editor

After the Fall is a working-class progressive rock quartet with roots from its Connecticut origins dating back to the late 1970s, when guitarist Mark Benson and keyboardist Ken Archer first met. The group’s love of vintage ‘70s prog — imbued with elements of jazz-fusion and the song-oriented melodic sensibilities of 1980s-era neo-progressive — receives epic treatment on its latest independently produced album, Knowledge. (more…)

Candice Night, who never sang professionally before meeting guitar guru Ritchie Blackmore, discusses her improbable blossoming with one of rock’s most eclectic bands
By JOHN COLLINGE, Progression Editor

What a joy, it might be, to live a simpler, more rustic existence — to return to a time when an idyllic life through hard work and good times was infinitely more possible than in today’s culturally confused, technology-propelled rat race.

Such is the illusion conjured by Blackmore’s Night, a group that transports listeners back to the merry world of medieval life with a sound that is festive, celebratory, and ethnically diverse, while always maintaining the option to rock hard. Led by vocalist Candice Night and ex-Deep Purple/Rainbow guitar god Ritchie Blackmore, the group vividly captures the charm and good cheer of Renaissance times while blending its reverent passion for a bygone era with the ability to transcend style and genre. The result, as evidenced on the diverse new album, The Village Lanterne, is music that sounds soothingly timeless, refreshingly modern, and uniquely progressive. (more…)

The peace and serenity of Iona, in 5.1 surround
By JOHN ‘BO BO’ BOLLENBERG and JOHN COLLINGE, Progression Editor

Song as a springboard for religious expression can be a thorny subject when shifted from sanctuary to street corner, especially among members of the fiercely dedicated (and strongly opinionated) progressive music community.

Mixing adventurous music with ancient dogma is a precarious path to critical acceptance, let alone a reliable recording contract. In the case of British band Iona, however, Christian mysticism complements a sound every bit as engagingly ethereal as what ‘70s forebears Yes conjured during the first wave of new age spirituality. (more…)