The wheel of time has turned round once more and we’re hard upon Summer.  The hands on the clock are difficult to read and overly complex, but that’s OK, it’s ticking in 13/8 time half of the time, the other half, it’s tocking in 7/3.    Most people when asked what time it was would throw up their hands in disgust and confusion, then shuffle away mumbling to themselves.

Others, however know, or at least they pretend they know, while quaffing down a micro-brew or 10.

There’s a proggyness in the air. The thunderclouds overhead look surprisingly like floating islands upon which caribou lackadaisically graze.  Look over there on Broadway, how did a lamb get downtown and why is it lying down in front of a theater where a passion play is being performed?

It’s time for NEARFest, the North East Art Rock Festival, and I’ll be hitting the road for Bethlehem, PA in just over 12 hours.

The line up this year, with their countries of origin:

• Eddie Jobson, The Ultimate Zero Project (ENG)
• Steve Hackett (ENG)
• Three Friends (ENG)
• The Enid (ENG)
• Iona (ENG)
• Riverside (POL)
• Forgas Band Phenomena (FRA)
• The Pineapple Thief (ENG)
• Astra (USA)
• Moraine (USA)

Damn, it will be good to hear Riverside live again after four years.  They played NEARFest 2006.  They were awesome then, I’m sure they’re even more awesome now.  Then there is Three Friends.  Who, you might ask?  Start with Gary Green (guitar, vocals) and Malcolm Mortimore (drums) of Gentle Giant, mix in generous amounts of, Roger Carey (bass and vocals, from Liane Carroll’s band), John Donaldson (piano and keyboards), Andy Williams (guitar, collaborator with Carey in the Engine Clutch And Gearbox trio) and Mick Wilson (vocals, from 10cc). The result? All kinds of Gently Giant goodness plus tons of new stuff.

Of course, I’ve been saving up to attack the CD bins at the vendors.
This years prey:

• A Perfect Circle
• Gentle Giant
• Symphony X
• Rocket Scientists
• National Health
• Opeth
• Atlantis
• Amon Duul
• Kevin Gilbert
• Royskopp
• Three Friends
• Frogg Cafe
• Ayreon – Actual Fantasy
• Aryeon – The Final Experiment
• Guilt Machine
• Ambeon – Fate of a Dreamer

As usual, yes, I know I could pick up some of these at Amazon, but:

1. What kind of fun is that?
2. Besos has enough money.
3. Oh, and… WHAT KIND OF FUN IS THAT?

I’ve gotta pack.  Talk to you all in a few days.

If you’ve been following the h+ summit, or even if you haven’t been, perhaps you have questions regarding transhumansim, human augmentation, radical life extension, germ line genetic engineering, etc, etc.  I know I do.

So, I’ll be headed down to Sprout for the h+ beer meetup sponsored by DIYBio.

When?  6pm until 8ish.

Where? 339 Summer St, Somerville, Massachusetts 02144

NEARFest is upon us once again. This year, the 10^th annual convening of this musical rite, promises to be an amazing time, but then, when has it not been. Hell, I even enjoyed Trenton.  The people at NEARFest are always friendly, the music is always great, it is incredibly organized, for the last time by Chad Hutchinson and Rob LaDuca. The torch will be passed, and the future looks as bright as anything which has come before.

The lineup, as usual,consists of a couple of bands I’m familiar with…

• echolyn (United States)
• Synergy® (United States)

…combined with a whole bunch I’ll see for the first time.

• Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (Italy)
• Liquid Tension Experiment (United States)
• Fish (Scotland)
• Peter Hammill (England)
• Discipline (United States)
• Radio Massacre International (England)
• Mörglbl (France)
• Koenji Hyakkei (Japan)

NEARFest is always a learning experience for me. I listened to Synergy as a lad while exploring the inner folds of my cerebral cortex. Many fond memories are attached to that music and that time. echolyn I’ve seen perform at NEWEars events, here in Lowell, MA. They were even kind enough to let me tape their performance and post it on Google Video. The others will all be new to me and I am wriggling like a puppy at the prospect of new, live, progressive rock.

NEARFest also provides me an opportunity to browse the vendors looking for CD’s. Yes, I know I could purchase them online, but I really like searching through the bins. Serendipity and Kismet have always been my allies. So, what will I be buying? So far, on my list:

• Kaos Moon
• Blackwing
• Marillion
• RWPL
• Metamorphsi
• Magellan (perhaps)
• …

There are others, but my list is stuck on my cubicle wall. I must remember not to leave it there.

Last year, as a sign of the genuinely convivial relationship between the Bethlehem Brewworks and NEARFest, their brewmasters created a tasty concoction called Thundering Hammond Pale Ale with a breathtaking logo designed by Tom Whalen. They sold out, well before the weekend was over. Well, this year they’ve done it again. The alchemists in the brew house have come up with the NEARFest 10X10 IPA, with another fantastic logo by Mr. Whalen, seen over on the right.

From the NEARFest website: “This year, our friends at the Bethlehem Brew Works have brewed a special beer just for NEARfest! We have named it “NEARfest Thundering Hammond Pale Ale.” Though we are still waiting on the alcohol content (ABV), we do have some of the other stats:”

“O.G. 1.052
Color: Copper
IBU’s 35″

“According to the brewer: “This is a west coast style pale ale with Cascade hops to give it a nice floral aroma and a good dose for bittering. This brew has a nice caramel flavor with a hint of chocolate malt in the finish.” This special beer will be available all weekend at the Brew Works and is $1.00 off when you present your NEARfest 2007 ticket stub. Be sure to stop by and sample a few pints. Big thanks to Traci Langer at the Brew Works for organizing this, to Ray Loboda for help with the name, and especially to Tom Whalen for spectacular logo. Cheers!”

After a week long AJAX bootcamp, I’ll be more than ready to dive into a few pints.